Bad Bunny and Cultural Politics Perform at Super Bowl LX
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, “Bad Bunny.”
Hours after finishing his third night touring in Santiago, Chile, on February 7, 2026, Latin superstar Bad Bunny will travel north to perform at the Super Bowl LX halftime show in Santa Clara, CA. The NFL’s annual Super Bowl is the biggest entertainment event in the United States, and the choice of Bad Bunny has only heightened attention around the show. Since the joint NFL–Apple Music–Roc Nation announcement on September 28th, praise and criticism of the decision have inundated social media sites, comment sections, and online forums. Some fans celebrate the performance as representation for Latinos on America’s biggest stage, while others critique it as a hollow gesture towards Latino solidarity at a time when Latinos and immigrants are facing heightened backlash and attacks under the current administration.
For the small share of people unfamiliar with him: 31-year-old Puerto Rican Bad Bunny is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—or simply “Benito” to his most devoted fans. He is a singer who first rose to fame in Puerto Rico’s Latin trap and reggaetón scene in the mid-2010s and quickly became a global star. His 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti, garnered global attention, and his 2025 album, DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS (DtMF), cemented his mainstream dominance, both for fans inside and outside of the reggaetón scene. Outside of the studio, Bad Bunny is also known for fashion experiments, acting roles, and his activism. Alongside his catchy reggaetón flows, nostalgic hits, and overall fun beats, Bad Bunny’s music frequently comments on themes of colonialism, migration, and violence. Tracks like “El Apagón,” “Andrea,” and “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” highlight Puerto Rican struggles, gender-based violence, and broader Latin American issues, making his art both a personal expression and a political statement.
For his fans, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl appearance represents a seismic cultural and linguistic shift. Incorporating non-English language elements and lyrics to the Superbowl is not new, though. During the 2020 halftime show, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez sang pieces in Spanish, but in February, Bad Bunny will perform entirely in Spanish. His music will be a powerful statement that challenges Anglo hegemony in US media and affirms the message that Latinos and Latino immigrants can be themselves without having to translate or assimilate. Moreover, at a time when Latinos and Latino immigrants face increased attacks and scapegoating, Bad Bunny’s Superbowl presence signals advocacy for and solidarity with Latinos living inside and outside of the US. It also indicates cross-border cultural unity among the Latino diaspora, even if individual governments are at odds with each other. For Puerto Rican fans especially, his performance elevates the island’s struggles onto the world’s biggest stage. In the words of Jay-Z, who helped secure the performance through his Roc Nation, “What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring.”
Despite praise of the announcement, social media and online posts, comments, and messages demonstrate pushback from those from inside and outside of the Latino community. The upcoming tour of his DtMF album has notably excluded US cities due to Benito’s concern of I.C.E. agents potentially targeting his concerts for immigration deportations. This decision initially earned praise, but after the Superbowl announcement where a Trump advisor warned that I.C.E. will be present, he was criticized for being a sellout to the NFL. Skeptics pose the question that if he skipped touring to protect immigrants, why is he willing to headline the halftime show- an event far more policed and surveilled? They also argue that even activist artists can “sell out” when offered the biggest stage. Furthermore, MAGA-aligned critics have already begun mobilizing online, framing Bad Bunny as “anti-American.” The possibility that the Trump administration might even attempt to censor or interfere with the show also looms. Such commentary echoes the current climate where speaking Spanish in public can spark harassment, where immigrants are vilified, and where Puerto Rico’s suffering is dismissed.
Whether celebrated as visibility or condemned as hypocrisy, Bad Bunny’s halftime show reflects more than a single performance. The performance symbolizes the NFL’s ongoing attempt to look inclusive while remaining a profit-driven enterprise (note previous performers like Kendrick Lamar, Shakira, and The Weekend). Additionally, it highlights the fraught terrain of Latino identity and immigrant politics in America, and it shows the limits of celebrity activism, where artists risk becoming both icons of resistance and instruments of the very institutions they critique. Ultimately, Bad Bunny’s halftime show may embody subversive complicity: both reinforcing the oppressive structures of power by performing and resisting by singing compelling songs and using his platform to do good. Yet we must resist the temptation to idolize celebrities and remember that the NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation control the stage. What is certain is that Bad Bunny’s show will be visually and musically stunning, and it will remind us how culture, politics, and identity collide in moments as large as the Super Bowl.