The National Football League announced on Sept. 28 that rapper Bad Bunny will headline the halftime show at Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif., making him the first solo Latino artist to do so.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, rose to fame as a SoundCloud artist and performs his songs in his native language, Spanish, one of the official languages of Puerto Rico, a United States territory. He previously appeared on the Super Bowl stage in 2020 as a guest performer during Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s halftime show, where he performed his number one hit “I Like It” alongside Cardi B and J Balvin. Other songs that he’s known for include “Titi Me Pregunto,” “Dakiti” and “Moscow Mule.” His work has led him to win three Grammy Awards, with the most recent coming in 2023. He made history as the first all-Spanish opening act to perform at the Grammy Awards in the same year.
In his monologue during his recent performance on “Saturday Night Live,” he said, “I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, and I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy,” before switching to Spanish to add, “Especially all the Latinos and Latinas across the world, and here, in the United States, all those who have worked to open doors.”
“It’s more than an achievement for myself, it’s an achievement for all of us,” he said. “It shows our footprint, and our contribution to this country, that no one will ever be able to take away or erase.”
Bad Bunny is one of the most-streamed artists in the world, which translates to a larger audience for the NFL showcasing his chart dominance. Additionally, his performance, primarily in Spanish, is considered a landmark moment for Latin music and culture on one of the world’s biggest stages. His performances are typically high-energy and are often unforgettable.
The singer faced backlash for his performance due to his outspoken criticism of the current Trump administration. For example, Newsmax host Greg Kelly called for a boycott of the NFL, stated that the artist “hates America, hates President Trump, hates ICE, hates the English language! He’s just a terrible person.”
Fellow commentator Ben Shapiro also stated on his talk show, “I’m not going to be lectured about learning Spanish by Bad Bunny, a person who calls himself Bad Buddy,” as a further critique of the singer after previously stating, “I don’t think Americans take kindly to being lectured about how they must learn Spanish in the English language-speaking country that is the United States.”
Nevertheless, Bad Bunny continues to stay connected to his Puerto Rican roots through his work, as seen in songs like “El Apagón.” He actively advocates for change on the island which includes topics such as anti-gentrification, anti-displacement, political decolonization, independence, fighting corruption and systemic failures. The singer uses his platform to support protests and amplify the voices of the Puerto Rican and Latin people through both his music and social media.
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