Why Does Usher Wear Gloves? It's A Mystery To Us, Too

Many musicians have a signature accessory — Ariana Grande has her ponytail, Taylor Swift has her red lip, and Michael Jackson had that one sequined glove. Now, that particular part of the King of Pop's legacy seemingly lives on, in its own way, with Usher. The Super Bowl LVIII headliner rocked them on the world's biggest stage on February 11, leaving many to wonder what's up with his years-long affinity with gloves. He was also recently spotted sporting them during several public appearances, including his interview with Billboard magazine. 

It remains unclear whether this is done for health reasons — a skin condition, perhaps, or a severe case of mysophobia — or if it's just to mark a new Usher era. One thing's for certain, though: It's a look we're all eager for him to confess about. At least he's consistent! And while his halftime performance — particularly his reunions with Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Lil Jon — lit up social media in the middle of the big game, many fans remained transfixed by his hands.

In the age of social media, it's an annual tradition for the Super Bowl Halftime Show to become an instant trending topic. Whether everyone's marveling at surprise reunions and show-stopping dance numbers or dunking on bizarre moments with a wave of memes, it's an undeniable highlight of the night. During Usher's performance at Super Bowl LVIII, his renditions of "My Boo" with Alicia Keys and "Yeah!" with Lil Jon and Ludacris, not to mention the marching band backing him up on "Love in This Club," were certainly the talk of X, formerly known as Twitter. But plenty of commenters were distracted by the gloves.

"They told Usher he had to incorporate one aspect of NFL in his outfit, so he chose OJ Simpson's gloves," @SulloReport joked, referring to the infamous moment from Simpson's murder trial. User @jaredrusso tied a comment on Usher's accessorizing with the disappointing state of the game itself, writing, "Usher, keep those gloves on, grab some pads and catch some lobs from Mahomes out there." Meanwhile, @PaulKPIX asked, "Why is Usher wearing Chef Boyardee/Hamburger Helper gloves?" Other X posters dropped memes comparing the Usher's glove situation to those of Thanos and Mickey Mouse.