Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Ignites Debate Amid Major National Stories
Image: NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show (via YouTube)
Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny made history on Sunday, delivering the first predominantly Spanish Super Bowl halftime show during Super Bowl LX. The 13‑minute performance combined high‑energy music, striking visuals, and cultural symbolism that celebrated Latin identity and community resilience. Set pieces included street scenes, sugar cane fields, a staged wedding, and appearances by artists like Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Cardi B.
The closing moments drew particular attention. After saying “God bless America,” Bad Bunny named countries across North, Central, and South America, while a football displaying “Together, We Are America” appeared on stage. Supporters interpreted the gesture as an inclusive claim of continental identity, reflecting how millions of Spanish speakers refer to the Americas as a whole.
@nfl ❤️👏 #AppleMusicHalftime #badbunny #superbowl #nfl @Bad Bunny ♬ original sound - NFL
Critics, mainly from conservative circles, framed the performance differently. Republican Congressman Andy Ogles called for a congressional inquiry into the halftime show, citing alleged indecent content, while President Donald Trump criticized the Spanish-led performance as “un-American,” fueling political and cultural debates online.
@piersmorganuncensored Megyn Kelly says Bad Bunny performing his Super Bowl halftime show in Spanish was "a middle finger to the rest of America". "Football is OURS!" #megynkellynews #superbowl #PiersMorgan #piersmorganuncensored #news #fyp #ice #america #badbunny ♬ original sound - piersmorganuncensored
The controversy is particularly striking in context. Just days earlier, more than three million pages of previously sealed documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal network were released, implicating high-level figures, including the U.S. president, with little public accountability or attention. The uproar over a 13-minute performance underscores the tendency of media and political discourse to fixate on symbolic cultural moments rather than systemic crises.
Despite the debate, Bad Bunny’s performance captivated roughly 135 million viewers, sparking conversations about language, identity, and representation. For many, the halftime show was both entertainment and a broader statement about cultural visibility, continental unity, and inclusion.
