Introduction
Back on December 6, 2019, at La Concha Hotel in San Juan, I remember stepping into the downstairs lounge where the beat of reggaetón was shaking the walls. The song, Vete, filled the room with electric energy as Puerto Ricans were singing in Spanish, unapologetically celebrating their culture. Fast forward to the Super Bowl, a national ritual and spectacle of football, the announcement that Bad Bunny would host the halftime show felt like a cultural earthquake, a significant change to the musical lineup. Instead of adapting to the mainstream, he’s dragging it toward his playlists, charts, SNL, and crowded places from San Juan to New York to Madrid, refusing to translate or dilute his art,
Bad Bunny Reacts to Super Bowl Announcement
When Bad Bunny super bowl learned he would headline the Super Bowl halftime show, he shared how it goes beyond myself, honoring Puerto Rican heritage, people, culture, and history. In a heartfelt statement, he even mentioned telling his abuela, “DEL SEREMOS HALFTIME,” reflecting the pride in his roots. Benito’s journey has been inspiring, from his residency in Puerto Rico to the global World Tour, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and the careful choices of which United States dates to perform due to ICE raids across the nation. Jay Z praised him as honored to be on the world’s biggest stage, and fans on X that Sunday responded with cheeky excitement. Thinking about yards, touchdown, and teamwork with his team,
Bad Bunny, a Bold and Controversial Pick
The Puerto Rican singer, Bad Bunny super bowl, is set to take the most-watched stage on U.S. television, performing the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California. While this announcement thrilled millions of listeners and followers around the world, not everyone welcomed it. The New York Post criticized the decision, recalling previous tours where the artist had rejected performances in the United States in protest against immigration policies under Donald Trump, calling him a hypocrite.
Despite the criticism, the NFL and American institutions, often showing indifference to the Latino community, recognize the need to grow and engage new audiences. The league is betting on a global icon of Latin music, confirming that the Hispanic market is important and essential for its expansion strategy. With Bad Bunny’s massive reach, his music, brand, and world’s most-streamed figure on Spotify for three consecutive years, the goal is to expand internationally and capture audiences in countries like Germany, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain.
From lighting up the stage to performing in football–popular markets, Bad Bunny’s role is key. Every game, scheduled performance, and audience interaction demonstrates why he will perform at the Super Bowl, connecting previous rejections to a moment that’s bigger than the artist alone. His reach, figure, and influence go beyond music, creating a strategy that merges world’s attention, Latin culture, and NFL expansion in a massive, unforgettable sport moment.
Why Bad Bunny Took the Super Bowl Stage
Bad Bunny expressed pride in his appointment to the Super Bowl halftime show, saying he could feel that his performance goes beyond himself, for people, culture, and history. The announcement of his role highlights the artist’s experience on global stages, from Super Bowl 2020 alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, to performances in WWE, and even acting roles in Hollywood films. By accepting the leading role, he shows that, controversial or not, the show promises to become one of the most talked about moments of the year, demonstrating why this artist continues to shape music, culture, and live entertainment in unforgettable ways.
Bad Bunny and the Right’s Panic
For decades, the halftime show was dominated by choices that reinforced a narrow image of America—classic rock icons, country stars, or pop acts who avoided controversy, even if their wardrobe malfunctions happened. Bad Bunny shatters that mold. His performance isn’t just a side act; it is the show itself. Spanish isn’t a novelty here; it is central. For the right wing, this panics them because football Sundays and Super Bowls have long been their cultural territory, wrapped in game rituals, patriotic gestures, military flyovers, and moments of silence for conservative heroes.
When Bad Bunny steps into the spotlight, it disrupts their monopoly and forces a new definition of America—multilingual, multicultural, and undeniably Latino. His role is radical, especially after focusing on the Black experience with Kendrick in previous years. This year, his identity is no longer peripheral; it is woven into the fabric of America’s biggest stage, making every moment unforgettable and showing how Bad Bunny’s stage presence is changing how audiences view music, culture, and live performances.
