The Super Bowl 60 halftime show was a major talking point in the lead-up to the game. Bad Bunny faced criticism for performing primarily in Spanish, but after the show, many fans and NFL personalities praised his performance. In contrast, Variety magazine had little positive to say about the rival Turning Point USA’s halftime show.
Turning Point USA’s Halftime Show Receives Brutal Review
Turning Point USA’s halftime show was backed by Trump and others opposed to Bad Bunny’s. The headliner for this show was rapper Kid Rock. It was supposed to take attention away from Bad Bunny, but instead, it received a terrible review from Variety‘s William Earl in Earl’s piece, “Turning Point USA’s Was a Boring MAGA Grift With Kid Rock.”
The halftime show was a political statement against the Puerto Rican, who has been an open critic of the Trump administration and how the government has treated people. The discourse surrounding Bad Bunny was that he’s not a true American or isn’t the right profile for a halftime performer.
“The whole event was predicated on outrage from the MAGA faithful over Bad Bunny, a proud Puerto Rican who performs in Spanish, being selected to perform the Super Bowl halftime show,” said Earl.
#BadBunny’s #SuperBowl halftime show was a vibrant, all-American celebration of talent, joy and unity, highlighting the immigrant spirit and the power of love over hate.
In contrast, Turning Point USA’s rival “All-American Halftime Show,” headlined by Kid Rock, opened with merch… pic.twitter.com/z6VInH0jOT
— Variety (@Variety) February 9, 2026
Earl was ready to crown Bad Bunny as more American than Kid Rock. Earl absolutely took his time to shred the effort of Turning Point USA.
KEEP READING: President Donald Trump Makes Feelings Clear on Bad Bunny’s Controversial Super Bowl Halftime Performance
“Unfortunately, the All-American Halftime Show was unable to evoke much more than a shrug, with halfhearted pop-country performances that showed the limitations of booking a big show with minimal talent,” said Earl.
This halftime show had no one who could match Bad Bunny’s level of popularity. In fact, there’s likely no artist in the world that Turning Point USA could have picked that would have drawn an audience on par with Bad Bunny’s popularity.
Earl was critical of the MAGA movement, trying to insert itself into the biggest American sporting event of the year.
“The move here is carving out a niche MAGA audience and some appreciative Fox News hits, so just be honest,” said Earl.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom because Earl made sure to sing the praises of Bad Bunny for his performance. Fascinated by the Latin American singer’s message about the American community, Earl believed that Bad Bunny’s performance was a better representation of what America can offer rather than the “MAGA grift” that the Turning Point show offered.
