MAGA talking heads have not taken kindly to a musician who sings in Spanish being announced as the next Super Bowl halftime performer.
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican-born artist dubbed the “King of Latin Trap,” was announced as the headliner on Sunday, immediately causing a knee-jerk reaction from Trump-aligned conservative figures.
Bad Bunny has been a critic of Donald Trump and his hardline anti-immigration agenda, and has previously refused to book gigs in the contiguous United States, fearing ICE raids.
He celebrated securing the high-profile gig, where millions will be watching, as a victory for “my people, my culture, and our history.”
“Massive Trump hater; Anti-ICE activist; No songs in English,” right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson wrote on X, rhyming off a laundry list of issues he has with the three-time Grammy winner taking the stage on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, near San Francisco.
“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 talking about and very concerned about.” The NFL is self-destructing year after year,” Johnson continued.
Conservative commentator Greg Price also picked up on this point. “The NFL chose Bad Bunny to perform the Super Bowl halftime show despite the fact that he recently said he wouldn’t perform in the continental United States again because ICE is deporting illegal aliens,” he told his almost 500,000 X followers.
Just before Sunday’s Super Bowl announcement, the 31-year-old rapper, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, addressed these comments—made during an interview with i-D magazine this month.
Posting on social media, he said, “After discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
MAGA social media commentator Jackunheard was rattled even though he doesn’t appear to know who the performer, who endorsed Kamala Harris last year, is. “Who is Bad Bunny and why is he the Super Bowl halftime show? I’m hearing he doesn’t have a single song in English… Did they even think this through?” he wrote on X.
Conservative journalist Owen Shroyer called for a more MAGAfied halftime show, perhaps even led by Creed, whose frontman Scott Stapp is the brother-in-law of Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Waltz. In May, Trump removed Waltz from his post as national security adviser and made him an ambassador to the United Nations.
“Another massive L in my opinion. Only 2 of the last 10 half times shows have featured a band. And those bands were Coldplay and Maroon 5. Creed, Metallica, Chris Stapleton, can we get some real music please?” he wrote on X.
The Super Bowl halftime show is produced by rapper Jay Z’s entertainment and sports company Roc Nation. The NFL partnered with the company in 2019, and the bill has featured rap and R&B stars largely since then.
In 2020, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Bad Bunny made a guest appearance.
“Welcome back to the Super Bowl stage! Here comes my Latin people!” Shakira wrote on Instagram, reacting to the news of Bad Bunny’s return.
