What to Know
Supporters and allies of President Donald Trump are tearing into pop superstar Bad Bunny's halftime performance at Super Bowl LX. Bad Bunny opened his show with "Tití Me Preguntó," one of his biggest songs from his 2022 album, "Un Verano Sin Ti," and performed other hits including "DtMF" and "EoO." At one point, he gave shoutouts to Latin American countries, the United States and Canada.
His performance, sung mainly in Spanish with surprise appearances from pop icon Lady Gaga and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ricky Martin, prompted quick backlash from Trump's MAGA base and the president himself.
Shortly after the performance, Trump called it "absolutely terrible" and "one of the worst, EVER!" in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn't represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence," Trump wrote. "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World."
Far-right activist Laura Loomer, an ally of Trump, wrote on X that there was "not a single white person or English translation at the Super Bowl," adding, "This isn't White enough for me."
"If you switched the channel off Bad Bunny, you didn't miss anything," Eric Daugherty of Florida's Voice posted. "In fact, you saved your eyes and ears. An actual JOKE."
The "End Wokeness" account asked, "Is this a Halftime Show or an ad for ICE?"
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson described the performance as "Woke. Cringe. Unintelligible. Foreign. Boring. Derivative. Preachy. Creatively bankrupt."
"Worst of all: No songs you can even sing along to — because no songs were in *our* language," Johnson continued. "Football is an American sport. The NFL spit in the face of their fans and our nation. This is an absolute humiliation for the NFL."
Actor Kevin Sorbo called it the "worst halftime show I've ever seen."
"Oh my it's worse than I ever imagined," another user said. "People paid thousands to watch this joke of a halftime show by Bad Bunny."
A popular MAGA account claimed that the NFL "just conducted a humiliation ritual for their millions of fans to sit through. Makes me sick."
"I can't understand a word of it but I just know it's foul, vulgar, and demonic," MAGA firebrand Nick Adams wrote. "Cover your kids' ears. The NFL owes millions of Americans an apology."
The fury come as MAGA supporters and conservative commenters have remained critical of the NFL after it announced in the fall that Bad Bunny, one of the most widely streamed artists in the world, would be its official headliner at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Bad Bunny has openly criticized the Trump administration over its sweeping immigration policies — most recently declaring "ICE out" as he accepted the coveted album of the year award for "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" at the Grammys last Sunday. He also took home five other prizes.
Others opted for an alternative halftime show hosted by Turning Point USA, the organization founded by late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Dubbed the "All-American Halftime Show," it featured rock star Kid Rock, an ally of Trump, and country artists Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.
"The Hegseth family is watching," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham ripped Bad Bunny's set as the "worst half-time show ever" while she described TPUSA's show as "terrific, and most Americans could understand the lyrics."
In the lead-up to Bad Bunny's set, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expressed confidence that he would unite rather than divide the audience in the stands and at home.
"He understood the platform he was on and that this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents, and to be able to use this moment to do that," Goodell told reporters last week.
Bad Bunny had previously described his plans for halftime as a "huge party" during an interview on Thursday with Apple Music.
"I want to bring to the stage, of course, a lot of my culture," he said. "…I don't want to give any spoilers. It's going to be fun."
Pop-punk band Green Day, which has also taken aim at the MAGA agenda, also headlined the Super Bowl's opening ceremony. During a Super Bowl event on Friday, its frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, called on ICE agents to quit their jobs.
"Because when this is over — and it will be over at some point in time — Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, JD Vance, Donald Trump, they're gonna drop you like a bad f—ing habit," Armstrong said. "Come on this side of the line."
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