Bad Bunny headlined a dazzling, spectacular Super Bowl halftime show that celebrated Puerto Rico and Latino culture, a huge display of resistance against Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda that was viewed by millions.
The Puerto Rican superstar, 31, made history as the first artist to perform a halftime show entirely in Spanish, as well as becoming the first Latin solo act to take on one of the world’s most coveted gigs.
Ahead of the headline performance, there were brief sets from punk-rock band Green Day – who have been famously outspoken against Trump from the get-go – country artist Brandi Carlile (who sang “America, the Beautiful”) and pop singer Charlie Puth, who played a soft-jazz interpretation of the US national anthem. While the NFL seemed to persuade Green Day not to say anything too inflammatory during their set, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong took a few swipes at the Trump administration on Friday at a pre-Super Bowl party in San Francisco. The band changed the lyrics of their song “Holiday” to “The representative of Epstein’s Island now has the floor”, while Armstrong also addressed ICE agents while onstage, telling them to “quit your s***ty job”.
As usual, there were plenty of celebrities in attendance cheering on their favourite team, with Chris Pratt and Jon Bon Jovi introducing the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots, respectively. Canadian pop star Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey, watched the show from a private booth, while Jay-Z, who co-produces the halftime gig with his entertainment company Roc Nation, was joined by daughters Rumi, 8, and Blue Ivy, 14. Other stars spotted schmoozing in the VIP suites included Emma Roberts, Kevin Costner, Logan Paul, Roger Federer, Travis Scott, and a cosy-looking Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton.
Finally, it was time for Bad Bunny to take to the stage. In a set spanning approximately 13 minutes, the rapper and singer born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio delivered an energetic and colourful set comprising some of his biggest hits, during which he was joined by surprise guests including Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
Jaw-dropping camera work and choreography followed Bad Bunny around a maze featuring dancers, actors and musicians, with cameos from stars such as Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal and Cardi B, the latter of whom collaborated with Bad Bunny on her 2018 hit “I Like It”. There were also plenty of nods to his Puerto Rican heritage and album artwork.
With the exception of Gaga’s salsa-influenced rendition of “Die With a Smile”, the performance was dominated by Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language hits such as “EoO’”, “BAILE InoLVIDABLE” and “DtMF”. The set incorporated a number of references to his album artwork, including for his Grammy-winning 2025 record Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
There were, of course, a number of politically tinged moments, such as the sparking “El Apagón” power poles that nodded to the issues of corruption and inequality within the US “commonwealth” of Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny’s song, which he performed during the set, is a fierce attack on gentrification and appropriation taking place in his home.
Bad Bunny’s headline spot had been the subject of protests from MAGA supporters, with some choosing instead to tune into the so-called “All-American Halftime Show” organised by right-wing political organisation Turning Point USA. Headlined by controversial singer and Trump ally Kid Rock, the event got off to a rocky start with confusion over where exactly it was taking place and how fans could tune in.
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Trump himself also snubbed the Super Bowl, having previously attended last year’s game and halftime show from rapper Kendrick Lamar. This year, however, he hosted his own Super Bowl watch party thousands of miles away from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida.
After it was first announced that Bad Bunny – who has been named the world’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for four of the last five years – would headline the big game, the president called the pick “absolutely ridiculous” and said he had never heard of the Grammy-winning musician.
Posting to his Truth Social account after the show took place, the president went even further, calling it “one of the worst EVER” halftime shows and claiming no one understood “a word this guy is saying”.
“It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump, who had claimed he wasn’t going to watch the show, said.
He 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.”
Bad Bunny’s message of unity was clearly lost on the president, who is currently embroiled in a racism scandal over a video depicting former president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as apes, which was shared from his Truth Social account.
Towards the end of the set, the Puerto Rican star was handed a football with the words “Together, we are America” written on it. He then said “God bless America” before listing the names of every country in the Americas. A clear message, and one that almost everyone – if not all – would understand.
