Three-time Grammy Award winner Bad Bunny will perform the Super Bowl 60 Halftime Show, but not without some controversy. The NFL decided on Bad Bunny while many of the league’s team owners were apprehensive at first.
However, once the league’s owners were on board, the political backlash came. But the NFL didn’t back away from its decision to give the Puerto Rican star the stage.
Why Were NFL Teams’ Owners Concerned About Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl?
Bad Bunny has made his political views clear and has received backlash from the Trump administration. However, that wasn’t what NFL owners were worried about.
Bad Bunny sings most of his music in Spanish, and the teams’ owners were worried about the audience’s ability to stay involved in the halftime show. But they eventually agreed that there was a bigger goal involved.
“And then I think everybody was just kind of like, ‘OK, we’re going to get on board, because the goal is global reach,'” an NFL executive told ESPN. “And this guy has a massive global reach.”
The NFL has made it a priority to stretch the reach of the game to the international stage. The league played seven international games in five different cities this season, and will expand to Australia in 2026.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants every team to play at least one international game each season at some point.
Recently, the NFL has been focused on growing its Latino audience, which provided the perfect opportunity to have the Latin music star and 2025 Album of the Year winner perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“It is a community of more than 70 million people here in the U.S. … so it was very important for us to ensure that we were relevant,” Marissa Solis, the NFL’s senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing, told ESPN.
The NFL had Jennifer Lopez and Shakira headline the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020, which was the first time two Latina pop stars did so. Bad Bunny also appeared in that show, and now he’ll get to be the main act.
“People don’t see it, but to the broader global and Latino community, they’re like, ‘Wow. The NFL gets me,'” NFL veteran entertainment and brand marketer consultant Javier Farfan told ESPN in a December interview. “And then now, they’re seeing [Bad Bunny], and it’s like, ‘Wow, they really get me.'”
READ MORE: Top 100 2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings
Bad Bunny embraces his Puerto Rican roots and doesn’t shy away from using his platform to advocate for his beliefs. He filmed the halftime show announcement and trailer in his home country, dancing with people of all races, ages and genders.
“This isn’t my halftime show, this is for everyone,” Bad Bunny said. “February 8, the world will dance.”
After facing political backlash over the NFL announcing him as the Super Bowl halftime performer, Bad Bunny hosted “Saturday Night Live” in October 2025 and delivered a message to everyone about his upcoming halftime show.
“I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, and I know people all around the world who love my music are also happy,” He said in English, before switching to Spanish. “Especially all of the 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.
“And if you didn’t understand what I just said,” he said in English, “you have four months to learn.”
The political backlash hasn’t stopped, but the NFL has continued forward with Bad Bunny as the halftime performer for the Super Bowl next week.
Last week, President Donald Trump told the New York Post he would not be attending the Super Bowl because it’s “too far away,” according to ESPN.
He also shared his opinion about Bad Bunny and Green Day, who will perform before kickoff and whose music has been sharply political: “I’m anti-them,” Trump said of Bad Bunny and Green Day, who will perform before kickoff. “All it does is sow hatred.”
However, Goodell is standing by the NFL’s decision on Bad Bunny, despite being questioned and the political backlash.
“He’s one of the most popular entertainers in the world,” Goodell told reporters at a news conference. “… It’s carefully thought through. I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. … We’re confident it’s going to be a great show.
“I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shared a similar sentiment to Goodell, praising the decision to have Bad Bunny perform at Super Bowl 60.
“I think it’s awesome, and I think our Latino fan base is amazing,” Jones told political advisor Katie Miller, who was the former communications director for Vice President Mike Pence and is married to presidential advisor Stephen Miller. “We are on a global stage and we can’t ever forget that. … We have a mixed culture and our whole society is based on immigrants who have come here and founded our country, and I think we can celebrate that.”
Bad Bunny Hypes Up Super Bowl Halftime Show, ‘The World Will Dance’
Bad Bunny just dropped another trailer for his Super Bowl Halftime Show … and the takeaway?? Everyone’s gonna dance on Feb. 8 — no matter who they are or where they’re from. The clip was fittingly … pic.twitter.com/fxsNIypr35
— bentek (@sizhepinizsiniz) January 30, 2026
In November, Solis was asked if the league office had faced any political pressure to change its Latino-focused marketing strategy. He said the NFL has a responsibility to reach everybody.
“Our strategy has always been to reach every fan in their culture, in their language, to make this sport global, and to make this sport for everyone,” Solis said. “So I don’t think that strategy will change regardless of language, country, artists, players. … We have a responsibility with this platform to ensure that we continue to reach everybody.”
With the uptick in ICE raids and Bad Bunny being a Latin music superstar, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told ESPN this week about their presence at the Super Bowl.
“DHS is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Super Bowl is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event,” McLaughlin said in an email. “Those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear.”
The Super Bowl will take place in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8.
