The selection of Puerto Rican pop star Bad Bunny to perform at this season’s Super Bowl is angering conservatives and potentially throwing the NFL into a culture war battle with President Trump’s supporters ahead of TV’s biggest night of the year.
A Spanish-language artist who is often outspoken on politics and current events, Bad Bunny has said he will not tour in the mainland U.S. over concerns his fans could be targeted by federal immigration enforcement.
The Trump administration has threatened to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to February’s NFL season finale in San Francisco, and several leading MAGA figures have complained about Bad Bunny’s political positions.
The conversation surrounding Super Bowl LX’s halftime could be louder than any in recent history, thanks in part to what some see as the NFL picking a fight with the president and MAGA Republicans.
“Until conservatives actually boycott the NFL or the Super Bowl — which realistically what are the chances of that — it’s hard to see the downside of this for the NFL,” one Republican political strategist told The Hill this week. “The league has made it clear its ultimate goal is to make as much money as possible, and having Bad Bunny on their biggest stage is a pretty clear path to doing that.”
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is today one of the most popular and accomplished musicians in the world. The singer songwriter is among the industry’s most-streamed artists, ranking alongside Taylor Swift and country music standout Morgan Wallen in terms of global reach and brand recognition.
His music is particularly popular in Spanish-speaking countries and in the United States among Hispanic Americans and immigrants.
He also has a history of speaking out against Trump and his policies.
Before Trump was elected, the singer blasted a comedian who, at a Madison Square Garden rally for the president, called the Bad Bunny’s home territory of Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
Bad Bunny in a subsequent interview called the comedian’s joke “bothersome” and said he considered confronting him.
With Trump back the White House, Bad Bunny said he would not tour in contiguous U.S. for fear his concerts would be targeted by federal immigration authorities.
“But there was the issue of — like, f‑‑‑ing ICE could be outside,” he told i-D magazine last month. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Top MAGA figures have expressed outrage that NFL, and its partners at RocNation who choose the Super Bowl performer each year, would invite someone as politically outspoken as Bad Bunny to what has essentially become the entertainment world’s preeminent one-night gig.
“No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year… not just for sports,” the former race car driver Danica Patrick, a vocal conservative, wrote in a social media post.
Pundit Megyn Kelly called Bad Bunny’s selection a “middle finger” to supporters of Trump, while others have suggested more MAGA friendly acts such as Kid Rock to replace the superstar.
The conservative activist Benny Johnson in a social media post of his own called Bad Bunny a “massive Trump hater” and claimed his being tapped by the NFL is evidence that the league is “self-destructing year after year.”
Corey Lewandowski, a key adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, suggested this week ICE officers could be sent to the Super Bowl to conduct immigration enforcement.
“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Lewandowski said on an episode of Johnson’s podcast.
Lewandowski criticized the NFL directly over its decision to host Bad Bunny, calling it “so shameful that they’ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime game.”
But speaking at the White House Friday, Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was not currently a plan in place for immigration enforcement at the big game.
“As far as ICE being at the Super Bowl, as far as I’m aware there’s no tangible plan for that in store right now,” Leavitt said. “However, of course this administration is always going to arrest and deport illegal immigrants when we find them if they are criminals. We’re going to do the right thing by our country.”
And some political observers argue Lewandowski’s threat is likely an empty one.
“The reality is, who can afford a ticket to the Super Bowl?” one Democratic aide told The Hill. “They [DHS] love that show of force. If you had the Mexican soccer final in the U.S., then maybe you’d have a problem, but the Super Bowl seems like another chance for them to take a picture.”
Right-wing backlash to the Super Bowl halftime show has been somewhat of a trend in recent years.
Conservatives decried last year’s performer, rapper Kendrick Lamar, arguing he was hard to understand and the show was too focused on race.
Those who have praised recent halftime performance say performances by top names in R&B such as Usher and Rihanna have telegraphed the NFL’s belief that diversity is a selling point with large audiences.
“The Super Bowl has in recent years really become a real cultural moment for the country to come together, and [it] provokes a lot of conversation, whether you’re a football fan or not,” said Imani Cheers, an associate professor of digital storytelling at George Washington University. “There’s always going to be critics. Anyone who is upset about Bad Bunny on the MAGA right is upset because they want to be.”
Bad Bunny is a performer who has transcended demographics during his career, other observers have pointed out.
An accomplished professional wrestler, he took the 2021 title in WWE’s 24/7 championship and has competed in a number of the wrestling league’s top events.
Many in the world of entertainment regard him as one of the world’s biggest stars because of his skills as a promoter and his success at using his music and global brand to attract as many viewers as possible.
This makes him a prime candidate for an NFL Super Bowl halftime show, these people say.
“Do I expect Bad Bunny to rock the boat much between now and the Super Bowl with a bunch of anti-Trump stuff? Probably not,” said one national music analyst and producer. “But when it comes to the actual show, I can’t imagine it would be a political show. For Bad Bunny, this is about the music, and a lot of people seem to love it.”
