Bad Bunny ended his Super Bowl LX halftime show with a message he framed as unifying — “together we are America” — but critics were quick to condemn the performance as divisive and “degenerate.”
The Puerto Rican superstar delivered the entire set in Spanish, making no apparent effort to accommodate the roughly 78% of U.S. households that speak only English. The choice followed earlier remarks from Bad Bunny, who mocked critics of his halftime selection by saying they had “four months to learn Spanish.”
Bad Bunny performs during the Super Bowl LX halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8, 2026.
Backlash to the performance was swift. “Expanding to the Latino audience is one thing. Doing a show exclusively for the Latino audience? They’re gonna hear about this one,” “Sopranos” actor and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt complained on X.
“I’m sorry, no subtitles was a bad decision and an insult to the audience,” he added. “Subtitles would have been ‘countering division.’ Having none encourages it.”
President Trump also weighed in, blasting the halftime show as “an affront to the Greatness of America.”
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children watching throughout the U.S.A. and all over the World.”
The president had previously said he would skip this year’s Super Bowl after the left-leaning artist — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — was announced as the halftime performer.
Much of Bad Bunny’s performance unfolded in a makeshift sugar cane field constructed on the gridiron. Straw-hatted actors portraying migrant laborers harvested the crop, frequently wiping sweat from their brows.
The singer wandered through the staged landscape, passing food cart vendors, elderly men playing dominos, nail salon workers, and a group of scantily clad women standing near a stack of cinderblocks — an apparent visual nod to construction work.
The routine emphasized professions with a large migrant workforce, a pointed thematic choice from the famously anti-ICE pop star.
Lady Gaga made a surprise guest appearance alongside Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl halftime show.
President Trump continued his criticism in a follow-up post, calling the performance a “slap in the face” to the country.
“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History,” Trump wrote.
“There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show, and watch — it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue what is going on in the REAL WORLD,” he added. “And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Controversy also followed Bad Bunny’s lyrics themselves. Even in Spanish, critics zeroed in on “Tití Me Preguntó” (“My Auntie Asked Me”), a song centered on sleeping with multiple women, which some said was inappropriate for a family-oriented broadcast.
A widely shared moment from Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show featured the Puerto Rican star being lifted and carried by a group of his background dancers as part of the choreography during the performance. This moment was noted on social media and in reports about the show’s vibrant staging, which included dancers, celebrities and cultural visuals woven throughout Bad Bunny’s set.
Bad Bunny was also seen dancing atop a house during the polarizing halftime show.
“Worse than I realized. Pure degeneracy,” said Andrew Kolvet of Turning Point USA.
In response to the performance, Turning Point aired its own “All-American” halftime show as counter-programming, celebrating blue-collar workers and featuring a tribute to TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, who was allegedly murdered in September by a Trump-hating radical leftist.
The alternative broadcast drew more than 5 million viewers and featured overtly patriotic performers including Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, with the Stars and Stripes prominently displayed throughout the hour-long concert.
Back in Santa Clara, New York–born Lady Gaga performed a rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” — also sung in Spanish.
Near the end of the halftime show, Bad Bunny emerged from a dense sugar cane field waving the Puerto Rican flag, flanked by dancers dressed as power line workers.
As the stadium scoreboard replayed his Grammys line — “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” — Bad Bunny recited the names of every country in the Americas, while a procession of performers carried the corresponding national flags onto the field.
Bad Bunny closed the halftime show by marching with flags representing every nation in North and South America. He then lifted a football emblazoned with the phrase “Together, we are America” and triumphantly spiked it on the field.
Conservative commentators were quick to criticize the performance for what they saw as divisive messaging.
“The NFL having a Super Bowl Halftime Show where their performer sings ENTIRELY in Spanish & waves other nation’s flags is 100% a political statement,” Jon Root wrote on X.
The Puerto Rican pop star closed the halftime show by holding up a football emblazoned with the message “together we are America.”
Critics were quick to condemn the performance.
“Bad Bunny will go down as the worst halftime show in the history of the league. America deserved better for its 250th birthday,” one commentator wrote.
Fox News host turned podcaster Megyn Kelly added her disdain:
“Nah, I like my halftime shows in English from ppl who love America.”
Influencer Kangmin Lee also chimed in:
“Call me crazy, but the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the most American moment on TV, should be in English,” Lee wrote, noting he “didn’t understand a word” of the performance.
Adding to the intrigue, Ocasio wiped his entire Instagram post history shortly after the broadcast, leaving his more than 52 million followers puzzled, with no explanation provided.
