Bad Bunny delivered a vibrant homage to Puerto Rico during Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, producing a high-energy journey through the island's culture complete with a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga and a tribute from reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee.
Issued on: 09/02/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party, emphasizing unity over division in his groundbreaking Spanish-language set – but still earning President Donald Trump's scorn.
Anticipation was high for the 31-year-old's set, amid rampant speculation about whether he would use his platform to renew his criticism of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in front of tens of millions of viewers.
But the wildly popular musician, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, instead made good on his pre-game promise to joyously share his culture – and largely avoided overt political statements in favor of subtle messaging through symbols.
In a set featuring a sugar cane plantation, a traditional "piragua" cart selling treats, and even a wedding, he opened with "Titi Me Pregunto" and feminist anthem "Yo Perreo Sola," with a cast of dancers fueling the party atmosphere.
Actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, and rapper Cardi B were among the guest stars vibing in his familiar "La Casita" backdrop, representing a home in Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny wore an all-white ensemble, with a football jersey featuring the number "64" and "Ocasio," before donning a classy suit jacket.
He delved into more political territory with "El Apagon" (Blackout), which touches on the displacement of Puerto Ricans on their own island, and the constant problems caused by the unreliable power grid. He carried a Puerto Rican flag at one point.
The performance also included a young boy watching the Grammys on an old television set. Bad Bunny, who won the Album of the Year prize a week ago, presented the child – perhaps a younger version of himself – with a golden gramophone.
The internet went wild with unverified rumors that the child was Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old Ecuadoran boy recently detained by US immigration agents in Minnesota.
An NFL spokesman confirmed to AFP that the boy was an actor, and an Instagram post seemingly from the child in question, Lincoln Fox, was hashtagged #youngbadbunny.
Surprise musical guests included Lady Gaga, who sang a Latin-inflected version of her hit "Die with a Smile" – the only English lyrics in the show – and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin.
'Affront'
At the Grammys, Bad Bunny made a searing statement about Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown, earning cheers for saying "ICE out" from the stage.
But on Sunday, he did not call out the Republican president.
At the end of the set, after listing Latin American countries, Puerto Rico, the United States and Canada, Bad Bunny spiked a football that said "Together, we are America."
A giant screen in the stadium read: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."
Trump nevertheless quickly took issue with the performance, saying: "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying" – even though government data shows more than 41 million Americans speak Spanish.
Posting on his Truth Social account, he called the show "an affront to the Greatness of America."
Early backlash
Bad Bunny has been Spotify's most-streamed artist in the world four separate times, including last year, and won Album of the Year at the Grammys with "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos" – the first Spanish-language work to win music's highest accolade.
But the decision to showcase his work at the Super Bowl in California was met with conservative outrage – specifically about the idea that he would not sing in English.
The NFL entered into an agreement in 2019 with Jay-Z's entertainment company Roc Nation, which leads the league's entertainment strategy.
Since that time, the list of Super Bowl headliners included Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (with a guest spot for Bad Bunny), but the duo did not perform exclusively in Spanish, leaving Bad Bunny to set that benchmark.
From Vega Baja to Super Bowl
Bad Bunny grew up in Vega Baja, a small municipality near Puerto Rico's capital San Juan.
He was working at a supermarket bagging groceries when he got a call from a label over his viral plays on the DIY platform SoundCloud.
Thus began the reggaeton star's rapid explosion to the top of global music.
Late last year, Bad Bunny released "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos," a history lesson in Puerto Rican music that he promoted with a hometown concert residency in San Juan and a world tour.
In Puerto Rico, a US territory since 1898, there was nothing but pride for the island's native son.
"For someone from here to be at one of the most important events in the United States is a source of pride for every Puerto Rican," Olvin Reyes, 39, told AFP.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
America’s most-watched television event is not just about sports, it captures the zeitgeist of the nation every year. Here are the top picks of the 2026 Super Bowl entertainment acts and ads, reflecting some of the hopes and anxieties of the times.
Issued on: 09/02/2026
By: FRANCE 24
Super Bowl, the USA’s biggest annual sporting event, kicked off to a boring start, with NFL fans moaning about a defensive struggle between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, which saw not a single touchdown in the first half of the game.