Why ICE Casts a Shadow Over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl
Even as Bad Bunny super bowl takes the Super Bowl halftime show to the stage, ICE’s presence looms in the shadows. Immigration enforcement thrives in the gaps of visibility, reminding America of its terrorizing power. While Latino joy and success are celebrated publicly, ICE’s assaults, raids, arrests, kangaroo courts, and deportations act as constant reminders that belonging is conditional on politics. Millions watch this Puerto Rican superstar perform, yet agents throw mothers and journalists to the ground, spraying pepper liquid into the eyes of Americans who dare to ask questions, while elected politicians in Washington watch, body cameras rolling, all authorized by the Supreme Court to detain people simply for looking Latino or poor.
The contradiction is sharp: on the world’s stage, Latino identity is widely celebrated, yet on America’s streets, it is criminalized. ICE shows up in daily life, and its existence ensures that even moments of cultural triumph carry a purposeful shadow of fear and terroristic threats. Bad Bunny’s triumph and performances highlight the stage of change, making it clear that this is more than a show—it is a moment where music, identity, and politics intersect under scrutiny.
Has Bad Bunny ever performed at the Super Bowl?
Bad Bunny and J Balvin were surprise guests at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show on Feb. 2, 2020, when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez co-headlined. They performed their Spanish-language verses of Cardi B’s “I Like It” and “Mi Gente”, respectively. The women wrapped up the performance by dancing and embracing each other, capping one of the best, most empowering, and flat-out fun halftimes of the past decade, according to previous USA Today reporting. This moment marked a highlight in Bad Bunny’s journey toward his own Super Bowl halftime show, showing his growing influence on global music and live performances.
Bad Bunny Fans Disappointed by Height Rules
Monteon and other fans shared their reactions to the news, with some lamenting their shortcomings and others dubbing it a win for tall people. One fan posted a 21-second clip of herself preparing her application materials in real time, while another broke down the entire process, which has since closed. Backlit Support, which fielded applications on behalf of Super Bowl Productions, told USA TODAY in a Jan. 12 statement that height requirements are very important for participation and will be verified through the rehearsal process.
“This is a paid, temporary position with a critical mission,” the description posted to the Super Bowl Productions website reads. You’ll be part of the core team responsible for on-field assembly and disassembly of the halftime show stage, which makes this opportunity both exciting and competitive. Fans’ disappointment over the height requirements highlights how even small details can affect participation, but the team ensures that the process is structured and safe for everyone involved in this critical mission.
Bad Bunny’s Music Journey
Bad Bunny super bowl, a stranger to limits, has been breaking records and barriers as a rapper. In 2022, he completed two record-breaking tours, which made up the majority of his $88 million pre-tax earnings for the year, according to Forbes, listing him among the World’s 10 Highest-Paid Entertainers. His first tour, El Último Tour Del Mundo, grossed nearly $117 million in ticket sales across North America and became the highest-grossing tour by a Latin artist in Billboard Boxscore history. The second tour, World’s Hottest, raked $314 million, bringing the total to $435 million from both tours in the calendar year, according to Pollstar.
In 2024, the Most Wanted Tour included 49 sold-out shows, earning more than $210 million. This was followed by a 31-show residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the summer of 2025, where nearly 500,000 tickets were sold. The final performance was livestreamed on Amazon Music and Twitch to commemorate the eight anniversary of Hurricane Maria, and reported that the show shattered streaming records.
Bad Bunny’s sixth tour, Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, kicks off November 21, 2025, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and runs through July 2026. In the first week after the tour was announced, 2.6 million tickets were sold, which led him to double the original number of shows to 54. However, no U.S. shows were included, stating concerns about ICE and potentially detaining concertgoers, showing how even a global artist must navigate politics while connecting with fans worldwide.
Bad Bunny on the Big Screen
The multi-talentedartistBad Bunny super bowl has proven he is more than just music, as he has acted in major films like BradPitt’s BulletTrain, which earned$231million in globalticketsales, according to Variety. His actingdebut was as a gueststar on Netflix’s Narcos: Mexico, according to ET, and his 2025creditsincludeAdamSandler’s HappyGilmore 2 and DarronAronofsky’s Caught Stealing, showing that this multi-talented performer is ready to dominate both music and film, as tracked on IMDB.
