On September 29, 2025, the NFL announced that notable Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny is set to headline this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 8, 2026. This announcement has sparked much debate and controversy in recent months. As one of the top artists in the world at the moment, including being named the #1 Latin Artist of the 21st Century, Bad Bunny has accumulated many loyal fans who are ecstatic about his Super Bowl performance. From winning three Grammy awards to hosting SNL, Bad Bunny has made a name for himself as a prominent member of the current music industry. As more and more fans share their excitement for this year’s performance, the event has drawn more attention, both positive and negative. Contrary to the many fans who can’t wait to hear Bad Bunny perform, there has also been much backlash in the news and on social media from many people who argue that they do not think that Bad Bunny is the right person to perform for the Super Bowl this year.
One of these voices who has shared their disapproval regarding Bad Bunny’s Superbowl performance is President Donald Trump. In an interview with Newsmax’s Greg Kelly, President Trump shared that, “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know what they are doing — it’s, like, crazy.” Trump followed the statement with, “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
This was not the first time that Bad Bunny has been seen in a political light in recent months. On his latest tour, he made a point to share with his fans that he would not be performing in the continental United States over fears of U.S. Immigration raids occurring at his concerts. Instead, he performed the majority of his tour in Puerto Rico, South America, and Europe. Bad Bunny has also been extremely open with his discontent towards President Trump’s new immigration policies. As discourse surrounding Bad Bunny’s upcoming performance in February continues, some Trump administration officials shared that ICE agents would be present at this year’s Super Bowl, creating an even stronger divide between the differing opinions on this performance.
In addition to Trump’s administration deploying ICE agents at the half time show, conservative right wing advocacy group Turning Point USA announced a counter halftime show. The nonprofit started by the late Charlie Kirk, declared they would host an “All American Half Time Show” to air at the same time from Levi’s Stadium in California. Turning Point promised its audience the show will include American, pop, country, hip hop and worship music, “anything in english”. This additional note comes from those who state their opposition to Bad Bunny’s music is due to the fact it is sung in Spanish. When the singer heard news of this, he replied on stage during his SNL appearance, “if you don’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn”.
Credit: Apple Music