But if there was little excitement in the game, there were plenty outside the playing field. America’s most-watched television event is not just about sports, it’s about culture, and the 2026 Super Bowl once again captured the country’s zeitgeist.
Here are some of the non-sporting highlights of the world superpower’s one-night ode to competition, capitalism and entertainment.
Bad Bunny proves not so bad
The top Super Bowl cultural moment is never a rabbit-out-of-a-hat act, and this year, it was a pre-announced big bunny.
Puerto Rican superstar Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, aka “Bad Bunny”, took the stage at the Levi’s Stadium on Sunday exactly a week after he delivered his searing Grammy-winning speech blasting ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
READ MORE Bad Bunny’s 2026 Grammy Awards triumph becomes protest against ICE
But at the Super Bowl, the 31-year-old superstar opted for far more subtle messaging. Instead of calling out the Republican president’s xenophobia, Bad Bunny delivered a triumphant celebration of diversity, love and above all, a tribute to his self-governed Caribbean home that is part of US “commonwealth” territory.
Politics of subtility was on full display as Bad Bunny belted out "El Apagon" (Blackout), a song that underscored the hypocrisy of the term “commonwealth” since Puerto Ricans still face Third World problems of an unreliable energy grid – which powers their displacement to the mainland.
On Sunday, Bad Bunny’s surprise star guests included Lady Gaga, whose Latin-inflected version of her hit "Die with a Smile" featured the only English lyrics in the show.
READ MOREBad Bunny brings Puerto Rico pride to Super Bowl, angering Trump
The historic all-Spanish act earned President Donald Trump’s ire. "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying," said Trump on his Truth Social account, putting himself at odds with more than 41 million Americans who speak Spanish. The show, he noted, was “an affront to the Greatness of America".
Green Day has had its day politically
California punk-pop vets Green Day took the pre-game stage this year to render a tribute to the Super Bowl's 60th edition.
Green Day lead singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong has been around since the 1980s and is not one to mince his political words. The expectations were high, particularly since Armstrong, at a San Francisco event just days before the Super Bowl, called on ICE agents to “quit their shitty jobs”.
But on Sunday, Green Day opted to omit their political hard-hitters – much to the delight of Fox News. “Trump critics take issue with Green Day's Super Bowl LX performance,” read a Fox headline above an explanatory, “Trump critics wanted Green Day to criticize the president on the Super Bowl stage".
When the group launched into “Holiday”, Trump opponents were on alert for the group’s most political bridge, which begins with the line “Sieg Heil to the President Gasman”, a dig at former President George W. Bush, who was president when the song was released in 2004.
But on Sunday, the band just skipped the controversial bridge and wrapped up the song.
“Disappointing show,” said one fan on X. “Pretty cowardly if you ask me. I expected real protest from them.”
For those outside the US awaiting a mass national mobilisation against Trump – and watching the rollover of much of corporate America instead – it was a fitting statement of the current times in the land of the free.
Mad for the ads
The second Sunday of February draws millions of Americans to their TV sets to watch the ads, an important part of the Super Bowl cultural package. In 2025, a record 127.7 million US viewers watched the game across television and streaming platforms, which means advertisers are willing to cough up millions for a Super Bowl spot.
This year's Super Bowl ads cost an average of $8 million per 30-second unit, but a handful of spots sold for a record $10 million-plus, Peter Lazarus, who leads advertising and partnerships for NBC Sports, told AP.
Super Bowl ads generate headlines, data, expert commentary as well as debates about what they say about consumers and markets today.
AI vs. AI
The business pundits were in agreement even before kick-off on Sunday: Artificial Intelligence (AI) would dominate this year’s Super Bowl.
They were not wrong.
Super Bowl 2026 sparked an AI advertising war when Anthropic aired a pair of commercials pointing out that Claude, its chatbot, doesn't have ads.
Humour and wit are important components of American ads and the Anthropic commercial ticked all the boxes in its 30-second spot. The ad features a nerdy young man struggling with pull-ups while a muscular bystander watches. The sweating young man asks the brawny man about achieving “six-pack abs”. But the bystander instead delivers a plug for a product – delivered in soulless, robotic style and content.
