On Sept. 28, the National Football League posted a video announcing that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny would perform at Super Bowl LX. The championship game of the NFL, the Super Bowl, always features a halftime show highlighting a well-known performer. Many musical artists have been featured in the past, including Kendrick Lamar, USHER, and Rihanna. Alongside those artists, Bad Bunny is considered a global icon, with Spotify naming him the third-most-streamed artist worldwide in 2024. Despite Bad Bunny’s popularity, this announcement has left many football fans confused and enraged.
The main issue many have with Bad Bunny performing in the halftime show is that most of his songs are in Spanish rather than English. Football fans argue that many audience members will not understand his lyrics and, as such, enjoy the experience less.
Another reason people are upset about Bad Bunny performing is that his lyrics can be seen as “unsuitable.” The Super Bowl brings in millions of viewers across the U.S., with the audience ranging in age, gender and ethnicity. As it is likely that some children will watch the halftime show, having an artist who sings about sexual actions has been a controversial choice for those who view the Super Bowl as a family-friendly experience.
While Bad Bunny’s songs include profanity, there have been previous halftime performers who have had vulgar lyrics, and they censored themselves by either avoiding the words entirely or replacing them with a different word. Those in support of Bad Bunny’s performance argue that he could do the same.
Politics has also influenced views on the performance. Some argue that Bad Bunny is not patriotic because of his stance against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bad Bunny recently stopped his tour because he did not want to create a space for ICE to easily detain his audience. This has led some people to assume that he is anti-American since he does not approve of America’s system of dealing with immigrants.
The backlash to Bad Bunny’s performance has led to a petition to replace him with country artist George Strait. This petition has received over 100,000 signatures. According to the petition, George Strait represents the “heart and soul of American music,” and a country performer would do better to honor American culture. Despite the petition maintaining significant growth, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that the NFL fully supports their decision and that Bad Bunny will continue to be the 2026 Halftime headliner.
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