Bad Bunny wins Emmy for divisive, woke Super Bowl halftime show that featured no English

The Puerto Rican rapper (real name: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) was twice-honored as a performer and producer in the show, which inspired boycotts from English-speaking audiences, including an alternative halftime show produced by Turning Point USA.

The bawdy 13-minute performance was slammed for public indecency, which some lawmakers suggested might constitute a violation of Federal Communications Commission rules.

“Children were forced to endure explicit displays of gay sexual acts, women gyrating provocatively, and Bad Bunny shamelessly grabbing his crotch while dry-humping the air,” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., wrote in reaction to the show.

“And if that weren't outrageous enough, the performance's lyrics openly glorified sodomy and countless other unspeakable depravities,” Ogles added. “These flagrant, indecent acts are illegal to be displayed on public airways.”

President Donald Trump also called the show “disgusting” in a Truth Social post, but The New York Times praised its “lively, joyful choreography.”

Hollywood likewise had no problem with it. In addition to awarding Bad Bunny his two Emmys for the show, the academy issued seven total awards — roughly one Emmy for every two minutes the show lasted.

It received plaudits for music direction, choreography, sound mixing, lighting design, technical direction/camerawork and directing, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Prominent rapper Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) also added a third Emmy to his pile as one of the show’s executive producers.

Official ratings reports indicated that Bad Bunny’s performance drew an estimated 128.2 million viewers across all of NBC’s broadcast and streaming platforms, putting it at the fourth-most watched show, although down 5.3 million from his immediate halftime-show predecessor, Kendrick Lamar in 2025.

Reports also indicated that half of those watching the actual Super Bowl tuned out during the halftime show.

Several million of those may have been poached by Turning Point USA’s All-American Halftime Show. The Kid Rock-fronted spectacular garnered some 6.17 million concurrent viewers, making it the highest-watched U.S. livestream on YouTube.