Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show Announcement Receives Racist Backlash

Conservative commentators have been lashing out online ever since Bad Bunny broke the internet when he was revealed as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime headliner on September 28. The Puerto Rican superstar is making history as the first Latino solo artist to headline the Super Bowl—a show considered the world’s biggest stage for an artist to perform with viewership in the millions. The announcement was welcomed by Latines and Bad Bunny fans alike, looking forward to seeing their cultura on screen and El Conejo Malo himself continuing his streak of career milestones. However, the announcement was also met with racist and ignorant comments deriding the selection of, not only a Latino artist but, a primarily Spanish-speaking one. What has ensued so far are a series of racist and xenophobic comments across the internet from political commentators to National Football League (NFL) viewers.

News of his Super Bowl gig came after the conclusion of his historic 30-day residency in Puerto Rico and ahead of his world tour—in which he had deliberately decided to skip the United States over concerns about Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) raiding his concerts. Bad Bunny shared on X, “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”

Some conservatives have taken to social media to publicly disapprove of the NFL’s decision in making Bad Bunny the headliner. The comments, that have been flooding social media this past week, are criticizing the decision on a clear basis: Bad Bunny’s Latinidad.

One X—formerly known as Twitter—user stated, “If you like Bad Bunny, you are not an American.”

Others have pulled photos of Bad Bunny’s gender-nonconforming fashion as cause for ridiculing the choice to have him do the show. The 31-year-old has often embraced a gender fluid style and his fashion sense was recognized when he was named a co-chair for the prestigious MET Gala in 2024. But many have now attacked his gender nonconforming fashion as a way to attempt to justify their vitriol. One X user wrote, “This is who was just picked to lead the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show,” with an image of Benito wearing a skirt from a Harper’s Bazaar cover shoot.

A common thread among these online reactions is the blatant racism and xenophobia coming from users likening Bad Bunny’s headlining gig as inherent attack on American fans while also forgetting that Puerto Rico is a part of the United States, contrary to the narrative that is being pushed through this backlash.

Additonally, various MAGA supporters have also taken offensive at Bad Bunny’s selection in regards to President Donald Trump with one X user calling him a “Massive Trump hater; Anti-ICE activist.” Cuban-American conservative filmmaker Robby Starbuck also had something to say on X, “This isn’t about music, it’s about putting a guy on stage who hates Trump and MAGA.”

n the current political climate, the wave of xenophobic reactions to Bad Bunny’s halftime show are not a surprise. It is only a microcosm of what Latines are facing in this country day to day. A lot of hate aimed at this show stems from the fact that almost all of Bad Bunny’s discography is in Spanish. One Instagram user commented under Apple Music’s announcement post saying, “Will there be subtitles? Asking for 90% of the country.” Another X user commented, “I’m hearing he doesn’t have a single song in English… Did they even think this through?”

With the backlash, there has also been an abundance of support for what will be a historic Super Bowl halftime show. Fans flooded the comment section of the announcement on Instagram raising their flags, sharing their excitement, and reminding us that like his Puerto Rico residency, this Super Bowl halftime will be more than just a performance. One commenter said, “Oh it’s going to be so beautiful. I hope all the naysayers watch it so they can feel the power of salsa.” Another shared her pride in the Spanish language performance to come saying, “I hope he doesn’t utter a single word of English the entire show! LET’S GO , BAD BUNNY!”

Latina influencer Tefi Pessoa, who is of Colombian and Brazilian descent, explained in a TikTok the importance of seeing Bad Bunny take on the Super Bowl stage:

“Bad Bunny champions his island. He is constantly wearing his culture on his sleeve. It’s representation. It’s defiance. It’s joy in the face of people who try to shrink us. That’s what it is. It’s proof to Latino kids all over the United States that you don’t have to code-switch to belong…When Bad Bunny gets on that stage, I think it also represents putting Latinidad on a spotlight when there are so many Latin people in this country right now trying to remain in the shadows, so that they can support their families.”

Super Bowl LX is set for February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.