On Sept. 26, the NFL announced Latino superstar Bad Bunny to perform at the 60th Super Bowl halftime show. Though making history by being the first Latin American male to headline the show, the decision has created significant celebration, criticism and controversy.
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton artist who has dominated global streaming charts for years, ranking as Spotify’s No. 1 most-streamed artist for three years in row from 2020-2022, the first artist to ever do so. With three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys under his belt, Bad Bunny is known for bringing Latin music to a mainstream audience worldwide.
Throughout his career, Bad Bunny has stayed vocal about social and political issues that affect Latino communities, especially Puerto Rico. In his 18-minute long music video, “El Apagon” (the blackout), he called out the electric company LUMA Energy and celebrities like Jake Paul, who took advantage of living in Puerto Rico tax-free.
He has also publicly criticized Trump multiple times, including wearing a shirt to a fundraising event for Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico, that read “Eres twitero o presidente?”, (are you a tweeter or a president). Most recently, Bad Bunny made headlines for choosing not to include the U.S. in his world tour for his newest album, “DeBi TiRAR MaS FOTos”.
In an interview with ID magazine, he disclosed:
“But there was the issue of like, …ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about
Many conservatives have argued that selecting Bad Bunny is inappropriate for an event that represents American culture. Critics like Tomi Lahren, a conservative podcaster, think Bad Bunny’s past comments about ICE are disrespectful and against American values. President Trump remarked on Newsmax’s “Greg Kelley” about the choice, “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
On Oct. 9, a conservative organization, Turning Point USA, announced a counterprogram titled “the All-American Halftime Show”, as a form of protest. It intends to “celebrate faith, family and freedom”, and will be shown at the same time as the NFL halftime show
However, many supporters have come forward to show their support for Bad Bunny’s performance. Some supporters argue that the criticisms coming from conservatives reflect deeper issues about who is considered “American” enough to represent the U.S. on such a worldwide stage. It is worth noting that as an unincorporated territory of the United States, Puerto Rico is a part of the US, and Puerto Ricans are American citizens.
Bad Bunny himself hasn’t responded directly about the criticism, but in his monologue on “Saturday Night Live”, he jokingly poked fun at the situation, saying “I think everyone is happy about it, even Fox News” followed by a montage of news anchors criticizing him clipped in a manner that seemed favorable towards him.
The Super Bowl halftime show is not new to generating political debate, as seen with Beyoncé in 2016 and Kendrick Lamar this past February. Other previous halftime performers have received both support and criticism over their public statements and choices.
In the months leading up to February 2026, there will likely be a continued discussion as both sides will weigh in with their different opinions.
