The world’s largest stage is about to be lit up–the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Every year, one of the most popular artists puts on a spectacular show for not only football fans, but the entire world. When an artist is chosen to perform the show, they go on to have a rampage of a career and gain millions of fans almost instantly. In 2026, the Super Bowl Halftime Show will be performed by no other than an all-American man, Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny is a Latino rapper and singer, known for his hits such as “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito.” He is considered one of the best Latin rappers of all time and has a highly successful musical career. This past weekend, he took home Album of the Year at the Grammy’s for his album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Despite his massive fanbase and extraordinary accolades, the NFL’s decision to make him this year’s halftime performer has been an extremely controversial choice. Uproar has surrounded the performer since the initial announcement.
Puerto Rico is a United States territory. If an individual is born in Puerto Rico, they are a full citizen of the United States, as it falls under the ‘natural-born citizen’ category. Even though Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory for over 127 years, discourse online stating the halftime show should be performed by an ‘American’ has seemingly uprooted the country. Individuals are arguing that the halftime show should not be performed by someone who is “not American” nor should it be performed by a Spanish-speaking individual.
High-up political figures, such as Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump, have spoken out against the NFL choosing Bad Bunny to be this year’s performer. Many individuals across the country, many of them being conservatives or right-wing, have also displayed public disappointment with the decision. A main argument surrounding this has been that he is not a true, prideful American. Bad Bunny has shown publicly that he is strongly against this current administration and ICE, and does not support a lot of what is being done currently. However, with him being a natural-born American, he was born with the freedom of speech to actively state his political opinions.
Another argument against his performance is that the show will most likely be done in complete Spanish, as that is Bad Bunny’s first language. In the United States alone, at least 45 million individuals over the age of five speak Spanish. The Super Bowl is also not an event exclusive to the United States, as it is a globally viewed game. Worldwide, there are at least 600 million individuals who speak Spanish, and it is the world’s second-most native language.
Turning Point USA, a conservative non-profit organization, has decided to launch its own halftime performance, the ‘All-American Halftime Show.’ Performers such as Kid Rock, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett will be playing their music at the event. This show was developed to make a statement that the halftime show is an important American event and should remain that way. These performers and Bad Bunny do have one thing in common, though. They are all US citizens.
Whether you are a fan of Bad Bunny or not, this Sunday will be a wonderful day to tune in and listen to American-made music hosted by the NFL!
