Bad Bunny’s selection as the Super Bowl halftime performer has drawn backlash due to his previous refusal to perform in the United States as a form of protest against ICE.
On Sunday night, Bad Bunny opened his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out,” drawing cheers from the audience after winning best música urbana album for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
“We’re not savage. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” he continued. Bad Bunny, whose legal name is Benito Ocasio, made the remarks as dozens of artists used the Grammys to criticize immigration operations across the country and call for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave major cities.
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His comments come a week before he is scheduled to perform the Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Bad Bunny’s selection as the Super Bowl halftime performer has drawn backlash due to his previous refusal to perform in the United States as a form of protest against ICE, as well as his plan to wear a dress and "honor queer icons" during the performance.
During his speech, Bad Bunny added, “Hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love,” he said. “We need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it,” he continued. “With love.”
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Bad Bunny also won a Grammy earlier Sunday during the ceremony for best global music performance for his song “EoO” after entering the event with six nominations, including album of the year and record of the year.
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Billie Eilish also spoke out against ICE during her acceptance speech after winning Song of the Year for “Wildflower.” Eilish told the crowd, “No one is illegal on stolen land,” and encouraged people to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people matter, and f*ck ICE. That’s all I’m going to say.”
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Eilish was seen earlier on the Grammys red carpet wearing an “ICE Out” pin. Other artists, including Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, were also protesting against ICE during the awards show and red carpet.
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