The skinny man looks disappointed with the reply before the kicker line fills the screen: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude”.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the whiz behind ChatGPT, hit back at his competitor. In a long post on X, Altman said Anthropic was "clearly dishonest" and employed “doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads”.
Altman’s objections, alas, were not well received, with commentators on X noting that the Anthropic boss didn’t like the taste of his “own medicine” and that his reaction was “the digital equivalent of a toddler throwing a tantrum".
Who’s afraid of…Amazon
Amazon this year struck a nerve with an ad starring actor Chris Hemsworth that pokes fun of people's fears of AI. The ad ticked all the Super Bowl boxes, including a celebrity poking fun at technological anxiety.
But it didn’t go down well since it came days after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos fired journalists at the Washington Post, which he also owns, in addition to laying off 16,000 corporate workers, some of whom may be replaced with AI.
“I suspect this is meant to be funny,” Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University, told AP. “But it might reinforce some people’s very real concerns about AI.”
Donald Trump slams Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show: “An affront to the Greatness of America”
Published on
Bad Bunny made history on one of the world’s most coveted stages, while Donald Trump ranted about the artist’s message of unity being “an affront to the Greatness of America”.
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny made history a few hours ago as the first male solo Latin artist to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
His performance, entirely in Spanish, was an energetic celebration of various musical styles – from reggaeton and salsa to Latin trap – featuring guest spots from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and even cameos from Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Cardi B and Jessica Alba.
Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most streamed artists – went on to expand the meaning of “God Bless America” to include all the nations of the Americas.
“God bless America, whether it’s Chile, Argentina,” Bad Bunny said as he listed more than 20 nations in North and South America.
He ended the show on a message of unity, with “Together, we are America” written on a ball and a huge screen reading: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Hard sentiments to counter, but that didn’t stop Donald Trump.
Trump and his MAGA crowd have been up in arms about the choice of headliner for months, calling the decision “crazy”, “un-American” and “terrible”. His base also slammed Bad Bunny for being a “massive Trump hater”, an “anti-ICE activist”, and many bemoaned the fact that the artist has “no songs in English.”
Trump’s animosity only grew after Bad Bunny triumphed at the Grammys, with Bad Bunny delivering a message in protest of recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out! We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show AP PhotoUnsurprisingly, Trump - who was not at the show and attended a watch party in Florida - slammed Bad Bunny’s performance, calling it an “an affront to the Greatness of America” in a lengthy rant on Truth Social.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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,” he fumed. “This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day - including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.”
Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show AP PhotoIt’s unclear whether Trump was watching the alternative MAGA show, Turning Point USA’s “All American” halftime show, headlined by Kid Rock and brimming with imagery of Charlie Kirk.
The counterprogramming, which streamed online, garnered roughly four million views - at one point as many as 6 million concurrent views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, every Super Bowl typically pulls in an average of around 127 million – with last year’s set by Kendrick Lamar setting a record with 133.5 million.
Official viewership numbers for Bad Bunny’s show are not out at the time of writing, but will be revealed later today. Preliminary estimates seem to suggest that Bad Bunny may have bested Kendrick Lamar’s numbers last year. Whatever the official numbers are, it’s a done deal that the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show reached a significantly larger audience than the “All American” show.
Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl halftime show AP PhotoShortly after Bad Bunny’s set concluded, California Governor and vcal Trump opponent Gavin Newsom posted: “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”
Elsewhere, Green Day, which were opening for Bad Bunny and have never shied away from taking swipes at Trump, kept their show in the same spirit, staying away from overt political statements.
While in keeping with the message of unity, many were disappointed that the band did not make any provocative statements. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong even refrained from singing the tweaked lyric “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” when performing the band’s hit song ‘American Idiot’.
Official broadcaster NBC did mute Armstrong when he sang the lyric “The subliminal mindfuck America” during the song, and while some fans were disappointed by the lack of punk spirit, others were more supportive of the band’s performance.
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny made history a few hours ago as the first male solo Latin artist to perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
His performance, entirely in Spanish, was an energetic celebration of various musical styles – from reggaeton and salsa to Latin trap – featuring guest spots from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and even cameos from Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Cardi B and Jessica Alba.
Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most streamed artists – went on to expand the meaning of “God Bless America” to include all the nations of the Americas.
“God bless America, whether it’s Chile, Argentina,” Bad Bunny said as he listed more than 20 nations in North and South America.
He ended the show on a message of unity, with “Together, we are America” written on a ball and a huge screen reading: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Hard sentiments to counter, but that didn’t stop Donald Trump.
Trump and his MAGA crowd have been up in arms about the choice of headliner for months, calling the decision “crazy”, “un-American” and “terrible”. His base also slammed Bad Bunny for being a “massive Trump hater”, an “anti-ICE activist”, and many bemoaned the fact that the artist has “no songs in English.”
Trump’s animosity only grew after Bad Bunny triumphed at the Grammys, with Bad Bunny delivering a message in protest of recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out! We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Unsurprisingly, Trump - who was not at the show and attended a watch party in Florida - slammed Bad Bunny’s performance, calling it an “an affront to the Greatness of America” in a lengthy rant on Truth Social.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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,” he fumed. “This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day - including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.”
It’s unclear whether Trump was watching the alternative MAGA show, Turning Point USA’s “All American” halftime show, headlined by Kid Rock and brimming with imagery of Charlie Kirk.
The counterprogramming, which streamed online, garnered roughly four million views - at one point as many as 6 million concurrent views on YouTube.
Meanwhile, every Super Bowl typically pulls in an average of around 127 million – with last year’s set by Kendrick Lamar setting a record with 133.5 million.
Official viewership numbers for Bad Bunny’s show are not out at the time of writing, but will be revealed later today. Preliminary estimates seem to suggest that Bad Bunny may have bested Kendrick Lamar’s numbers last year. Whatever the official numbers are, it’s a done deal that the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show reached a significantly larger audience than the “All American” show.
Shortly after Bad Bunny’s set concluded, California Governor and vcal Trump opponent Gavin Newsom posted: “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”
Elsewhere, Green Day, which were opening for Bad Bunny and have never shied away from taking swipes at Trump, kept their show in the same spirit, staying away from overt political statements.
While in keeping with the message of unity, many were disappointed that the band did not make any provocative statements. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong even refrained from singing the tweaked lyric “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” when performing the band’s hit song ‘American Idiot’.
Official broadcaster NBC did mute Armstrong when he sang the lyric “The subliminal mindfuck America” during the song, and while some fans were disappointed by the lack of punk spirit, others were more supportive of the band’s performance.
The Spanish Super Bowl: Bad Bunny, language and identity crisis set for collision
Bad Bunny's all-Spanish performance at the 2026 Super Bowl coincides with a US immigration crackdown and the resurgence of debates over Puerto Rico's sovereignty and possible reintegration into the Spanish kingdom.
The Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, will not only be hosting tonight's Super Bowl, the conclusion of America's NFL season.
The all or nothing match is also the centre of one of the biggest cultural statements of the decade with the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny headlining the world famous half-time show.
He's already ripped up the musical milestone book by becoming the first artist to win Album of the Year at the Grammys with a Spanish-language album.
We know his performance will be entirely in Spanish, and that's no small feat. Never before has anything like this happened in the history of the Super Bowl. It's not just an artistic act. It's a key moment in the midst of a period of US history filled with political and demographic tension.
Right now, speaking Spanish has become a symbol of identity, almost an act of resistance. It is the language that the population uses to challenge border control policies and demand solutions to Puerto Rico's status.
Spanish: a language of power on US soil
With more than 65 million Hispanics, the United States now ranks second in the world to Mexico as the country with the largest number of Spanish speakers. Evidence of the language is everywhere, from billboards, big brand advertising, bilingual schools, and of course in what people can watch or listen to via streaming sites.
The Super Bowl is America's biggest television event - an enormous cultural moment that echoes around the world, attracting an audience of hundreds of millions.
Yes, Hispanic and Latino artists such as Shakira and Jennifer López have already performed on that stage, but none have ever decided to only sing in Spanish at the event that epitomises the pinnacle of American culture and where English has been the norm. Donald Trump has already made clear that he will not attend the match. A counter protest event has also been announced this week with MAGA supporting acts getting together to make noise in celebration of "American faith, family and freedom."
