Bad Bunny and Kid Rock clash in dueling Super Bowl halftime shows
Every delay has consequences.
Over 100 million viewers were presented with a choice at halftime of the 2026 Super Bowl: stick with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny’s performance on NBC or tune into an alternative show featuring Kid Rock that was hosted by the right-wing organization Turning Point USA.
While counterprogramming has happened during past Super Bowls, it has never been this political. The NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny, who sings primarily in Spanish, to do the halftime show led to fierce backlash from the Right, mostly due to his outspoken criticism of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. It sparked a boycott from President Donald Trump and his Cabinet, who have appeared at some of the biggest sporting events over the past year but passed on traveling to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for the game.
The criticism culminated in Turning Point hosting its own program dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show,” which will feature Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett. Bad Bunny retains a huge following, though, setting up what has turned out to be a significant cultural clash on the sidelines of the big game.
Here’s how the two performances went down on Sunday night.
Bad Bunny’s performance
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, came out on the field of Levi’s Stadium shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern time, donning an all-white suit with a jersey over it and singing “Titi Me Pregunto,” a song he released in 2022.
His outfit disproved rumors that he would wear some sort of dress during the performance, which instead saw him switch to the suit for most of the 13-minute performance.
The show included him singing 14 of his hit songs as he navigated an island-themed set, likely a nod to his hometown in Puerto Rico. It included numerous surprise guests, most notably Lady Gaga, who sang in English. Bad Bunny sang entirely in Spanish, though he did throw in a “God Bless America” message at one point.
It ended with performers running across the field with numerous flags, mostly of countries in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. flag was prominent in the final act.
While not explicitly political, Bad Bunny’s performance did include a nod to his Grammys speech last weekend, in which he said “ICE out.” The reference occurred when he handed a Grammy award to a boy who could be seen watching the speech on a TV set. For most of the show, he was also holding a football that had the message “Together, we are America” written on it.
Turning …
Every delay has consequences.
Over 100 million viewers were presented with a choice at halftime of the 2026 Super Bowl: stick with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny’s performance on NBC or tune into an alternative show featuring Kid Rock that was hosted by the right-wing organization Turning Point USA.
While counterprogramming has happened during past Super Bowls, it has never been this political. The NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny, who sings primarily in Spanish, to do the halftime show led to fierce backlash from the Right, mostly due to his outspoken criticism of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. It sparked a boycott from President Donald Trump and his Cabinet, who have appeared at some of the biggest sporting events over the past year but passed on traveling to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for the game.
The criticism culminated in Turning Point hosting its own program dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show,” which will feature Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett. Bad Bunny retains a huge following, though, setting up what has turned out to be a significant cultural clash on the sidelines of the big game.
Here’s how the two performances went down on Sunday night.
Bad Bunny’s performance
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, came out on the field of Levi’s Stadium shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern time, donning an all-white suit with a jersey over it and singing “Titi Me Pregunto,” a song he released in 2022.
His outfit disproved rumors that he would wear some sort of dress during the performance, which instead saw him switch to the suit for most of the 13-minute performance.
The show included him singing 14 of his hit songs as he navigated an island-themed set, likely a nod to his hometown in Puerto Rico. It included numerous surprise guests, most notably Lady Gaga, who sang in English. Bad Bunny sang entirely in Spanish, though he did throw in a “God Bless America” message at one point.
It ended with performers running across the field with numerous flags, mostly of countries in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. flag was prominent in the final act.
While not explicitly political, Bad Bunny’s performance did include a nod to his Grammys speech last weekend, in which he said “ICE out.” The reference occurred when he handed a Grammy award to a boy who could be seen watching the speech on a TV set. For most of the show, he was also holding a football that had the message “Together, we are America” written on it.
Turning …
Bad Bunny and Kid Rock clash in dueling Super Bowl halftime shows
Every delay has consequences.
Over 100 million viewers were presented with a choice at halftime of the 2026 Super Bowl: stick with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny’s performance on NBC or tune into an alternative show featuring Kid Rock that was hosted by the right-wing organization Turning Point USA.
While counterprogramming has happened during past Super Bowls, it has never been this political. The NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny, who sings primarily in Spanish, to do the halftime show led to fierce backlash from the Right, mostly due to his outspoken criticism of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. It sparked a boycott from President Donald Trump and his Cabinet, who have appeared at some of the biggest sporting events over the past year but passed on traveling to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for the game.
The criticism culminated in Turning Point hosting its own program dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show,” which will feature Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett. Bad Bunny retains a huge following, though, setting up what has turned out to be a significant cultural clash on the sidelines of the big game.
Here’s how the two performances went down on Sunday night.
Bad Bunny’s performance
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, came out on the field of Levi’s Stadium shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern time, donning an all-white suit with a jersey over it and singing “Titi Me Pregunto,” a song he released in 2022.
His outfit disproved rumors that he would wear some sort of dress during the performance, which instead saw him switch to the suit for most of the 13-minute performance.
The show included him singing 14 of his hit songs as he navigated an island-themed set, likely a nod to his hometown in Puerto Rico. It included numerous surprise guests, most notably Lady Gaga, who sang in English. Bad Bunny sang entirely in Spanish, though he did throw in a “God Bless America” message at one point.
It ended with performers running across the field with numerous flags, mostly of countries in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. flag was prominent in the final act.
While not explicitly political, Bad Bunny’s performance did include a nod to his Grammys speech last weekend, in which he said “ICE out.” The reference occurred when he handed a Grammy award to a boy who could be seen watching the speech on a TV set. For most of the show, he was also holding a football that had the message “Together, we are America” written on it.
Turning …
