Football and music fans were stunned to find out the amount of money Puerto Rican entertainer Bad Bunny will be getting paid to perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The show, which is one of the most anticipated events in music, is set to go live between the first and second half of Super Bowl LX in the San Francisco Bay Area this Sunday.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, will be the first Latin rapper to headline the show in the history of the event.
However, perhaps to the surprise of many, he will not be receiving a single penny for his performance.
Traditionally, the NFL does not pay artists for the Super Bowl Halftime Show – which essentially serves as a giant promotion for the performer’s catalog of work.
It also exposes the artist to millions of viewers – with the game typically one of the most watched television events each year.
Puerto Rican music icon Bad Bunny will not be paid for his Super Bowl Halftime performance
The NFL has traditionally not paid recording artists for their appearance at the big game
Commissioner Roger Goodell has consistently defended the choice of Bad Bunny for the show
Speaking to Forbes in 2016 ahead of Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyonce’s performance at Super Bowl 50, an NFL spokesperson said, ‘We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs.’
The performance typically has a sponsor as well. Apple Music began sponsoring the event in 2023 for Super Bowl LVII – taking over from Pepsi who had been the presenter for the previous ten shows.
The NFL’s selection of the Puerto Rican rapper has been controversial since it was announced as he’s set to be the first performer to not perform a single song in English.
There have been Latin music artists who’ve performed the show in the past, most recently Shakira and Jennifer Lopez for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. In fact, Bad Bunny appeared at that show as a special guest.
But his promotion to the headlining role has angered conservatives – who have been advocating for his replacement since the show was first announced.
However, the NFL has stood behind their choice multiple times. Commissioner Roger Goodell said this week, ‘(He’s) one of the great artists in the world, and that’s one of the reasons to be chosen,’ Goodell explained.
‘But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and that this was this platform is to use to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent.’
