Justin Timberlake & Chris Stapleton | Andrew Lipovsky/NBC
Of all the rumored “surprise guests” for Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, none seemed more likely than Chris Stapleton.
Stapleton appears on “Say Something,” the strongest (and best-received) track from Timberlake’s new album “Man Of The Woods.” The song also seems tailormade for powerful live performances.
Timberlake and Stapleton, moreover, gave one of the best television performances in history during the 2015 CMA Awards.
The collaboration, unfortunately, did not happen during the Halftime Show.
It did, however, happen later Sunday night.
Timberlake and Stapleton performed “Say Something” to close a special live edition of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
While not a flawless performance, it was a strong one — and miles better than anything during his Super Bowl setlist.
Timberlake also performed “Supplies,” appeared in a comedy sketch, and took part in an interview on Sunday’s “Fallon.” Videos follow: