On February 8, Bad Bunny headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show, a profound all-Spanish performance even as many immigrants and people of color currently face racial and xenophobic pressures from the United States government.
The show’s setlist included hit songs like “Tití Me Preguntó,” “EoO,” “DtMF,” and my favorite, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.” Guest stars of the show included Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa version of her song with Bruno Mars, “Die With A Smile,” and Ricky Martin, a Puerto Rican singer who sang “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii.” Lady Gaga’s placement in the show seemed a bit random, and it felt almost like Gaga was only there as a personal invitation from Bunny, since they are close friends.
The show took us to Puerto Rico, featuring Puerto Rican cultural elements such as fruit vendors, viejitos (old men) playing dominoes, shaved ice stands, a real traditional wedding, and dancers dressed as sugarcane to make a field of crops to represent the traditional history of agriculture in Puerto Rico. The show also included Bunny’s casita (little house), a symbolic house representing traditional homes in Puerto Rico, which featured stars Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Alix Earle, and the much-anticipated Cardi B.
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Caption: Dancers at the Super Bowl LX halftime show enter dressed as sugarcane crops.
At the end of the show, while the crowd sang “DtMF,” the screens in the stadium read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Additionally, Bunny threw a football that read, “Together we are America,” after naming almost all of the countries in the Americas, even including the United States and Canada.
During “El Apagón,” Bunny and a few dancers performed on top of electrical poles, which connected to electrical infrastructure issues in Puerto Rico. Also, during this song, Bunny decided to wave the Puerto Rican flag, specifically, an alternate version of it. In 1895, the Puerto Rican flag was designed with an appearance very similar to the current one, except that the blue and the flag were a much lighter hue. The color was changed to dark blue in 1952 to resemble the United States flag. The usage of this version of the flag represents unification, freedom, and anti-colonialism, which is a very poignant statement.
When comparing Bunny’s show to the overtly political and bold halftime show led by Kendrick Lamar last year, the show may seem to fall slightly short in terms of impact. However, I believe the denial of ICE and Trump of any further attention in mainstream media serves as a political statement in its own right.
Related to ICE, Kristi Noem, United States Secretary of Homeland Security, stated that ICE agents would be “all over” the stadium during the Halftime Show. Despite this, no ICE agents were reported to be at the arena.
For Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour, he decided not to add any stops within the continental United States, making Bunny one of the first artists to completely skip the U.S. in a world tour. This decision sparked large controversies across the internet, with many fans upset at the lack of U.S. tour dates. However, according to Bunny himself, this choice was made due to the possible threat of ICE agents surveilling the concert venues, as Bunny’s audience is predominantly Hispanic.
Bunny’s tendency to speak out was also one of the main factors that drew me to this year’s halftime show. At the 2026 Grammys, Bunny accepted his album of the year award with a speech on the recent inhumane treatment of immigrants across the United States following the increased presence of ICE under President Trump’s administration. “I’m going to say ‘ICE out.’ We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans,” Bunny said.
As a Black woman, I know all too well the feeling of trauma and suffering, being the only portrayal of my culture and experience. And as a Latina, seeing pure joy and happiness from audience members and other viewers despite the hatred towards immigrants spread by the current presidential administration and many of its supporters was truly moving.
In contrast to the message of kindness spread by Bunny’s performance, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the conservative political organization founded by Charlie Kirk, hosted their own version of the Super Bowl Halftime Show called the All-American Halftime Show. This was likely caused by Bunny’s notorious disagreement with TPUSA’s political views, such as strict immigration reform and support of President Trump.
This decision seems to be almost completely fueled by racism. Many internet debates, including the All-American Halftime Show controversy, have revolved around Bunny being Puerto Rican. From what I’ve noticed in these debates is that a concerning number of people aren’t aware of Puerto Rico’s complex relationship with the United States, and that Bunny is, in fact, American. To me, Bad Bunny seems to be the perfect headliner in this current moment as a representative of the millions of people living in the United States who feel little recognition or care from the government.