Of course, Spanish taking that space also generates rejection from those who defend 'English Only' as if it were the backbone of the country.
For some, this is the validation they have been waiting decades for. For others, it is a threat, a sign that the country is 'losing' its linguistic identity.
But the figure of Bad Bunny goes beyond music. His voice represents millions of people who have been working and contributing culture for years, even if they're regarded by some as second-class citizens and therefore not a real part of the nation.
The contradiction of visibility: music versus raids
Music connects. It is a way for people to express what they feel, what they think, what hurts or excites them. Many artists use music to protest, to say what others are silent about. Now some musicians are dealing with the harsh reality of immigration raids and police operations that can put an end to both their work and freedom of expression.
The expectation surrounding Bad Bunny's performance coexists with a reality marked by fear, the separation of families and thecriminalisation of undocumented people, many of them part of the same audience that celebrates Latino visibility on global stages.
In contrast, Bad Bunny's presence in one of the most influential media spaces in the world acquires a particular symbolic charge; while Latino culture is exalted and massively consumed, immigration policies continue to put at risk those who sustain it on a daily basis.
The country that idolises an artist who sings in Spanish, that turns him into its pop superstar, is the same country where the authorities have imposed a harsh and violent crackdown on immigration controls.
In the last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted more operations than ever before, hitting mostly Latino communities in key states. Organisations have reported raids on factories, warehouses and entire neighbourhoods. Fear is spreading, even among legal citizens and families with mixed immigration status. All of this is evidence of a deep problem.
Although millions watch games and programmes in Spanish, there is still a lot of mistrust of the language outside of television, for example in job interviews or at police checkpoints. For many, the fact that Bad Bunny does not translate his songs is a way of protesting, of making clear their disagreement with the treatment of migrants.
As the government tightens laws and closes borders, Caribbean music continues to be heard in every corner of the United States. In politics, the tendency is to divide. Music does just the opposite: it unites. Where politicians put up walls, Caribbean music builds bridges.
Puerto Rico's legal and political limbo
Bad Bunny has always had Puerto Rico in his heart. The island has been a commonwealth for decades, and that leaves it in a state of limbo. Puerto Ricans are born US citizens, hold US passports and comply with federal laws, and may even end up in the military.
But, incredible as it sounds, they cannot vote in presidential elections and their representatives in Congress do not even have the right to vote. Puerto Rico is there, forced to comply, but unable to decide. It is a contradiction that weighs heavily.
The reality on the island is complicated, and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon. Puerto Rico cannot make the most important decisions about its future. This only worsens the economic and infrastructure problems, which were already bad enough. After every hurricane or earthquake, it is clear how vulnerable the island is.
People are tired, they feel used. That contradiction fuels the anger and discourse of artists like Benito, who use their fame to remind people that, in many ways, Puerto Rico is still a colony, even if it flies the US flag.
The historical alternative: the movement for reunification with Spain
In recent years, an idea has emerged that sounds far-fetched to some and logical to others: What if Puerto Rico were once again part of Spain? This is what the Spanish Reunification Movement proposes. It argues that in 1898, when the United States took over the island after the war with Spain, they ignored the will of the Puerto Ricans.
Spain, in fact, had already given them some autonomy in 1897. This movement wants Puerto Rico to return as an autonomous community, like those that already exist in Spain. Their arguments are increasingly appearing in international forums. They argue that the cultural and linguistic connection with Spain would help protect Spanish and prevent it from being diluted by US influence.
Moreover, if Puerto Rico were Spanish, its citizens would gain the rights of any European: mobility, services and labour rights that they cannot even dream of under the American system. Supporters of this plan see an opportunity to right historical wrongs and give Puerto Rico the full political representation it deserves, without sacrificing its Hispanic identity.
Of course, there are those who see it as a nostalgic and unrealistic idea, something impossible to implement. But, one way or another, the movement managed to get the issue onto the UN decolonisation agenda. They insist: Puerto Rico has always been part of the Hispanic family, both legally and spiritually.
A stage that concentrates all tensions
Now, the halftime show must shoulder extra significant weight. When Bad Bunny takes the stage at Levi's Stadium, many people will see more than a show. They will see a symbol of that Puerto Rican identity crisis, a wound that is still raw. The 2026 Super Bowl will be the stage where big issues intersect: the rise of Hispanic culture, the immigration debate and Puerto Rico's political situation.
