Leave it to Bad Bunny to make history twice in one month.
After he took home the Grammy for album of the year for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” (the first all-Spanish-language album to be recognized in the coveted category), Bad Bunny became the first Spanish-language Latin solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
When Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner in September, he drew criticism from a handful of conservative pundits and Fox News commentators. But on Sunday, he emphasized a message of unity while paying tribute to his Puerto Rican roots.
The football field transformed into a set that looked like Puerto Rico's sugarcane fields, where people dressed as 19th century laborers known as "jíbaros" wore their signature "pava" straw hats.
He began with his hit “Tití Me Preguntó," walking through the set past carts of “piragua” (snow cones), boxing matches, people playing dominoes and others dancing. He also brought the signature "casita" from his historic Puerto Rico residency to the halftime show to do an homage to old school reggaeton music with hits like "Yo Perreo Sola," "Safaera," “Party,” “Voy A Llevarte Pa’ PR” and "EoO."
Dozens of violin players playing "Monaco" emerged from the sugar canes as Bad Bunny delivered a message in Spanish encouraging people to believe in themselves.
"My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and if I'm here today at Super Bowl 60, it's because I never stopped believing in myself," the singer said. "You should believe in yourself too. You're worth more than you think. Trust me."
The show was also filled with star power: Lady Gaga performed a salsa version of her song "Die With A Smile," and Ricky Martin sang Bad Bunny's heartbreaking hit "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii."
At the "casita," celebrities like actors Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal, influencer Alix Earle and singers Karol G and Cardi B, were spotted onstage behind the dancers.
Bad Bunny continued his homage to salsa performing his hit "Baile Inolvidable" and "NUEVA YoL," which samples the iconic salsa song “Un Verano en Nueva York“ by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.
For "NUEVA YoL," Bad Bunny brought the distinctive bodegas from New York City and a cameo from the famous "Toñita," who runs the last Puerto Rican social club in Brooklyn.
Bad Bunny then climbed up an malfunctioning electric pole to sing "El Apagón," a song about recurrent power outages in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
To the tune of “CAFé CON RON” and “DtMF,” Bad Bunny closed his show with a message of unity, saying "God Bless America" while shouting out all the countries across North, Central and South America. Dancers waving various flags walked behind him.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, first sang at the Super Bowl in 2020 alongside headliners Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in Miami, delivering an unforgettable performance that showcased Latin music’s might and rising mainstream success.
While that show remains a culturally significant event for Latinos in the U.S., Bad Bunny’s performance represents a new milestone, according to Petra Rivera-Rideau and Vanessa Díaz, the co-authors of “P FKN R: How Bad Bunny Became the Global Voice of Puerto Rican Resistance.”
Bad Bunny performed as the Trump administration continues its wide-scale immigration crackdown and arrests Latino immigrants in large numbers.
In January, federal immigration authorities who were carrying out operations in Minneapolis fatally shot two U.S. citizens. Their deaths have amplified calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and other cities where immigration raids have taken place.
Bad Bunny has not shied away from politics, particularly when it comes to Puerto Rico. He was among a handful of artists at the Grammys who made bold “ICE out” statements. He also has called out the U.S. government’s botched response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2018 and demanded justice in the killing of Alexa, a trans woman in Puerto Rico, in 2020.
Ahead of the game, the NFL stood by its decision to enlist Bad Bunny. Asked about the singer’s “ICE out” remarks at the Grammys, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended him and said the Super Bowl halftime show “is used to unite people.”
The NFL also said there would be no ICE operations at the Super Bowl, NBC Bay Area reported. Still, crowds of anti-ICE protesters crowded outside Levi's Stadium before the game.
Turning Point USA, the conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, hosted an alternative halftime show headlined by country and rock singer Kid Rock. Country singers Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett also performed.
In anticipation of the Super Bowl, President Donald Trump told the New York Post that he’d be skipping the event this year and called Bad Bunny a “terrible choice.”
On Sunday night, Trump shared his reaction to the halftime show performance in a lengthy Truth Social post, calling it “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!”
Toward the end of the show, Bad Bunny held a football that said “Together we are America."
The performance ended with fireworks that showcased the Puerto Rican flag and a jumbotron message that read: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love."
