'Bad Bunny is f--king awesome': NFL CMO defends halftime show
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Bad Bunny. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
NFL CMO Tim Ellis defended hosting Bad Bunny for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, saying the league isn't trying to please everyone and is focused on staying relevant to the fans driving its future.
Why it matters: The NFL's pick has drawn criticism from far-right commentators, as the Puerto Rican superstar recently has avoided touring in the continental U.S. out of concern that ICE raids could endanger his fans.
Driving the news: "There's a lot of people right now who don't like Bad Bunny being, right, in the Super Bowl halftime show. Well, not everyone has to like everything we do. Bad Bunny is f--king awesome," Ellis said Thursday onstage at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando, Florida.
- "Ok, you don't like it? We have over 200 million fans. Not everyone is going to like everything we do. So, let's do the things that are smart and the things that are going to drive energy and relevance and culture into the audiences who will propel us forward," Ellis said.
Zoom in: Presenting to a room of marketers, Ellis said the league's fastest growing fan bases are young people, women and Latinos and that the NFL's marketing strategy is designed to reflect and engage those audiences.
- Ellis said the league's relevance is increasingly fueled by initiatives beyond the field like fashion partnerships and spotlighting individual players.
- Ellis, who reports to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, addressed the league's wider effort to support diversity, equity and inclusion just prior to his remarks on Bad Bunny.
- "I don't think I've ever been as proud to work for the NFL as when [Roger] got in front of all of the journalists and said, 'Yes, we're committed to diversity and inclusion because it makes us better. It makes us stronger," Ellis said.
Flashback: Goodell also addressed the Bad Bunny controversy this week, saying the league is not considering dropping him as the performer.
- "It's carefully thought through," Goodell said. "I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism."
- Bad Bunny himself responded to critics, speaking in Spanish, during his Saturday Night Live monologue earlier this month.
