Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 halftime performance continues to generate headlines a week after the show concluded, drawing both widespread praise for its audience reach and criticism from some lawmakers who took issue with elements of the broadcast. Federal regulators reviewed the broadcast following complaints from several lawmakers.
FCC Closes Review After Determining Broadcast Versions Removed Explicit Content
The Federal Communications Commission completed its investigation into Bad Bunny’s halftime performance and found no violations of broadcast standards.
According to a report by Scott R. Axelrod of the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com, the FCC examined whether explicit material was aired uncensored during the nationally televised event. The review focused on three songs from the halftime show: “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Monaco,” and “Safaera”.
The agency determined that references to sexual acts and genitalia contained in the original recordings were removed for the Super Bowl broadcast versions. The FCC stated it will not pursue further action unless new evidence emerges.
The halftime show aired during Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Seahawks defeated New England 29-13.
Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine publicly criticized the performance and later wrote to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, urging a review. Missouri Republican Rep. Mark Alford also raised concerns following the broadcast.
The FCC confirmed the investigation is closed.
Halftime Show Sets Social and Viewership Records
Beyond regulatory review, the halftime show set record-breaking engagement metrics.
Sportico’s Jacob Feldman reported that an official NFL YouTube video of the performance reached 99.43 million views, the most-viewed social video in league history. More than half of those views came from outside the United States.
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NFL PR executive Brian McCarthy stated that the Apple Music Super Bowl 60 Halftime Show generated 4 billion total social views in the first 24 hours. That figure includes content shared by fans, NFL platforms, broadcast partners, and influencers.
McCarthy reported the total marked a 137 percent year-over-year increase and established a new NFL record for single-day social engagement.
NBC announced that Super Bowl 60 averaged 124.9 million viewers. Telemundo’s Spanish-language broadcast averaged 3.3 million viewers, a record for that network. Peacock streaming accounted for 18.5 million viewers.
The halftime window averaged 128.2 million viewers, and the broadcast peaked at 137.8 million, the largest peak audience ever recorded in U.S. television history.
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Bad Bunny became the first halftime performer to sing primarily in Spanish during the Super Bowl. His set included guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
