From sold-out global tours to numerous hit songs, Bad Bunny has accomplished what other artists dream of achieving in a lifetime. Bad Bunny has dominated Spotify‘s top artists for three years, also accumulating 79 million monthly listeners. This paints a picture of the musical career of recording artist Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, famously known as Bad Bunny.
The Super Bowl has 127.7 million online viewers, over 75,000 people in attendance and generates 1.3 billion dollars in revenue. It is the largest and most celebrated athletic event in the United States.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced in late September that Bad Bunny will be the featured entertainment at the 2026 Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. This unexpected choice brought heated controversy because the artist’s values, perspective and views drew scrutiny as he presented something that Americans do not appreciate.
Iconic performers are carefully chosen through an extensive process for the halftime show entertainment. The panel includes leaders from the NFL, usually the current commissioner and its partner, Roc Nation, along with people representing the host city.
Roc Nation is a production company and talent management service that was founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Roc Nation compiles a short list of possible performers based on factors like genre, cultural impact and popularity. The host city also takes part in making this complex decision. For instance, Super Bowl LVIII was held in Las Vegas, where Usher performed. He was chosen partly because that was his current city of residence.
After the announcement, people began to ask, “Why Bad Bunny?” Bad Bunny is facing much scrutiny, especially from Republicans.
A poll from Quinnipiac University revealed that 63% preferred for someone else to be chosen. While his fans are rejoicing that Bad Bunny is performing, conservative commentators express their disagreement with this surprising selection.
For the first time in NFL history, many plan to protest the Super Bowl halftime show by promoting an alternative performance to be aired concurrently. The conservative organization Turning Point USA announced the “All-American Halftime Show,” which plans to celebrate “faith, family and freedom.” Musical performers are set to be announced at a later date, but it is suggested that well-known country and Christian artists can be expected to make an appearance.
Bad Bunny has openly slandered the Trump Administration, pitting conservatives against him. Also contributing to the debate, the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem threatened to have ICE agents be present at the event. He recently disclosed that his tour dates in the U.S. were canceled because he believed that ICE would be camped out at his shows. Some Republicans have voiced that his Spanish-language performance is unwanted.
“I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Bad Bunny is one of the most popular recording stars who sings in Spanish, second only to Julio Iglesias. His surging popularity and momentum have steadily increased in recent years after a string of hit songs and LP releases.
The halftime show is a brief 15 minutes, leaving the nominated artist with the challenging task of packing every second with attention-grabbing entertainment and making it memorable for viewers. The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a pinnacle opportunity in an artist’s career. It provides massive global exposure, which further establishes the entertainer’s repertoire and brand. This publicity often leads to increased music sales and higher concert ticket prices.
Every performance is intensely reviewed, rewatched and compared to previous shows. One caveat to performing at the Super Bowl is that the entertainer chosen is not actually paid a large performance fee but rather reaps the exposure from this massively popular event. The production costs are fully covered by the NFL.
Bad Bunny is also an open ally to the LGBTQ+ community. He embraces his feminine side with occasional flamboyant outfits that break down stereotypical gender roles. He has been recognized by large organizations for his substantial advocacy. He uses his platform to fight gender norms and challenge machismo. Consequently, this causes cynicism from conservatives who prefer adhering to traditional roles of male figures.
Bad Bunny’s statistics speak for themselves; he is a global superpower in the industry. The artist’s hard work in his career, shared values with many mainstream Americans and his popularity led to this opportunity. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and expression, so even though some may disagree with his views and political stances, it should not prevent him from performing at the Super Bowl.
While on Saturday Night Live, Bad Bunny shared his thoughts and excitement about his opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl.
“Especially all the Latinos and Latinas across the world, and here, in the United States, all those who have worked to open doors,” Bad Bunny said. “It’s more than an achievement for me; it’s an achievement for all of us. It shows our footprint, and our contribution to this country, that no one will ever be able to take away or erase.”
NFL commissioner Goodell supports Bad Bunny and the decision to have someone so controversial perform.
“We’re confident it’s going to be a great show,” Goodell said. “He understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”
Bad Bunny may be the future of the music industry; he has pushed societal norms and broken down stereotypes. His music is different, making him insanely popular for his originality. Bad Bunny has boosted the popularity of Spanish-speaking rap music. His music shows that one can challenge tradition and be authentic. He has still achieved more than other artists ever have.
Global superpowers in the music industry are what entertainment looks like today. This change is different from past performers, but it is where America is heading due to music streaming, social media and instant single releases versus entire albums.
While I am not a Spanish speaker, and I may not align with his political or social beliefs, I believe you can enjoy a musician without agreeing with them politically.
America is now the second-largest Spanish-speaking country with over 50 million Spanish speakers. America is a place of diversity. Each person brings something innovative and unique to the table. The diversity of our backgrounds and experiences makes us a richer, more interesting country.
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Tabitha Peters • Dec 8, 2025 at 11:12 am
Great and thorough article, Georgia! Thank you for addressing this topic. It will be interesting to see this type of performance on such a big stage and the reaction from Super Bowl fans.
Thomas • Feb 8, 2026 at 7:49 pm
Bad Bunny sucked , turned it off after a few minutes. I don’t speak Spanish so it ruined the halftime show!