Super Tazón: The Politics Behind Bad Bunny's Halftime Show

How Bad Bunny's halftime show reframed debates on American identity and Puerto Rico’s place in the U.S.

“¡Qué rico ser latino!” The opening words of the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show set the tone for a memorable and impactful performance by Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, popularly known as Bad Bunny. The selected artist swiftly stole the show, overshadowing the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Being the most-watched halftime show of all time –and being almost entirely in Spanish– the impact of Bad Bunny’s performance went far beyond entertainment. The spectacle was entirely political. 

In line with the purpose of a halftime show, the performance was entertaining and touching. Most notably, a real wedding was held on stage and embedded into the performance. The couple had originally invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, one of hundreds of invitations he reportedly receives. Instead, he reversed the gesture and invited them to be married at the Super Bowl itself. During the ceremony, endearing moments were shown, such as a child waking up from sleeping on a row of chairs, a small but deeply relatable Easter egg. Later, the familiar casita, a house that features in every concert of Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos tour, made an appearance here as well. In the house were many familiar faces: Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Young Miko, Karol G, and Cardi B.

Despite never explicitly mentioning ICE or condemning Donald Trump, Bad Bunny managed to convey a political message. Straight off the bat, the set showcased sugarcane fields, hinting at Puerto Rico’s colonial past and a sector which has remained vital to Puerto Rico’s economy. Towards the end of the performance, Bad Bunny says “God Bless America”, followed by him listing every country in the Americas, moving from the southernmost edge of Chile to the northern point of Canada. It was a subtle but clear shift in perspective: America as a continent, not a single nation. This point was reinforced by the football he held, which said “Together, We Are America.” 

© Unsplash 

Bad Bunny continued this commentary on how Puerto Rico is politically overlooked through his choice of songs. El Apagón can be read as a quiet nudge toward the uneven and often delayed attention Puerto Rico received from the U.S. after Hurricane Maria, when prolonged and frequent power outages became a symbol of neglect rather than a natural disaster alone. At the same time, El Apagón works because it is relatable. The repeated line “maldita sea, otro apagón” (“damn it, another blackout”) captures a shared, almost mundane experience for many Puerto Ricans. The gesture was not overtly confrontational. On a stage as tightly curated and commercially sensitive as the Super Bowl, the politics were embedded rather than declared. That subtlety may have been the point. Rather than delivering a speech, Bad Bunny folded critique into familiarity.

One of the night’s most memorable moments was also Ricky Martin taking the stage to cover Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawái, in which both the selected artist and song carried layered significance. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Martin was contractually pressured to sing in English to appeal to the U.S. mainstream, despite wanting to produce music in mother tongue. His performance in Spanish thereby felt deliberate. Furthermore, the lyrics he sang translate to “I don't want them to do to you what happened to Hawaii.” Like Hawaii, Puerto Rico was incorporated into the United States through processes that stripped local populations of sovereignty and control over land. The question “¿Qué pasó con Hawái?” wasn’t nostalgic; it functioned as a warning about what happens when gentrification and external control reshape an island beyond recognition.

Later in the show, another iconic figure graced the stage. Lady Gaga joined Bad Bunny to sing a salsa remix of her song “Die With a Smile”, fitting seamlessly into the rhythm of the performance. Presumably, her styling was deliberate: she wore the colours of the Puerto Rican resistance flag, along with their national flower, the flor de maga. The gesture read as an attempt to meet the show on its own terms; not to dominate it, but to participate in it. Even so, the moment quickly became one of the most controversial parts of the night. Despite the effort to signal solidarity and cultural exchange, her presence sparked online controversy, raising questions about who gets to take part in performances rooted so clearly in Puerto Rican and Latin identity. At the same time, the collaboration shows an expression of unity, suggesting that Latin identity and American identity need not exist in opposition.

Apart from fan controversy, backlash from political figures was quick and predictable. President Donald Trump dismissed the performance as “absolutely terrible, one of the worst EVER,” calling it an “affront to the Greatness of America” and complaining that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” The criticism wasn’t just about taste; it framed Spanish language and cultural differences as incompatible with American standards. The comment also landed in a political climate where English had only been formalised as the official language at the federal level in March of 2025, under Trump’s presidency. Historically, this is something the United States had never designated before. In that context, Spanish on the Super Bowl stage felt less incidental and more symbolic. This reaction, in many ways, reinforced the very tensions Bad Bunny’s performance had pointed to: questions of who is recognised as fully American, and whose language and culture are treated as peripheral rather than constitutive.

Evangelical leader Franklin Graham echoed Trump’s sentiments and argued that halftime shows have become “more and more sexualised” and accused the NFL of pushing a “sexualised agenda.” He then proceeds to thank Turning Point USA and Erika Kirk for offering an “All-American Halftime Show”, which centred on family and faith. Ironically, Kid Rock, the artist who performed for the alternative halftime show, has lyrics which mention attraction towards underage girls, a detail which has been far less emphasised by conservatives. 

As Bad Bunny exited the stage, the words “the only thing more powerful than hate is love” appeared on the billboard behind him. For thirteen minutes, the Super Bowl didn’t just pause the game. It briefly became something else: a stage where culture, history, and politics collided, and where the question of who gets to belong was impossible to ignore. The performance was a reminder that Puerto Rico,  an island that is formally part of the United States, remains present, visible, and woven into the American story. In a political climate that has neglected the people of Puerto Rico, one line from Bad Bunny’s performance cuts through: “seguimos aquí” (“we’re still here”).