Why are people mad about Bad Bunny doing the Super Bowl? Entire 'anti-American' controversy explained ahead of NFL's showpiece event

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is getting massive hate online for being the headliner in the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Last month, it was officially announced that the Puerto Rican artist would perform on February 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Notably, Bad Bunny will be the first artist to perform his entire set in Spanish. During the increase in ICE raids, there was speculation that the singer and rapper would avoid the US altogether for his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, as the ICE agents would appear at the concert venue to detain Bad Bunny's Latino and Puerto Rican fans.

In an interview with i-D magazine last month, the singer confirmed that the speculation was correct, stating he had intentionally avoided setting his US concert dates to avoid the ICE agents.

Bad Bunny publicly endorsed Kamala Harris last year after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made controversial remarks about Puerto Ricans at Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally.

For the unversed, Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" and said that Latinos supposedly love making babies.

In response, Bad Bunny shared a speech by Kamala Harris, in which she stated that Donald Trump reportedly did not do enough for Puerto Rico.

"I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader. He abandoned the island, tried to block aid after back-to-back devastating hurricanes, and offered nothing more than paper towel and insults," Kamala Harris said.

Bad Bunny's anti-ICE stance, support for Kamala Harris, and being a Spanish speaker are often brought up by netizens who bash him online.

His upcoming Super Bowl Halftime performance is seemingly making internet users upset.

"Well they made him do the Ritual… so we know this halftime show will be the most woke anti-American halftime show ever… smh," one netizen wrote.

"The NFL picked him for 2026 knowing he trashed Trump, slammed ICE, and won't sing a word in English. Do you think this is what American fans want to see or is the league daring us to walk away?" another user wrote.

This is Bad Bunny.

He was just announced as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.

- Massive Trump hater
- Anti-ICE activist
- No songs in English

He even canceled his entire U.S. tour for this reason: “F***ing ICE could be outside my concert. And it’s something that we were… pic.twitter.com/11KvuSWnEH

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 29, 2025

Donald Trump stated that he does not know anything about Bad Bunny

On Monday (October 6, 2025), Newsmax's Greg Kelly asked the US President about the Puerto Rican singer performing at the Super Bowl Halftime show next year.

Donald Trump said that he did not know the artist and had no idea why he was selected.

"I don't know who he is. I don't know why they're doing it, it's, like, crazy. They blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Trump stated.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk's right-wing organization, announced on X that they would air All American Halftime Show on the same day in protest of Bad Bunny's performance.

Details, including how and where the All American Halftime Show will air, are still uncertain.

However, Turning Point USA has opened a survey to its followers, allowing them to submit their preferred music for the event. Stay tuned for more updates.