NFL claims Bad Bunny will deliver ‘united moment’ at Super Bowl Halftime Show

Apple Music and the NFL announced on Sept. 28 that Bad Bunny would headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The announcement led to criticism from some conservative commentators and politicians, who questioned why a non-English performer who skipped the US on a recent tour was selected for the most-watched event in the United States.

“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said when asked about the decision, according to the Variety. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching… We’re confident it’s going to be a great show. He understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”

Bad Bunny, whose legal name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, addressed the controversy during his appearance on Saturday Night Live. He joked that “everyone is happy” about his halftime show — “even Fox News” — before showing an edited montage making Fox News hosts appear to praise him.

He mocked the outrage about his Spanish-speaking performance. “If you didn’t understand what I just said,” he told the crowd, “you have four months to learn.”

Critics included Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. On The Benny Show, Noem said, “We’re going to enforce the law. People should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they’re law-abiding Americans who love this country.” She also said her agency would be “all over that place” during the game.

In response to the controversy, Turning Point USA announced an alternative called The All-American Halftime Show, which will take place at the same time as the official performance. “It’s true, Turning Point USA is thrilled to announce The All American Halftime Show,” the group wrote on X. Acts performing at the show have yet to be announced.

Bad Bunny has previously said he avoided performing in the mainland US during his 2025–2026 tour because of concerns over immigration enforcement during the Trump administration. “There was the issue that… ICE could be outside (my concert venue),” he told reporters at the time.

He has also been slammed for sitting down during “God Bless America” at Yankee Stadium.

The league expects his halftime show to draw one of the largest audiences in television history.