On Sunday, February 8, our own New England Patriots faced off against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. Back in September 2025, the NFL announced that Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny would headline the Apple Music Halftime Show. As the game approached, fans and critics argued about the choice of this artist, mentioning that his music is in Spanish. Americans speculated on what the artist would perform, assuming he would play a mix of his most popular hits.
He opened the show with “Tití Me Preguntó,” emerging from the hedges of his field environment, representing his home of Puerto Rico. Stars Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, and Young Miko joined him outside of the set house in the middle of the field. Besides these big names, Lady Gaga joined Bad Bunny to sing her and Bruno Mars’ hit song “Die With a Smile,” adapted from its originally emotional tone, to fit the energetic and South American nature of the show. Benito paid tribute to fellow Puerto Rican artist Ricky Martin, who sang “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” for him.
Continuing his representation of South America and American unity, towards the end of the show, he walked through the sugarcane crops (people dressed as plants), and yelled out to the crowd most of the countries across North, South, and Central America, with their flags following behind him, like Chile, Mexico, and Argentina. Continuing his previous message from the Grammys a week prior, used this moment to support South American countries and peoples and, indirectly, speak out against ICE raids taking place in the US. He closed out the show holding a football, saying “Together we are America” and singing one of his most famous songs, “DtMF.”
The performance sparked significant controversy amid America’s polarized political climate. Some who were originally critical of the NFL’s choice for Bad Bunny shifted their attention to Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” including rock singer Kid Rock. Inevitably, this show sparked controversy from both Bad Bunny supporters and Turning Points’ opposition, with famous country artist Zach Bryan, calling it “embarrassing as hell.”
Bad Bunny’s performance at halftime represented a culmination of years of work, from his breakthrough in 2022 and headlining Coachella in 2023. Using this moment on one of the biggest stages, he commented, “I’m taking advantage of this moment in my life when I can do whatever I want and wear what I want, so I get to live life more authentically.”
