NFL fields MAGA fury over Bad Bunny halftime show
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Bad Bunny arrives at the Met Gala celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" in New York. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
Far-right commentators are lashing out online over Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl.
Why it matters: The Puerto Rican artist is increasingly becoming a political talking point after he decided to skip the continental U.S. over concerns that ICE would raid his concerts.
- "I think I'll do just one date in the United States," Bad Bunny said Sunday on X.
Driving the news: MAGA influencers and conservative social media accounts widely denounced the NFL's decision.
- One viral post labeled the pop star "a demonic Marxist who was been granted the largest stage with the greatest audience in the middle of a Christian revival."
- Conservative commentator Greg Price similarly slammed Bad Bunny. "The NFL chose Bad Bunny to perform the Super Bowl halftime show despite the fact that he recently said he wouldn't perform in the continental United States again because ICE is deporting illegal aliens," he wrote on X.
- Robby Starbuck, a conservative filmmaker, asked his followers on X: "Does this guy really scream American football to anyone? Be for real with me. No one thinks he does. This isn't about music, it's about putting a guy on stage who hates Trump and MAGA."
- "Massive Trump hater; Anti-ICE activist; No songs in English," podcaster Benny Johnson wrote on X,
The other side: California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to Johnson's post, writing: "Benny calm down, we all know you listen to Bad Bunny lol."
- The NFL did not comment on the complaints.
Flashback: This is not the first time the NFL has waded into politics and sparked controversy over its halftime shows.
- Kendrick Lamar's performance at the last Super Bowl led to more than 100 complaints to the FCC that there were not enough white people on stage. The backlash against Lamar's show had people already predicting Bad Bunny's selection.
- Beyoncé's halftime performance drew criticism from some on the right, who said it was anti-police.
- Shakira and J.Lo's halftime performance — where Bad Bunny appeared with J Balvin — featured kids in cages and drew political interpretations.
Worthy of your time: Super Bowl halftime performers are selected by the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation, an entertainment group founded by Jay-Z.
The big picture: Bad Bunny has become one of the most popular musical stars on Earth.
- He was the third-most streamed artist globally last year on Spotify and the only Latino to crack a top-five spot on Spotify's list.
- His 2022 album "Un Verano Sin Ti" is the most-streamed album on Spotify of all time.
Zoom in: In person, he's just as popular. Bad Bunny's residency ticket prices have topped all Latin stars, and he's No. 2 among all artists this year.
- His concerts have boosted Puerto Rico's GDP by $400 million.
- His final performance for the residency, livestreamed on Amazon Prime, was the most-watched single artist performance, according to the platform.
