Super Bowl halftime show performer Bad Bunny has revealed he grew up watching the San Francisco 49ers at home in Puerto Rico.
The Latino rapper and singer wowed the crowds at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night, with well over 100 million watching on from around the world.
And it has now been revealed that it was a full circle moment for him, with his outfit an emotional nod to the moments he used to share watching the game.
‘1964 is the year my uncle Cutito was born, my mother’s brother,’ he revealed, referencing his shirt that carried the No 64 on the front.
‘The little I know about the NFL is thanks to him. He left for the United States at 17 to work and never returned to live in Puerto Rico, although he always visited us in late January or early February and stayed at our house.
‘That was right in the middle of the NFL postseason, so I always watched the games with him. He was a huge fan of the San Francisco 49ers, the team whose home stadium is where this Super Bowl 60 took place, the one in which I performed.’
Bad Bunny revealed that the 64 on his shirt was a reference to his uncle Cutito’s year of birth
The Puerto Rican singer brought out Lady Gaga as part of his Super Bowl halftime performance
He then went on to add: ‘My uncle passed away two years ago, shortly after the 49ers lost to Kansas City in the 2024 Super Bowl. I always dreamed of taking my uncle to a Super Bowl and I couldn’t. He left unexpectedly, without warning.
‘So during my Super Bowl halftime show, I decided to have him on my shirt: OCASIO, his last name, the same as my mother’s, and his birth year, 64.
‘I dedicated my performance to him before it began. I’m sure he saw it, he was present, and he felt proud of his nephew. Now all that’s left is the day the 49ers win another Super Bowl.’
Many had speculated that the name OCASIO on the back of his shirt was simply a reference to his own name – Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio – but he has now confirmed it was more poignant than that.
In the show, Bad Bunny brought out Lady Gaga as part of his performance, and he used the platform to deliver a powerful message of inclusion and unity.
At one point he fell back from the stage and was caught by dancers on the ground below
Pedro Pascal was pictured hanging out among dancers on stage during the show
Many had expected him to denounce ICE, as he had done the week prior at the Grammys, but instead he opted to show off his Latin pride.
While his songs are all in Spanish, he did speak English during the show, shouting ‘God bless America’ while highlighting every country across the Americas, not just the United States.
At the end of the set, a message flashed up on the screen at Levi’s Stadium, simply stating: ‘The only thing more powerful than hate is love.’
While most loved the show, President Donald Trump was still riled up by it, and he took to his TruthSocial account almost immediately to share his thoughts.
‘The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!’ he wrote. ‘It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.
He opted against making political statements and instead shared a message of inclusion
‘Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World. This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country.’
He then added: ‘There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.’
Elsewhere, though, there were hugely positive responses to Bad Bunny’s performance, even from traditionally right-wing and MAGA-leaning viewers.
