“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” said President Donald Trump on “Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports” on Monday, reacting to the news that Puerto Rican star, Bad Bunny, would headline the 2026 Super Bowl’s iconic halftime show. “I’ve never heard of him,” Trump added. Renowned for his obsession with ratings, the US president has presumably since been informed that the global superstar holds significant streaming records. Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” (2022) is Spotify’s most-streamed album of all time. He was the most-played artist on Spotify for three consecutive years, from 2020 to 2022. And this September, his residency finale, “Una Más,” became the most-watched single-artist performance on Amazon Music to date. The streamed performance concluded a series of 31 concerts held in San Juan, the capital city of Puerto Rico, which from July to September during hurricane season injected millions into the struggling economy of the Caribbean island. Estimates vary between $200 million (€172 million) and $700 million (€602 million).
How did Bad Bunny become famous?
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio was born in 1994 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny, whose stage name was inspired by a childhood photo of himself in a grumpy mood while dressed in a bunny suit started uploading his music to SoundCloud while he was still in college. In 2016, his song “Soy Peor” became a big hit on YouTube and led to a record deal.In the years that followed, collaborations with stars including Cardi B, J Balvin, Drake and Rosalia massively boosted his fame.Now dubbed the “King of Latin Trap,” Bad Bunny has won three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys.He knows how to generate a social media buzz, all while creating authentic connections with his fans. He has 49.5 million followers on Instagram and more than 35 million on TikTok.A fashion icon, the musician subverts gender norms through playful self-expression, embracing nail art and mashing up floral motifs and unexpected colors.Beyond his unique sound that blends reggaeton, Latin trap, dancehall, hip-hop and other Caribbean references, he has also gained supporters by speaking out on issues like Puerto Rican identity, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and social justice.Despite the artist’s success, many people outside the Latin music scene were not familiar with his name until the National Football League (NFL) revealed at the end of September that Bad Bunny would be the Super Bowl’s halftime show star in February 2026.Bad Bunny with golden accessories in his hair at the Met Gala.
A voice for Puerto Rico
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement as the announcement was made. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.”“He’s not an American artist,” Fox News host Tomi Lahren mistakenly claimed, a statement that was quickly slammed online, as everyone born in Puerto Rico including Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is automatically a US citizen.The conservative media influencer’s blunder highlights the fact that Puerto Rico’s political status is complicated. As an unincorporated US territory, the island has a particular legal standing. As American citizens, Puerto Ricans — also known as Boricuas — can live, work and study in any US state or territory and move freely from one place to another. They are subject to US federal laws, pay into Social Security and Medicare, but they can’t vote in US federal elections — unless they live on the mainland. An estimated 5.8 million do, according to 2021 census data. During the presidential campaign, a comedian at a Trump rally referred to Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.” Even though Trump distanced himself from the remarks, the act led Bad Bunny to break his longstanding tradition of not weighing in on national politics; he endorsed Kamala Harris, who had pledged more support to the island.
The MAGA backlash to the Super Bowl pick
Now the Super Bowl announcement is causing backlash among members of the MAGA movement. While the NFL’s annual league championship game is traditionally seen as a unifying cultural event in the US, some fans say they are planning to boycott it.Conservative political commentator Benny Johnson summarized on X why MAGA supporters find the singer problematic: “Massive Trump hater — Anti-ICE activist — No songs in English.” His post included photos of the star’s face decorated with pearls, his fingernails stylishly covered with dominoes. “The NFL is self-destructing year after year,” added Johnson.Many conservatives were already outraged by this year’s halftime show, headlined by Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar. While much attention was given to the rapper’s diss track against Drake, the performance also included symbols criticizing the rise of white supremacy and authoritarianism in the US.It’s the seventh year in a row that the NFL has teamed up with Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, for its halftime program, which explains the artistically innovative selection of headliners.
Homeland Security Secretary makes threatening comments
Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, has announced that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will “be all over” the 2026 Super Bowl. She also said the NFL will “not be able to sleep at night” over its decision to choose Bad Bunny as the halftime performer.Bad Bunny had previously explained that he didn’t include any US mainland stops during his upcoming world tour, due to fears that ICE would raid his concerts.Bad Bunny wearing sunglasses and a fur hat performs on stage, with percussionists behind him.Over the weekend, the music superstar hosted the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” and he joked about the backlash in his opening monologue: “I think everybody is happy about it even Fox News.” He also spoke a few sentences in Spanish in the monologue, expressing Latino pride and joy over the achievement, concluding: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!” referring to the time left before the football event in February. Bad Bunny will be making history by performing his set entirely in Spanish.“It would be a good time to pass my bill to make English the official language of America,” far-right Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green wrote on X in reaction to the show even though Trump has already signed an executive order making English the country’s official language in March. Greene added: “And the NFL needs to stop having demonic sexual performances during its halftime shows.”Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s music catalog has seen a jump in streams amid the backlash. And as different observers have noted, the NFL’s move is presumably not so much about promoting diversity, as about increasing global ratings.Still, as The New York Times anticipates, the political impact of Bad Bunny’s show could extend “long after the game’s final touchdown.”
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