During halftime of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers game on Sept. 28, the National Football League (NFL) announced that Bad Bunny would be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl LX halftime show.
He will return to the stage after having joined Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s halftime performance in 2020. The show highlighted Latin American culture and even featured Spanish lyrics. When asked about the announcement of Bad Bunny as the headliner, Jennifer Lopez responded, “His music transcends language. It’s amazing what he’s done. He did something that a lot of people have never done in their life, and I’m so excited for him.”
In January, a day before Dia de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day), Bad Bunny released “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” (I Should’ve Taken More Photos), his sixth studio album. The album spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. The singer says the idea came about after he realized how much he missed his home in Puerto Rico. The album takes inspiration from the folkloric musical history of Puerto Rico, including plena, dembow, jíbaro, salsa and reggaeton. It centers around themes of anti-colonialism, gentrification and nostalgia. Even though the album focuses on Puerto Rican heritage, its themes have touched the hearts of Latinos around the world.
When Bad Bunny announced the tour for his new album, many fans were shocked by the exclusion of the United States in the tour dates. This decision wasn’t an accident. It was a statement against the treatment of immigrants in the United States. In an interview with Suzy Exposito, Bad Bunny said, “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate… But there was the issue of—like, f***ing ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
President Donald Trump’s advisor Corey Lewandowski says ICE will be present at the event. According to Lewandowski, “There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally.” The Trump Administration plans to use the event to further exercise their anti-immigration policies.
Previous predictions for the headlining position included Taylor Swift or Adele, but no one guessed Bad Bunny. Alongside this announcement came immense backlash; many responded that the music should be in English given that the show is in the United States.
Recently, the NFL has made an effort to bring a more international audience to football. This season, seven games will be played outside of the US throughout 5 different countries. The choice in headliner shows the NFL’s commitment to catering to a more diverse audience.
This past Sunday, Bad Bunny hosted the first episode of the 51st season of “Saturday Night Live.” During his opening monologue, in Spanish, he said, “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.” After speaking his native language for about 30 seconds, he joked in English, “If you didn’t understand what I just said. You have four months to learn.”
The show will likely feature hits from his new album as well as the highest streamed songs from his discography. His unmatched energy and danceable tracks are sure to make this Super Bowl halftime show an unforgettable event.