When the NFL announced on Apple Music and Roc Nation that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny would headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sept. 28, 2025, many viewers were quick to form opinions. Several arguments consisting of poorly grounded contradictions and misunderstandings about Puerto Rico created negative reactions towards NFL’s decision.
On Oct. 6, 2025, Bad Bunny responded to the backlash on Saturday Night Live saying that he is excited to perform. Then, he addressed the crowd in Spanish and switched back to English to inform the audience that if they did not understand the Spanish he just spoke, then they had four months to learn.
With the achievement of being the first solo artist to perform almost entirely in Spanish during a Super Bowl Halftime Show, people quickly expressed their displeasure and outrage with the decision.
Bad Bunny is famously known for being the most popular Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, having the most-streamed album on Spotify. His music has received over 300 awards, including three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys.
Bad Bunny is also commonly known for his representation of Puerto Rican culture in his music and for being outspoken on political views concerning not only Puerto Ricans but all Latinos.
“I’ve read articles of people being upset that there is a Puerto Rican performing for the Super Bowl Halftime Show,” history teacher Mr. Mark Verti said.
Critics have said this year’s performer is not inclusive for all fans, and they will be boycotting the NFL because of their inability to understand the Spanish lyrics.
“I think the NFL is a very smart company, and I know they’re trying to gain an audience in Latin America by having more games there and having him perform,” Verti said.
According to the NFL, the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, said that the NFL does not regret their decision of choosing Bad Bunny and does not plan to make any changes regarding their choice.
“I don’t listen to Bad Bunny and don’t think I’ll be watching the show at all,” junior Mina Fenhas said.
Some critics have argued that it isn’t right for a non-U.S. citizen to be performing in the U.S., especially one who has strong outspoken opinions against President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. However, it is important to note that since 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico has been established as a U.S. territory. Furthermore, in 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act granted U.S. citizenship to all Puerto Ricans, so Bad Bunny is indeed a U.S. citizen.
Furthermore, adding to the hypocritical criticism surrounding this show, non-U.S. citizen artists have performed during Super Bowl Halftime Shows in the past, including U2 in 2002, Paul McCartney in 2005, and Coldplay in 2016.
In these past instances, there have been little to no controversies behind non-U.S. citizens performing for the halftime show. This time, it seems to be an issue with the performer being a Spanish-speaking Latino, not just a non-U.S. citizen.
“I’m watching the Super Bowl for the game, not as much for the Halftime Show. I think everyone can just enjoy watching without having to give opinions about everything,” junior Chase Vasquez said.
To protest the show, on Nov. 5, people who don’t support Bad Bunny created a petition to drop him from the Super Bowl Halftime Show and replace him with country singer George Strait. Currently, the petition has more than 100,000 signatures.
“I am so excited to see [Bad Bunny] perform, and I think he’s a very good choice, because I see a lot of Hispanics that watch football,” junior Emely Garcia said.
Bad Bunny will perform in the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The show will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
