If the Super Bowl matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots winds up being a snoozer, take heart: There’s always the halftime showdown.
Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show, headlined by Kid Rock, is going up against the Super Bowl Sunday mid-game extravaganza featuring Bad Bunny, a huge international star known for his Spanish-language hits and blasts at the Trump administration.
The dueling performances are being framed as a choice between left and right, but Kid Rock insisted that the decision to offer an entertainment alternative is coming from a place of love, not hate.
“I think I speak for Turning Point and all the artists involved: None of us are approaching this with any hate in our hearts at all,” Kid Rock said Friday on Fox News Channel. “It’s just a love for our base, a love for music, our country, and everything else.”
The country-rap entertainer is a well-known Trump friend and ally who performed at the 2024 Republican National Convention, while Puerto Rico-born rapper Bad Bunny has blasted the Trump administration’s immigration-enforcement efforts.
At the 2026 Grammy Awards last weekend, Bad Bunny began his acceptance speech for Best Musica Urbana Album by declaring, “ICE out,” referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis and other major U.S. cities.
Bad Bunny said during his Oct. 21 opening monologue on Saturday Night Live that viewers have “four months to learn” Spanish – an apparent joke that fell flat with critics on the right – but said Thursday that feeling the rhythm is more important than knowing the language.
“They don’t even have to learn Spanish. Better they learn to dance. There is no better dance than the one that comes from the heart,” he said in an interview on Apple Music.
As battles of the bands go, it’s not really a fair fight. Bad Bunny, the world’s biggest music star, will play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, before an NBC television audience of more than 100 million, while the Kid Rock show is being livestreamed on platforms including X, Rumble and YouTube.
Joining Kid Rock for the 30-minute performance are country stars Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.
“We’re just going to play for our base: the people who love America, love football, love Jesus,” said Kid Rock. “It’s pretty much that simple. And of course, the media and the haters are going to try to detract from it.”
Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said the idea stemmed from a desire to offer an option for football fans who feel “alienated” from some of the NFL’s choices on halftime performers.
One of the questions surrounding this year’s show is whether Bad Bunny will wear a dress, as he has done in the past as a show of support for LGBTQ rights.
“When some of the uproar happened based on the current pop superstar and people not being super happy with it, we just decided, hey, there are very few organizations and groups that are positioned to step into this space – and Turning Point is really good at doing productions, really good at doing events,” Mr. Kolvet told the National News Desk.
He commended the “very brave” artists who agreed to perform in the alternative show, which he predicted would be “epic.”
xxxxxxx
“We don’t really have an agenda,” Mr. Kolvet said. “This is great music for people that love great music, and for families that want to be able to rally behind something without being worried if they have to wear earmuffs or shield the eyes of their children from what’s on screen.”
Kid Rock, who said he would debut a new song during the show, had a suggestion for future NFL halftime shows: Why not “celebrate the culture” of the city in which the Super Bowl is being played by featuring artists from that area?
“There’s a band that checks every single box from San Francisco by the name of Metallica. Also, some great rappers from the Bay Area: E-40, Too Short,” said Kid Rock. “I wish they would have done this in New Orleans with Little Wayne.”
The All-American Halftime Show will also be available on DailyWire+, Real America’s Voice, TBN, National News Desk, and Charge!
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.