Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny preached unity in a Spanish-language halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Sunday night, garnering mostly positive reviews from NFL fans online.
The reggaeton superstar performed almost exclusively in Spanish — a choice that angered many fans who argued that the decision failed to represent American audiences.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, avoided any overt political messaging during the performance. He had previously avoided touring in the U.S. due to concerns about immigration raids at his shows.
His Super Bowl performance was a mostly uncontroversial celebration of Latin culture, complete with salsa dancing, a mock wedding and traditional guitar playing.
Midway through the performance, pop star Lady Gaga joined the stage for a remixed version of her song, “Die with a Smile.” Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin also made a brief appearance.
Bad Bunny finished the performance with a salute to the entire Western Hemisphere.
“God bless America,” he said, before name-dropping dozens of countries throughout the continents, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bolivia and Uruguay.
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” a sign on the stadium’s screens noted.
The musician then showed a message on the football he’d been toting throughout the performance. “Together, we are America,” it read.
The Spanish language performance drew largely positive reviews, even from those who couldn’t understand the lyrics.
“The staging on that halftime show was incredible,” Richard Deitsch, a media analyst and reporter with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, wrote on X. “That’s genius-level stuff to make that pop for a mass television/streaming audience.”
“The production quality of the Bad Bunny halftime performance made me feel like I was watching a musical,” ESPN’s Jenna Laine said on social media. “The music and dancing were infectious.”
The unifying message followed Bad Bunny’s Grammy acceptance speech, where he opposed nationwide immigration crackdowns across the U.S.
“ICE out,” he said as he accepted the Album of the Year award last week. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
President Trump was less effusive about the halftime performance. He mentioned before the game that he was unfamiliar with Bad Bunny’s music. The Super Bowl performance didn’t turn the Republican into a fan.
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling the event a “slap in the face.” “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”
In a rare instance of Super Bowl counter-programming, Turning Point USA aired its own halftime show. Turning Point’s lineup featured Kid Rock and a handful of lesser-known country music stars: Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert and Gabby Barrett.
The alternative performance was streamed on YouTube, garnering more than five million viewers online. The show was initially slated to air on X. However, organizers announced that their production would not stream on the social media site due to licensing deals on Sunday night.
Ratings are not yet available for this year’s traditional halftime show, but Kendrick Lamar’s performance at last year’s NFL championship drew 133 million viewers.
It is the first major counter-program to the Super Bowl halftime show since 1992. Then, as ice skater Dorothy Hamill performed on CBS, Fox aired a live edition of “In Living Color.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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