Via APNews
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February 9, 2026, marked the sixtieth annual Super Bowl, played between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. The Seahawks 29-13 victory over the Patriots was watched live by 124.9 million viewers across NBC, Peak, Telemundo, NBC Sport Digital, and NFL+.
However, New England’s loss was not the most debated topic of the Super Bowl. In late September 2025, the NFL announced Puerto Rican singer, Bad Bunny, as the Halftime Show performer, sparking immediate controversy due to Bad Bunny’s history of political comments toward President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and many incorrectly called him a “foreigner” due to the fact that he only performs in Spanish. Puerto Rico is a United States territory.
Usually, Bad Bunny keeps his politics to Puerican issues, especially advocating for Puerto Rican independence, and doesn’t really weigh in on mainland issues of the United States. Bad Bunny first publicly spoke out against the Trump Administration in 2018 on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show”. Before performing his song “Estamos Bien,” he reminded viewers that Puerto Rico is still suffering from the deadliest hurricanes in island history, “After one year of the hurricane, there’s still people without electricity in their homes, more than 3,000 people died, and Trump’s still in denial.” In 2024 after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during the pre-show for Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden. Bad Bunny openly endorsed Kamala Harris to his millions of Instagram followers. In September 2025, Bad Bunny announced that he omitted the United States from his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” world tour dates. He was concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would target his concerts for raids, targeting his Latino fanbase. Alongside that, Bad Bunny won both album of the year and Best Música Urbana Album for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.” During his acceptance speech for Best Música Urbana Album he spoke out against ICE once again, “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens—we are humans, and we are Americans.” Many MAGA influencers and politicians have labeled him as a “Trump Hater.”
After the NFL’s announcement about Bad Bunny’s upcoming halftime performance, TurningPoint USA, lead now by Erica Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, announced that they will hosting the All-American Halftime Show as an alternative to the official NFL’s show, describing it as a celebration of “American culture, freedom, and faith.” The setlist consisted of Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.
TurningPoint USA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics in high schools, colleges, and universities, founded in 2012 by Charlie Kirk and Bill Montgomery. Kirk was killed on September 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University for an event on the American Comeback Tour, sponsored by TurningPoint.
The All-American Halftime Show
The All-American Halftime Show was pre-taped in Atlanta, Georgia in a studio of about 200 people in the audience and streamed on TPUSA’s Youtube channel. There were about 5 million viewers live, but the video increased to 16 million viewers at midnight after the Super Bowl. Headlined by Kid Rock, an outspoken supporter of President Trump, and opened by Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, the show was labeled as an opportunity for all Americans to enjoy faith, family and freedom. TPUSA’s spokesman Andrew Kolvet said “We set out to provide an entertainment option that will be fun, excellent, and exciting for the entire family while millions are gathered together for the big game.”
The show was mostly devoid of political messages except for a pro-adoption commercial funded by “Adoption is an Option.” Pete Hegseth, the United State’s Defense Secretary, made a video appearance on the Youtube livestream before the concert stating “From the Department of War, we salute Turning Point USA and everyone who believes freedom is still worth the fight.”
The show started out with political commentator Jack Poscobiec welcoming viewers and dedicating the show to Charlie Kirk: “This one is for you Charlie.” Brantley Gilbert welcomed the audience with the song “Real American” singing of patriotism and sexual innuendos. Next, Gabby Barret, barefooted, singing “I Hope” and “The Good Ones,” and Lee Brice singing “Drinking Class” and “Country Nowadays.” The main event was Kid Rock, who was accused of lip syncing throughout the entire performance.
In the end the All American Halftime Show came off less as a cultural or political statement and more of a collection of familiar country music themes, patriotism, rural America, and sex. Staging an alternate halftime highlight how polarized the American audience is in the era of MAGA politics, rather than representing a compelling artistic or ideological purpose. Beyond using the show as another memorial for Charlie Kirk, the show seemed to reinforce division rather than American unity.
The NFL Halftime Show
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known internationally by his stage name Bad Bunny, made his first Super Bowl appearance back in 2020 as a guest performer to Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Since then, he has created a pop culture phenomenon through his unapologetic cultural pride that has resonated with a vast and diverse audience.
This year, Bad Bunny’s halftime performance averaged about 128.2 million viewers, making it the fourth most watched halftime show behind Kendrick Lamar (133.5 million viewers in 2025), Michael Jackson (133.4 million viewers in 1993) and Usher (129.3 million viewers in 2024). His performance gained the most traction on social media, gaining 4 billion views across NFL’s platforms. About 55% of those views were international.
Overall, his performance was a homage to Puerto Rico. The 14-minute set included performances by Lady Gaga and Rick Martin. Lady Gaga sang a salsa inspired rendition of “Die with a Smile,” her 2024 duet with Bruno Mars, wearing a blue dress designed to represent Puerto Rico’s national flower: flor de maga. Ricky Martin performed a rendition of Bad Bunny’s “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii.” There were also cameos from Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G, and Jessica Alba dancing on the porch of his famous casita, which a staple of his shows designed to look like a traditional Puerto Rican home.
Bad Bunny’s performance transported the audience through the Latin landscape, starting with him emerging from a sugarcane field and taking us through a Puerto Rican neighborhood that is equipped with a nail salon, bar, and Piragua stand. Family and unity were two of the main motifs throughout the show, from a young couple actually getting married on stage to Bad Bunny handing a Grammy award to a small boy watching his acceptance speech. He, then, climbed an electricity pylon, which symbolizes the infrastructure ruined and lives lost in 2017 by Hurricane Maria.
Bad Bunny sang a majority of the show in Spanish, except for the finale when he said “God Bless America,” in English. Then, he listed all Central, South, and North America as dancers carrying all their flags. Behind them, a billboard message read “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The last shot of Bad Bunny was him holding a football with the words, in English, “Together, We Are America.”
While Bad Bunny did not make any political statements toward Trump or conservatives, President Trump posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!.” He also called the show a “slap in the face to our country.”
Final Thoughts
This year’s Super Bowl Halftime shows marked two distinct firsts: the first all-Spanish speaking performance and the first alternative halftime broadcast. Beyond viewership numbers and political reactions, the actual contrast between the two is marked by the competing visions of America itself. The All-American Halftime Show is centered around a narrow perspective of patriotism rooted in rural America and cultural homogeneity. While Bad Bunny’s performance reflects a multicultural nation that will always be shaped by immigrant voices.
In moments of political strife, Bad Bunny never attacked or excluded. He emphasized family, resistance, love, unity, and shared identity. The American identity does not stand in one culture, religion, race, or language because the United States has emphasized its strength in diversity. We are the “melting pot” of culture and tradition, blending history and communities together to form one nation. His performance reinforced that unity does not require sameness but a shared respect and love for people despite our differences. As Bad Bunny says: “Together we are America.”
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This article was edited by Sydney Sternagel.
Catherine Topps 
Loren King 
Eloisa Harper