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Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show is officially behind us. Piously. What started with hype and outrage, and then more outrage, ended with a show very charitably described as polarizing and confusing to those who weren't already Bad Bunny fans. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell promised that Bad Bunny would use the show to bring the world together “in a really creative and fun way.” Turns out he was right. Most of the country, with the exception of some Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, was united in their disgust at a show that was strictly tailored to a niche audience despite being billed as inclusive and respectful of America.
The pre-show buzz surrounding Bad Bunny's invitation to perform at this year's Super Bowl began with his SNL demand that viewers “learn Spanish.” He went back to the dig at the pre-Super Bowl press conference, but the sentiment ended up being true.
Then there was the online rumor that Bad Bunny would wear a dress during his halftime performance and honor Hispanic LGBTQ+ figures. That turned out to be a hoax.
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You have to hand it to Bad Bunny and his marketing team. In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, they made sure to capture people's attention, whether it was positive or not.
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The Super Bowl halftime show was a condensed version of the show he presented during his residency in Puerto Rico. As America watched, Bad Bunny began with a walk through a sugar cane field. He went through several typical Puerto Rican settings when opening with “Tití Me Preguntó”, such as a coconut water stand and a domino table. When he arrived at a house, viewers were treated to a medley of several of his other hits before transitioning into an homage to '90s and '00s reggaeton and a performance of two blink-and-you'll-miss-it guys.
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If any of the show had been in English, we would have heard a mostly positive message from Bad Bunny: “My name is Benito Martínez Ocasio. And if I'm here today at Super Bowl LX, it's because I never, ever stopped believing in myself. You should believe in yourself too. You're worth more than you think. Believe me.”
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Then we cut to the highlight of the show: Lady Gaga joining the salsa band on a version of “Die With a Smile” on a stage built to look like the El Morro fortress in Old San Juan, the only moment when perhaps most of those present at Levi Stadium could sing along.
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But wait, there's more. This continues with Bad Bunny's “Baile Inolvidable”, “Nueva Yol (Nueva York)” and a symbolic presentation of his Grammy.
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Up until that point, there was nothing in the show that could be perceived as overtly anti-American. That changed when Ricky Martin began singing the chorus of “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii (What Happened to Hawaii)”, which translates to:
They want to take away my rivers and beaches They want to take away my neighborhood and for grandma to leave No, don't let go of the flag and don't forget the le lo lai (song) I don't want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii
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“What happened to Hawaii” is that it was admitted to the Union as its 50th state. Bad Bunny, who sings under the auspices of a record label founded by a former Venezuelan intelligence officer, would prefer that Puerto Rico secede from the United States to become an independent country, an option that only 12% of the island's voters chose in 2024. History shows that Bad Bunny also endorsed Puerto Rico's pro-independence and sympathizing gubernatorial candidate of Chávez and Castro.
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The Grammy-winning artist's halftime show ended with a depiction of power outages, the title “I Should Have Thrown More Photos” and his Grammy quote, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” flashing on the big screen.
Bad Bunny left the field accompanied by an entourage with a flag. His cry of “God bless America!” really meant “America, as in the americasnot the United States. A big, forced, confusing and subtle but passively aggressive anti-American ending.
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This begs the question: Why invite Bad Bunny to do the show in the first place? Could the NFL make a business case for bringing him in as a halftime performer? Yes. As the league expands into Latin America and other markets, Bad Bunny makes sense. Both share Mexico as their largest foreign market, for example. It was a no-brainer.
Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga are on the field during the Super Bowl LX halftime show between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
On the other hand, this was a clear failure in vetting. The halftime show was carefully constructed to convey two equally toxic ideas to American viewers: first, the idea of Puerto Rico as a nation separate from the United States. Second, the idea of Latino identity as a nation within a nation, a permanent immigrant status separate from the American mainstream.
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Far from uniting the world “in a really creative and fun way,” Bad Bunny put on a highly divisive show that put identity politics front and center. The final product fell far short of Goodell's expectations, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of millions of viewers.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during his State of the NFL press conference on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif., prior to the Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Matt York)
One shudders to think what the league might have in mind for next year if they insist on abandoning their core audience in pursuit of global expansion.
