The controversy of Bad Bunny being announced to perform during the 2026 Super Bowl LX halftime show

It seems 31-year-old Bad Bunny has accomplished everything one can dream of: he’s a singer, actor, WWE Superstar, and all-around icon. That is until it was recently announced that the Puerto Rican would headline Apple Music’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. A tremendous achievement and honour placed upon only the best the music industry has to offer, a Super Bowl Halftime show has graduated from being a fun interlude to a key moment in global media, with fans waiting in anticipation for the annual artist announcement. It is estimated that over 100 million watch the halftime show each year, so everyone is tuned in: will Bad Bunny catch the musical football, or drop it and fall?

With rumours of Adele and potentially Miley Cyrus, everyone’s last thought was a Spanish-speaking artist, especially one who has publicly defaced the name of America

Debuting in 2018 on the musical scene with the album X 100pre, Bad Bunny took the industry by storm, peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard 200. With a career less than a decade old, it’s safe to say Bad Bunny is here to stay, with the entire Latin population and more behind him. Proudly hailing from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny has embraced his culture, using this to his advantage in recruiting countless fans on his swift rise to fame. It seems the ‘King of Latin Trap’ has the industry on its knees, all eyes on him, being the first non-English artist to hold the most-streamed album ever on Spotify, with Un Verano Sin Ti continuing to dominate global charts and streaming records. Bad Bunny holds 11 Latin Grammy awards, 8 Billboard awards, has acted alongside Brad Pitt in ‘Bullet Train’, and entered a WWE Royal Rumble match – he’s not only one of the music stars of the 21st century, but is branching out to build a career to last.

For most artists, the Super Bowl is the cherry on top of a blossoming biography, but it has been known to be fatal for some. Following Kendrick Lamar’s controversial halftime show last year, with some fans claiming he didn’t “cater a single element of his performance to the audience” and clearly used the show as a platform to dig at his industry rival Drake, fans and the media are shocked Bad Bunny was even in the running. With rumours of Adele and potentially Miley Cyrus, everyone’s last thought was a Spanish speaking artist, especially one who has publicly defaced the name of America.

In the past, Bad Bunny has openly mimicked US President Donald Trump in his music, in particular within the music video for his single, ‘NUEVAYoL’, where he gives a fake Trump speech, mimicking his shocking anti-immigrant rhetoric. On top of that, Bad Bunny has opted against a US World Tour with concerns over migration and threats from ICE (the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement), scared that they could “be outside” the stadium. In fact, this halftime show will be his only US stop on the upcoming tour. The Homeland Security Secretary, when questioned about the rumours of ICE being present, stated, “ICE will be present at the Super Bowl – people should not be coming to this event unless they are law-abiding Americans who are citizens”. Whether this follows through is anyone’s guess, but it begs the question: why was someone who they are so cautious about chosen to headline the major event?

President Trump also shared that the NFL’s decision was “absolutely ridiculous”

Bad Bunny claimed he was “very happy” about being chosen for the Super Bowl during his SNL segment, following up with “no one will be able to remove or erase our mark and contributions to this country”. He said this in Spanish and told those who didn’t understand that they have “4 months to learn” before the show, indicating he will perform the entirety of it in Spanish. This cause a mixed reaction, with some celebrities like Jay-Z – who is responsible for the choosing of the headline act -saying he was “honoured” that Bad Bunny is taking the stage, while others, such as NFL player Patrick Mahomes, saying he would go as far as to “boycott” if Bad Bunny performs. President Trump also shared that the NFL’s decision was “absolutely ridiculous”.

With the entire world staring at him, Bad Bunny has the power to make a real statement here, and he has pretty much promised to deliver. An enormous fanbase behind him, this has the potential to be the biggest halftime show of all time, yet also the most controversial.