For many, the moment will provide a moment to think about issues of representation and belonging that are rarely discussed openly. And the simple gesture of singing in Spanish, in front of millions of people, is not just a celebration of an artist's success. It is a declaration: language is a territory that cannot be deported or silenced, regardless of borders or laws.
'All American': Everything we know about MAGA's protest Super Bowl Halftime Show
MAGA is preparing to hold the All-American Halftime Show in protest of the NFL’s 2026 Super Bowl music acts. Prepare to be underwhelmed.
The NFL's Super Bowl LX takes place this weekend, with multi-Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny headlining the US' most-watched television event, which attracts more than 100 million viewers every year.
The Halftime Show is a huge and coveted gig, which has a long history of reflecting and influencing cultural trends.
Last year, Kendrick Lamar’s headlining performance shattered all records with 133.5 million viewers tuning in. Bad Bunny is expected to match if not surpass that record, but no thanks to the MAGA crowd.
Diversity-averse rightwing media has been up in arms over the choice of headliner for months now, with many saying that Bad Bunny’s music is "un-American" and “woke”, handily forgetting for the sake of barely concealed racism that the singer is an American citizen, since Puerto Rico is part of the US.
Funny how no one was complaining when Canadian singer Shania Twain or the UK’s The Rolling Stones were headlining...
Bad Bunny was recently described by Donald Trump as a “terrible choice” for the Super Bowl headline slot, with one of his advisors even confirming that ICE would be present at the “shameful” concert.
Despite criticism and plenty of complaining about American football’s biggest night being hijacked by a “left-wing conspiracy”, the NFL did not drop(kick) Bad Bunny. The organisation even appeared to double down in defying Trump, as they added rock band Green Day, who are vocal Trump critics, to the Super Bowl line-up.
There was renewed MAGA outrage when the Puerto Rican superstar blasted the Trump administration and ICE while accepting the top award at this year’s Grammys, saying: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say: ICE out”, adding, “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
The MAGA response? Counterprogramming.
Turning Point USA – the conservative group founded by Charlie Kirk and now helmed by his widow Erika Kirk - has organised an alternative, competing halftime show titled the “All American Halftime Show”.
It will celebrate “American faith, family, and freedom,” the organization said.
So, who’s on the powerhouse and not-at-all-underwhelming line-up?
Trump supporter Kid Rock is headlining, and he will be joined by country singers Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett.
It’s a veritable Who’s WHO?
“We’re approaching this show like David and Goliath,” Kid Rock said in a statement issued through Turning Point USA. “Competing with the pro football machine and a global pop superstar is almost impossible…or is it?”
The singer, who hasn’t had a hit song since the dire Lynyrd Skynyrd-pilfering ‘All Summer Long’ in 2008, added: “He’s said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”
Best of luck with that, as the Goliath he mentions dethroned Taylor Swift to become Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2025 and made history last weekend as the first Spanish-language artist to win the Grammy’s Album of the Year with 'DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS'.
The All-American Halftime Show is scheduled to take place the same night as the 2026 Super Bowl – Sunday 8 February – at a location that is still unknown. It will broadcast across four conservative networks: DailyWire+, TBN, Charge!, and Real America’s Voice. It will also stream on Turning Point USA’s social media channels.
We’re betting that Bad Bunny won't lose sleep over it – especially since those supposed All-American values Turning Point USA are trumpeting apparently don’t concern themselves with Kid Rock’s unsavoury lyrics.
Indeed, there has been fresh scrutiny online over Mr. Rock’s song ‘Cool, Daddy Cool’ in the lead up to the protest show, with the song’s lyrics featuring the lines: “Young ladies, young ladies / I like 'em underage / See, some say that's statutory / But I say it's mandatory.”
Maybe that’s what “American faith, family, and freedom” sounds like.
The NFL's Super Bowl LX will take place on Sunday 8 February. The NFL chief security officer Cathy Lanier recently said at a security briefing that despite previous comments made by the Trump administration, ICE officers will not be among the federal agencies present at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
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