For some, the most exciting part of the Super Bowl is the halftime show, which features big artists who bring energy to the game and viewers–who might not be big football fans–to the broadcast. This year’s show featured Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, whodrew even more attention than typical performers. With 125 million viewers, Bad Bunny’s performance is now the second-most-watched halftime show in history!

Controversy 

This year’s Super Bowl halftime show came with both backlash and support. Many felt as though Bad Bunny was not the best choice of artist due to his music being sung in Spanish, arguing it would be unfair to non-Spanish-speaking viewers and leave them feeling left out. Public figures had plenty of negative things to say on social media, like Jake Paul, who posted on X that Bad Bunny is “fake American citizen” who “publicly hates America.” Other celebrities, like former Tennessee Titans’ Taylor Lewan, also had negative things to say about the NFL’s choice. Some critics even decided to launch an alternative halftime show hosted by Turning Point USA that had Kid Rock as its headliner. This second option drew over 20 million viewers, so there were quite a few Americans who didn’t want to see Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language performance.

Although Bad Bunny got a lot of hate on social media in the months leading up to the show, he kept a positive attitude and received some amazing support from the NFL, fans, and influencers. Interestingly, critic Jake Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, made an X post shortly after his brother’s to support Bad Bunny: “I love my brother, but I don’t agree with this. Puerto Ricans are Americans, and I’m happy they were given the opportunity to showcase the talent that comes from the island.” Other famous figures offering their support included Colombian singer Karol G, actress Jessica Alba, and TikTok star Alix Earle.

The performance

Bad Bunny started the halftime show with “Titi Mi Pregunto” (“Auntie Asked Me”), which won Song of the Year at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards and is a song from the Album Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You), which won a Grammy for Best Música Urbana. The halftime show setlist also included songs from the album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos (I Should’ve Taken More Photos), such as “Baile Inolvidable” (“Unforgettable Dance”). Bad Bunny stuck to his more well-known songs and followed the tradition of having musical guests like Lady Gaga, who sang a salsa version of her song “Die with a Smile,” and Ricky Martin (who is Puerto Rican), who sang Bad Bunny’s “Lo Que Le Paso en Hawaii.”

On the other hand, some viewers who weren’t excited about Bad Bunny (so probably that 30%) changed their minds afterward and thought it was one of the best halftime shows in recent history, probably because of the inspiring words and images he included.

Reactions

Just as Americans couldn’t agree before the Super Bowl if Bad Bunny was the right man for the job, reactions after the show were mixed. According to Yahoo, 44% of viewers approved of the performance, 30% actively liked it, and 35% of people disapproved of the show.

Among that 35% that weren’t happy, many felt it would have been better if Cardi B, who was at the game because she’s dating one of the Patriots, had sung a song, claiming it would have felt more like the Super Bowl–which has featured rap, hip-hop, and R&B artists the last five years–if she had. Others who weren’t crazy about the show said it was too short and rushed of a performance even though it was 13 minutes long, which is the average. (It seems the television broadcast was cut off when Bad Bunny reached his 13-minute limit, making his set end abruptly for viewers at home, but he continued singing live.)

Symbolism 

Whichever group you fall into, I hope you can appreciate the hard work that went into this show with so much symbolism; Bad Bunny and his team truly calculated everything from the moment he began singing! The show began in what looked like sugar cane fields because sugar was historically Puerto Rico’s main cash crop. He then walked viewers past vendors selling piragua (shaved ice), platanos (plantains), and tacos. Honoring Puerto Rican success in the US, Bad Bunny had Victor Villa, who owns an award-winning taco truck in Los Angeles, staff the taco stand on stage; he is a first-generation immigrant from Mexico. 

Everyone loves food, but we might love love even more, so the performance also included an authentic wedding! The couple, Thomas Wolter and Eleisa Aparicio, invited Bad Bunny to their wedding–just for fun–and were surprised by receiving a letter back asking them to join him at the Super Bowl. They were married in front of millions, and Bad Bunny signed the wedding certificate as a witness.

Other references to Puerto Rican culture included people working “regular jobs” as jewelers and nail technicians and a little boy falling asleep at a family gathering. The boxers were also part of Puerto Rico’s heritage: for many years, Puerto Rico and Mexico were rivals.

Bad Bunny also didn’t shy away from some of the problems plaguing his home, using the electrical poles as he sang “El Apogon” (“The Blackout”) to reference the island’s ongoing issues with its power grid that started after Hurricane Maria in 2017. It’s an issue that has affected daily life for years since Puerto Rico has still not fully recovered.

What to Take Away

At the end of his show, Bad Bunny had an important message that showed he wasn’t just promoting Puerto Rico: “Together, we are America.” Flags from all of North and South America were carried across the stage, showing that America isn’t just the United States and that we should work toward unity.

Personally, I hope that fans and the NFL take that message to heart so that we can avoid a repeat of the drama that surrounded this year’s decision about who should perform at the Super Bowl. Instead, we can be happy with whoever is chosen and look for the good in their performance.