Over the weekend, Bad Bunny responded to critics upset that he was set to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Puerto Rican rapper who rose to fame with hits such as I'm worse and his report on Cardi B I like itwas announced as the host of last week's halftime show. Bad Bunny will make history by performing entirely in Spanish, a landmark moment for Latin American culture that has drawn backlash from some conservative figures.
“I think everyone's excited about it—even Fox News,” the music superstar joked in his opening monologue as host of the season premiere. Saturday Night Livebeing named the halftime show headliner.
He moved on to a few sentences in Spanish, expressing his Latino pride and joy at the accomplishment, before remarking, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!”
In the past, the rapper has criticized US President Donald Trump's immigration policies. He posted a video on Instagram in June. criticize federal agents in Puerto Rico for their presence on the island, which is an unincorporated US territory. Some of his songs also contain pro-immigrant messages, and the music video for one of them imitates the voice of the US president giving a pro-immigrant speech.
During his latest world tour, which ended a few weeks ago, Bad Bunny skipped the US in part because he was concerned that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers might target immigrants for deportation outside of his show.
Asked Friday by conservative podcaster Benny Johnson whether ICE officials would be conducting enforcement at the Super Bowl, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they would be “all over this place” because DHS “has a responsibility to make sure it's safe.”
“I think people shouldn't come to the Super Bowl unless they are law-abiding Americans who love this country,” Noem said on the podcast.
She did not specify whether officials would perform immigration or other law enforcement duties typical for the event.
This is Bad Bunny.
It was just announced as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
– Massive Trump hater
– Anti-ICE Activist
– No songs in English.
For this reason, he even canceled his entire US tour: “Damn ICE might be outside of my concert. And that's what we were… pic.twitter.com/11KvuSWnEH
Johnson was one of the conservative commentators who criticized Bad Bunny's choice as the Super Bowl performer, calling the choice “idiotic” And statement in post on X that by hiring a “massive Trump hater” to speak, the NFL “self-destructed year after year.”
“This choice is not intended to unite football fans or allow people to simply enjoy the show. This was a choice designed to divide fans, and no doubt Bad Bunny will find some way to get the message across.” – Conservative activist Robbie Starbuck. said in the post.
Some even called him “Bad Bunny”demonic“, while others suggested that the rock band Creed or a known Trump supporter Kid Rock would be the best choice to speak at the event.
Noem's comments, in particular, were the subject of a joke in SNLWeekend news segment.
“Trump adviser said ICE agents will be at Super Bowl after Bad Bunny was announced as halftime performer,” noted co-host Michael Che. “You know, to catch all those farm workers who can afford Super Bowl tickets.”
