The Show
By the time Super Bowl LX began, the controversy surrounding it felt bigger than the matchup itself. For 134 days, from selection to show, the public debated the decision to have Bad Bunny perform, turning a 15-minute performance into a months-long debate.
This year’s performance was controversial for multiple reasons, and the backlash started even before the first lyric. Critics questioned the decision to have Bad Bunny perform citing politics, while supporters praised the representation of Latin culture through one of television’s biggest events.
The debate poses several questions: How is the halftime performer selected? Who bears the backlash when controversy follows? And when criticism intensifies, should the National Football League (NFL) respond or remain strategically silent?
The Selection
When it comes to making one of the most anticipated decisions of the year, pressure can be expected. According to a PEOPLE article, the selection of the Halftime Super Bowl performer is reserved primarily for Jay-Z and his entertainment company, Roc Nation after a 2019 agreement with the NFL gave them that right. Others weighing in can include executive producers, the NFL and other sponsors such as Apple Music.
“We understand where (Roc Nation) is in the process at all times. We understand which artists they’re talking to along the way,” NFL senior vice president and global head of major events, Jon Barker, said in an interview with The Athletic.
In September 2025, six-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny was announced as the 2026 Super Bowl Half Time Show headliner.
Since the announcement, many have speculated how the committee reached its decision. Some believe it’s due to the NFL’s desires to reach a larger international audience as pointed out by Pamela Avila in USA Today. In theory, what better way to do that than having its first Spanish-speaking artist?
“It’s no secret that the NFL wants to expand its international reach,” Dr. Brown, co-director of the Beyond Sports Initiative at The University of Alabama, said. “This was a business decision.”
The NFL currently has nine international games scheduled for the 2026-2027 season, the most they’ve ever had in a season.
“The way that you bring in a more international audience is by having an artist perform that has an international reach, and Bad Bunny has a more international reach than several of the artists that the critics or other people could suggest or throw out there as a potential alternative,” Dr. Brown said.
Bad Bunny's popularity also made him a strong choice given that one of the main objectives of the Super Bowl Halftime Show is to attract a larger audience.
Bad Bunny was No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Top Artist for 2025, having more than 19.8 billion streams worldwide. Billboard notes that, “With those impressive numbers on Spotify, the world’s leading streaming music platform, Bunny can confidently head into his headline spot for the Super Bowl Halftime Show as the world’s top streaming artist.”
“I think the obvious answer, and the correct answer, is that Bad Bunny is one of, if not, the most successful artist right now in the music industry,” Dr. Brown said. “He earned that spot in the football halftime show by being one of the biggest artists in the world.”
So, at the end of the day it seems logical that selecting Bad Bunny came down to two things: popularity and international audience reach.
The Backlash
The criticism began immediately after the announcement was made. While some outlets, including USA Today, framed the choice as a strategic decision to expand the NFL’s international reach, others argued that the performance departed too far from the league’s traditional audience, citing the national spotlight for Latin culture.
Bad Bunny’s performance marked the first Super Bowl halftime show to be conducted primarily in a language other than English, and it’s no secret that the majority of the NFL’s viewership is made up of English speakers. However, this isn’t the organization’s first attempt to expand its reach. In 2020, Telemundo, a leading U.S. Spanish-language television network, broadcast NBC Sports Group’s 2020–21 Sunday Night Football package, becoming the first Spanish-language network to air the league’s Sunday games.
Even though it appears the NFL has tried to broaden its audience before, this decision prompted many to defend the expectation that the show should be in English. One athlete, former professional racecar driver, Danica Patrick, posted to X after the announcement, “no songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year … not just for sports.”
According to The Washington Post, “conservative influencers and members of the Trump administration criticized the decision, saying Bad Bunny should not be given access to one of the nation’s biggest stages because he performs exclusively in Spanish and because he has been critical of Trump and his agenda.”
