Bad Bunny Choice As Halftime Act for the 60th Super Bowl Irritated and Discombobulated MAGA

It appears the Bad Bunny drama is still ongoing a few weeks after it first attracted national attention. The selection of Bad Bunny as the halftime act for the 60th Super Bowl in February 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is the perfect political, social, and cultural litmus test for America at the moment. Immediately upon the announcement of his name, social media and the blogosphere went into overdrive. Many posters resorted to bogus debates about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); merit; and other racially coded nonsense, acting as if the National Football League’s (NFL) decisions are based solely on race, gender, and sexuality as opposed to commercial popularity. Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny are the top two most streamed artists on Spotify. Thus, it is hardly surprising that the NFL would be trying to augment its global brand and reach by selecting such artists.

The selection has intensely irritated and discombobulated MAGA. “So you heard about this guy, Da Bunny? Is that his name? Bad Bunny? Bad, Bad Bunny!” Newsmax’s Greg Kelly fulminated. “Now we have Da Bunny, who hates America, hates President Trump, hates ICE, hates the English language! He’s just a terrible person.” “It’s so shameful they’ve decided to pick somebody who seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime show,” Corey Lewandowski, a longtime confidant of President Trump who currently advises the Department of Homeland Security, told conservative podcast host Benny Johnson. “We should be trying to be inclusive, not exclusive. There are plenty of great bands and entertainment people who could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them.” In fact, the outrage had grown so intense that the conservative right announced its alternative choice of country singer Lee Greenwood for the Super Bowl.

It is disingenuous to argue that Bad Bunny is anti-American given the fact Puerto Ricans have been US citizens since 1917. Additionally, Bad Bunny is the winner of multiple Grammys and has four #1 albums on the American Billboard pop charts. He also performed during halftime at the Super Bowl back in 2020 with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Bad Bunny has focused on his immense gratification at being selected to perform, stating “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself” and “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown . . . this is for my people, my culture and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL” (“Go and tell your grandma, we’re going to be the Super Bowl halftime show”.)

The artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was born in Puerto Rico on March 10, 1994, and rose to fame through hits such as “MIA,” “I Like It,” “Me Porto Bonito” and “Dákiti.” He has been nominated 10 times for a Grammy Award, winning in the Best Música Urbana Album category for “Un Verano Sin Ti” and “El Último Tour del Mundo,” and in the Best Latin Pop or Urban Album Category for “YHLQMDLG.” He is also the recipient of 12 Latin Grammys.

Further, Bad Bunny has been a passionate and vocal spokesperson on issues, social, political, and cultural, affecting Puerto Rico and its relationship with the rest of America. In a recent interview, he stated that he did not include the continental United States within his latest tour because he was concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would target his fans. On Sunday night, shortly before the Super Bowl announcement, Bad Bunny posted on social media that “after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.” US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on October 3 that immigration agents would be “all over” the event, confirming the Trump administration’s heightened focus on immigrants. Her special assistant, Corey Lewandowski, was even more explicit: “We will find you, we will apprehend you, we will put you in a detention facility and we will deport you.” Such rhetoric by the US government proves that Bad Bunny’s altruistic concerns are well-founded.

To be candid, NFL chose Bad Bunny for the same reason that Jimmy Kimmel’s return to his late night talk show after his suspension resulted in record ratings, that “South Park” is experiencing some of its most robust and solid ratings in years, and that Target’s sales have plummeted since it dropped its DEI efforts. Despite what many right-wing podcasters, pundits, and politicians would have you believe about “go woke, go broke,” the truth is that going woke is good for business! There is a lesson here for Democrats trying to sell themselves to an increasingly skeptical America that doubts the party’s ability to move the ball down the field, much less win the big game. Get PROACTIVE, not DEFENSIVE!

Bad Bunny is not the only music star under siege. Country music star Zach Bryan has found himself in the political crosshairs of various segments of the right wing for his attacks on ICE agents in his songs. The backlash against Bad Bunny and Zach Bryan resembles previous controversies, such as the boycott of Bud Light following its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and The Chicks’ (previously known as the Dixie Chicks) experienced after speaking out against the Iraq War. In The Chicks’ case, the controversy attracted an entirely new set of fans both domestically and globally and helped expand their music base to pop music. They won multiple Grammy Awards at the 2006 Grammys.

Any reasonable person would realize that a bunch of woke, politically correct liberals do not run the NFL. It may be safely argued that the majority of NFL fans are politically right leaning, in the center, or non-ideological and apolitical. In fact, most team owners tend to lean MAGA, having donated $23 million to Republicans in the 2024 election, versus $2.5 million to Democrats.

Bad Bunny has made political commentary a centerpiece of his performances for years. He seemed to relish the recent blowback when he hosted the season opener of “Saturday Night Live.” His mere selection as halftime performer has elicited such controversy that it has likely psychologically animated people from across the political spectrum to tune in to view his hotly anticipated performance.