By: Jacob Torres

A week after winning Album of the Year at the 2026 Annual Grammy Awards, Bad Bunny astonished many audience members with his performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, encouraging unity and Puerto Rican pride. However, other audience members and influencers heavily critiqued the performance, criticizing it for being a “degenerate performance” and an “affront to the greatness of America.”

During halftime in the match between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, Bad Bunny brought his performance at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, bringing together many hits such as “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Yo Perreo Sola,” and “Safaera.” In addition, the performance saw many guest appearances from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Pedro Pascal, and Jessica Alba.

Despite this, the reception for the performance among spectators was generally mixed. Some praised the performance and Bad Bunny for his use of subliminal messaging and previous denouncing of immigration policies, while others slammed it for being performed entirely in Spanish, arguing that it alienates viewers.

The impact and controversy around Bad Bunny’s halftime performance weren’t just cultural. Current U.S. President Donald J. Trump stated on Truth Social that the performance was “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst, EVER!”

In addition, American influencer boxer and internet personality Jake Paul publicly encouraged fans to boycott the NFL’s halftime show. “Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that,” Paul initially stated in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter). Paul would backpedal on this with a later tweet, stating, “To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico. I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so. But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE, who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it. Period.”

Professor John Grande, Professor of Spanish in the School of Arts & Sciences at Holy Family University, has a different view on the matter. “I think the performance was extremely good and important because we have over sixty million Spanish speakers here in the United States, and I believe that everyone needs representation. Spanish-language artists represent a large, significant portion of the population of the United States, and I think the performance should be recognized as part of our American diversity and inclusiveness,” Grande stated.

A viewer who saw the performance stated, “I like the performance. I like the message for everybody to come together and become one with each other instead of fighting amongst ourselves. I agree that we should, you know, help one another and do for each other. I feel like people who criticize the Spanish-only aspect for not being able to understand the lyrics don’t understand that music is a vibe, and you don’t have to understand it to like it because if you listen to the music and vibe with the beat, it doesn’t matter what language it is but how you’re feeling when you listen to the song.”
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. 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,” Bad Bunny would say in a statement to Page Six when announcing his headlining of the 2026 halftime show. This performance has opened the door to many possible multicultural venues in the future of the NFL, and it probably won’t be long before we see more appearances from Bad Bunny and other potential artists.

Jacob Torres is an undergraduate freshman who spends his studies at Holy Family University and enjoys video games, literary media, and music. Jacob has worked as a contributing editor and is currently majoring in English and has an expected graduation year of 2029.