This Super Bowl 2025 Performer Supports His Wife Through Her Third Battle With Cancer
For the forthcoming Super Bowl opening ceremony, Jon Batiste has a unique treat in store for the spectators. The musician is committed to his wife, who has been diagnosed with her third case of cancer, as he composes a performance that will be remembered.
Jon Batiste will perform the national anthem for Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. He is supporting his wife, Suleika Jaouad, while she fights cancer for the third time while simultaneously making a name for himself in the music business. Take a look at their romance.
In the midst of his wife’s second diagnosis, Batiste met, fell in love, and married her
Batiste’s wife posted about their meeting on Instagram during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak. Jaouad disclosed that she first met Batiste when she was 13 and he was a year older in a post that included pictures of the couple. They met during band camp, which she finds uncomfortable.
Over the years, she has learned more about the creative process from him than from any degree or craft book. Reacting to the post, one fan commented, “I didn’t know that! How cute!!”
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Batiste began playing the drums at the age of eight, demonstrating his early passion of music. He advanced to the piano by the age of twelve, which he soon became proficient at. Since then, he has achieved fame as a singer, composer, actor, arranger, and “harmonabord” player.
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When Jaouad received her first cancer diagnosis in 2011, physicians estimated her chances of surviving were barely 35 percent. She disregarded the odds, nevertheless. The couple got married in February 2022 after falling in love with Batiste, just after the 33-year-old received his second leukemia diagnosis.
After eight years of dating, the “We Are” singer and his spouse exchanged vows in their new residence. Only close family members attended the couple’s little wedding, which represented a new beginning. According to Batiste, their house is a haven of refuge where they may rest and contemplate themselves.
It took them three years to renovate, carefully selecting and building furniture and adding details to make it perfect. Their marriage was a last-minute decision, making it even more intimate. The singer explained, “It was one of those things that we did the day before her bone marrow transplant, it was a very deep time in our lives, obviously for so many reasons.”
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When the couple realized they had a limited amount of time before her transplant, they made the decision to proceed with their wedding. The author of the best-selling cancer memoir “Between Two Kingdoms,” Jaouad, disclosed that Batiste’s idea was not spurred by her own diagnosis. The Grammy-winning artist had been designing her engagement ring for a year.
He made it clear that his proposal was unaffected by her illness and that his feelings were unchanged despite her diagnosis. Rather, it made him more determined to dedicate himself to their future together.
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Laughing, Jaouad recalled, “We have known that we wanted to get married, I think, from the first week that we started dating. That’s when Jon first brought up the topic of marriage to me. So, we’ve had eight years. This is not, you know, a hasty decision!”
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A few months later, Batiste shared an update on his wife’s condition, saying she was “doing better.” He added, “Every single day we are praying and continuing the—I mean, she is incredible,” noting that if you saw her, you wouldn’t know what she was going through.
The musician further explained her resilience, “She has this ability to take the toughest challenges and make them life-affirming. So, with her, it’s a special case. How she’s doing, it’s a Suleika thing.”
When questioned in October 2023 about her chances of surviving after receiving her second diagnosis, she regrettably said, “Less than that,” citing the earlier statistics for her initial diagnosis. She maintained her optimism, though, saying that if science progresses or a new, compatible donor becomes available, her prognosis might improve. Then, however, a terrible incident occurred.
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Jaouad’s Third Cancer Diagnosis
Fans were able to see Jaouad’s cancer battle up close in 2023 thanks to the Netflix documentary “American Symphony.” At the same time as her husband’s original symphony, which shared the same name as their documentary, was released, her cancer returned.
One scene showed the couple playing Simon Says while walking through a hospital hallway during Jaouad’s chemotherapy treatment. In a voiceover, Batiste said, “I feel a strong, strong, strong desire to take the pain away. But I can’t.” He continued, “This is a moment, a test, and it’s nobody’s fault, and nobody can control it.”
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Despite their optimism, Jaouad shared devastating news on Instagram in late 2024, sharing a number of images and videos. She clarified that one of her end-of-year rituals is going through her full camera roll from beginning to end.
She also disclosed in the article that she was so moved by appreciation that she started crying as she completed it the day before. She disclosed that her cancer had returned.
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The author and producer reflected, “When you learn for the third time you have cancer, it’s easy to feel hopeless. But my photos showed me that even in the hardest moments, there were so many joys. That life is not a monolith. That our forever work is to learn to hold the brutal and beautiful in the same palm.”
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After sharing new images and footage, netizens praised her, with one person writing, “Wow, you are stunningly beautiful, inside and out.” Another added, “You are light personified .” A third fan described her as a “stunning and beautiful human! ”
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The pair is celebrating Batiste’s selection for Super Bowl LIX and his other recent accomplishments, but they are still concentrating on Jaouad’s health.
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Batiste’s Super Bowl Performance
Batiste announced in January 2025 that he would play in his hometown of New Orleans at Super Bowl LIX. He is committed to making a timeless musical arrangement for the occasion, which will be broadcast on Fox.
A week prior to the performance, he disclosed that he intended to complete his agreement. He also opened the Jon Batiste Jazz Club at the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas, so this isn’t his only recent accomplishment.
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On February 3, Jaouad posted a happy photo of herself with her husband, escalating the festivities. “Life was good,” she said, adding that they were appreciative of their Grammy award for Best Music Film for “American Symphony.”
They also won the award for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the same documentary. She wrote, “We couldn’t make it to the ceremony but we’re beaming love from our couch to yours, and sending gratitude to all who made this film possible.”
Seeing a different picture of the couple, a third person remarked, “You look radiant. Best. Couple. Ever.
” Meanwhile, after watching a short video of Batiste discussing his Super Bowl performance, one fan exclaimed, “Wow, nice!!! Look forward to your performance!!!”
Another excitedly stated, “CAN’T WAIT to hear it!! You’ll do us all proud JB!! Should’ve had you for [the] halftime show!” Someone else noted, “Oh, I wasn’t going to watch it. But perhaps I should tune in to hear and see you sing!”
Hopefully, Jaouad’s illness will go into remission and never recur.