Given the magnitude of the Super Bowl, controversy was bound to rear its head, and Jake Paul’s criticism of Bad Bunny made for the perfect incident. The artist slammed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), earning backlash from Paul and others. Moreover, Paul recently doubled down on his take.
What did he say?
Jake Paul Adds to Criticism of ‘Fake American’ Bad Bunny
ICE has been a controversial topic in the American political landscape, with people opposing and backing it in equal measure. A high-profile incident surfaced online when Bad Bunny, who performed during the Super Bowl 60 halftime show, spoke out against ICE.
While he garnered a lot of support, backlash came in a similar size — notably that of Paul. The YouTuber-turned-boxer initially responded to Bad Bunny’s comments with a call to boycott the Super Bowl halftime show.
“Purposefully turning off the halftime show, let’s rally together and show big corporations they can’t just do whatever they want without consequences (which equals viewership for them). You are their benefit. Realize you have power. Turn off this halftime. A fake American,” he tweeted before the game.
However, his call to action didn’t amount to much, as the halftime show reportedly still set a new viewership record of 135 million people (1.5 million up from 2025).
To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a “fake citizen” because they’re from Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico. I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so.
But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing…
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) February 9, 2026
Paul doubled down on his take with another tweet on Monday, clarifying his stance on the artist and Puerto Rico.
“To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico,” he wrote. “I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico. I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so.”
He emphasized the paradox of hating an institution that aims to protect America while being an American, saying,
“But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it. Period. That’s the same reason I called out Hunter Hess. If you benefit from a country and the platform it gives you, but publicly disrespect it at the same time, that’s what I mean by being a fake citizen. And I agree love is more powerful than hate. Love America.”
ICE reportedly deported 271,484 people to roughly 192 countries in 2024, marking the highest annual count in about a decade. In 2025, of about 191,000 removals, roughly 58,000 had criminal convictions.
How the polarizing situation plays out in the American political landscape remains to be seen. Nonetheless, celebrities will likely continue to weigh in on the topic.
