Bad BunnyFor over four months now, it’s been one of the most talked about and most anticipated live performances in recent history, but after endless speculation and debate, Bad Bunny has officially wrapped up his high-profile spot headlining the Super Bowl LX halftime show.
First announced back in late September, Bad Bunny’s announcement as the halftime headliner was something of an unexpected one, especially given rumours circulating that Taylor Swift might be the star performer instead.
Other acts floated for inclusion were the likes of Mariah Carey, BTS, Green Day, Metallica, Justin Bieber, and more. While Green Day would indeed appear at the event with a pre-game performance, it was Puerto Rico musician Bad Bunny who nabbed the top spot – returning after serving as a special guest at the 2020 edition of the halftime show, which was headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
However, his selection as performer was not without controversy. Given the current climate of racial tensions in the US, some overly-vocal and geographically-confused critics wondered why an American artist was not chosen to headline the internationally-televised event. (Puerto Rico is, of course, a territory of the United States and Puerto Ricans such as Bad Bunny are in fact US citizens.)
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
In October, Bad Bunny appeared as the host of Saturday Night Live where he – in Spanish – thanked “Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors.
“It’s more than a win for myself; it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
Bad Bunny opening the super bowl with ‘tití me preguntó’
— 2000s (@PopCulture2000s) February 9, 2026
pic.twitter.com/328fRGrSlX
Returning to English, Bad Bunny shared the following message: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
Despite the backlash (including from US President Donald Trump, who labelled the musician’s selection as “absolutely ridiculous”), however, Bad Bunny remained resolute to take the stage on February 8th at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Taking to the stage on Sunday evening, Bad Bunny kicked things off with performances of tracks such as Tití Me Preguntó, Yo Perreo Sola, and Safaera, before welcoming 2017 headliner Lady Gaga to the stage for a salsa rendition of Die With A Smile.
While shortened versions of hits are standard fare for a Super Bowl show, Bad Bunny persevered by dropping cuts such as Baile Inolvidable and Nuevayol, before bringing out fellow Puerto Rican music icon Ricky Martin, who joined in on Lo Que Le Paso A Hawaii.
FROM SUPPORTING HIM AT THE GRAMMYS TO PERFORM WITH HIM AT THE SUPER BOWL, BAD BUNNY AND LADY GAGA MAKING HISTORY pic.twitter.com/nddKYQOxKB
— sebastián (@lovingcmila) February 9, 2026
Rounding out his set, Bad Bunny wrapped proceedings with versions of El Apagón and Café Con Ron before dropping the Grammy-nominated DTMF, which also featured in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown as the first-ever appearance by a Puerto Rican artist to date.
A unifying and communal performance which celebrated humanity, diversity, and Latin American culture, Bad Bunny also leaned into the controversy surrounding his appearance with a billboard behind him that read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” while he held a football emblazoned with the phrase, “Together, we are America.”
While the dust is only now settling on the Super Bowl halftime show, it will be a little bit before we find out the full viewing figures for Bad Bunny’s performance to see how the massive amounts of controversy affected the amount of eyes on him.
Either way, given that Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 performance made history as the most-viewed performance in Super Bowl history with more than 133.5 million viewers, Bad Bunny went into things with some big shoes to fill – and a world full of eager fans watching his every move.
Bad Bunny mencionando o Brasil no Super Bowl. Cinema! pic.twitter.com/5ONGCLvPek
— Bruno Guzzo® (@brunoguzzo) February 9, 2026
