Bad Bunny Scandalizes MAGA With Wholesome Latin Culture
The superstar brought a Puerto Rican party—and wedding—to the Super Bowl halftime show.
Bad Bunny infuriated MAGA with his Super Bowl halftime show, celebrating Latin culture while tearing through his biggest hits—with the help of two surprise stars.
The reggaeton superstar, 31, brought Puerto Rico to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Sunday evening, as he delivered his chart‑toppers against a backdrop of Puerto Rican culture and an actual wedding.
A massive sign declaring “THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE” loomed over the stadium as Bad Bunny packed 12 songs in just under 13 minutes, backed by hundreds of dancers.
The headliner, dressed in all white, was joined midway by Lady Gaga, who performed a reggaeton version of her 2024 hit “Die With Smile.”
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Bad Bunny became the first solo Latin artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.
Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
The headliner, dressed in all white, was joined midway by Lady Gaga, who performed a reggaeton version of her 2024 hit “Die With Smile” as a real couple was married onstage, according to Variety.
Later, fellow Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin belted Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii.” Latin stars Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, and Young Miko also made cameos during the performance.
Fellow Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin belted Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii.”
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Toward the end of the performance, Bad Bunny shouted “God Bless America” before naming every country in North, South, and Latin America.
Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
MAGA staged a boycott of the official halftime show, outraged over Bad Bunny’s Spanish songs, his fashion, and his criticism of President Donald Trump.
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Turning Point USA organized an alternative show with Kid Rock, 55, as the headlining performer. Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told reporters last week that the president would “much prefer” Kid Rock over Bad Bunny’s show.
But that didn’t stop Trump from posting his negative review of Bad Bunny’s performance, complaining, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!”
Turning Point USA's alternative show with Kid Rock as the headlining performer started only after Bad Bunny's performance ended.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
MAGA vitriol against the superstar, a U.S. citizen, reached new heights last Sunday, when he accepted his Grammy for Album of the Year by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans.”
Bad Bunny had refused to play shows in the mainland United States since Trump’s return to office out of fear that ICE agents would target attending fans.
Toward the end of the performance, he shouted “God Bless America” before naming every country in the Americans, includig the United States.
Bad Bunny became the first solo Latin artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime show and, by almost exclusively singing and speaking in Spanish, followed through on the playful challenge he laid down while hosting Saturday Night Live in October, when he told viewers they had four months to learn the language.
Trump apparently did not get the memo, whining on Truth Social that, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”
The musician, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, first performed at the Super Bowl in 2020 alongside headliners Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in Miami.
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