11.8k people reposted a post on TruthSocial from Trump calling Bad Bunny’s halftime show the “worst ever” because “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”
The issues didn’t stop there. Beyond not performing his songs in English, Bad Bunny had also created some tension outside of the Superbowl conversation. The artist made the decision to not include the U.S. in his 2025 world tour dates, in fear of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. In addition, his “ICE Out” declaration dominated the Grammy’s media coverage, publicly criticizing immigration enforcement.
Along with his comments on immigration enforcement, Bad Bunny has also expressed opinions regarding LQBTQ+ and women’s rights. In his 2020 music video, “Yo Perreo Sola,” he appeared in full drag makeup and costume in an attempt to protest against homophobia in the music industry.
Bad Bunny’s history of speaking out on political issues put him at odds with conservative figures, turning the performance into more of a political debate, rather than one over entertainment.
A poll done by Quinnipiac University found that 74% of Democrats approved of the choice, contrary to the 63% Republicans showed disapproval.
Contrary to this response from the right, the halftime show received immediate praise on social media from the other side of the aisle with democratic leaders such as California Gov. Gavin Newsome calling the event a “beautiful moment” and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez naming the event the “Boricua Bowl.”
"I think there's so many layers to how meaningful this halftime show is," Petra Rivera-Rideau, an associate professor of American studies at Wellesley College who specializes in Latin music and U.S.-Latinx pop cultures, told CBS News. "To have a Spanish language artist headlining this stage, which is although not a national holiday, kind of functions like one in the context where Spanish speakers, including Puerto Ricans, are getting racially profiled, are being harassed, to have someone like that on the stage is important."
The public outcry, condemning the league’s choice, was so loud that another organization decided to provide an alternative option.
Turning Point USA, an American nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics responded to this media outrage by providing an alternative show for viewers looking to boycott Bad Bunny’s performance, along with President Trump.
Turning Point’s “All American Half-Time Show” featured artist, Kid Rock, along with others and streamed on YouTube as well as networks including Real America's Voice, TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), One America News (OAN) and Daily Wire+ following the second quarter of the game.
Language surrounding the event emphasized “traditional American values” and gained support from many prominent figures, including President Donald Trump.
The Response
What was the NFL’s response to the backlash of their decision? Nothing.
The NFL stood behind their decision. Instead of jumping into crisis mode, they stayed calm, cool and collected.
“I actually think the NFL made a good choice by not really responding to the critics at all and letting the halftime show speak for itself. It gave a hell of a message to the critics and to the people that were strongly against the choice," Dr. Brown said.
This response is like the NFL’s response style for the 2019 Super Bowl halftime performance, when Maroon 5 was criticized for saying yes to perform at the Halftime Show, after several artists declined the invitation in support of NFL player Collin Kaepernick and his protest over racial inequality.
Following more backlash circulating after Maroon 5’s decision to cancel its pre-show press conference, the NFL stated that the artists would “let their show do the talking” ahead of Sunday’s performance.
“I think we have to understand and learn, and this is from a PR perspective, that we don’t have to respond to every criticism, every critique, every negative comment that is made to your client, or your company, or whoever on social media,” Dr. Brown said. “First of all, you wouldn’t have bandwidth for that or the staffing for that. You have to understand and dissect and assess when something is actually worth responding to.”
With the criticism from the Grammys speech and the creation of an “All-American” alternative super bowl halftime show through Turning Point USA, the NFL could have responded. But they didn’t.
Was this the right decision?
“I think they were proven successful. The results talk,” Dr. Brown said.
The Results
Bad Bunny’s performance averaged 128.2 million viewers during his 15-minute performance, according to Nielsen. That figure ranks as the fourth most-watched Super Bowl halftime show, trailing Kendrick Lamar in 2025, Michael Jackson in 1993 and Usher in 2024.
Despite all of the political backlash, a Yahoo/YouGov poll, conducted immediately after the game, found that more Americans said Bad Bunny better represents the country (42%) than former President Trump (39%).
As far as attracting a new audience, Telemundo averaged 3.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl Spanish-language broadcast in the United States, according to The Guardian.
For months, the NFL declined to respond or reconsider, standing by its decision as the audience ultimately validated it. The numbers reinforce that while the controversy dominated headlines, viewership defined success.
