Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.
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February 9, 2026
Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
The Puerto Rican artist’s performance was a gleeful rebuke of Trump’s death cult and a celebration of life.
Dave Zirin
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Bad Bunny performs during the halftime show for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026.
(Stan Grossfeld / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The past year in Stephen Miller’s America has been unbearably bleak. When masked thugs with “blanket immunity” kidnap 5-year-olds and murder nurses, it tends to darken the national mood. But international mega-star Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) took the stage during the Super Bowl halftime show and gave the best possible response to Miller’s dystopic dreams: a burst of unbridled joy and a dizzying celebration of love, labor, and the power of living our everyday lives despite hardships, all performed in a lyrical language that Miller, in every possible way, lacks the capacity to understand.
People should view Bad Bunny’s singular performance as the second part of a political two-step aimed at the white-nativist heart of this racist regime. Part one was a week ago, when, after winning the Grammy for album of the year, Bad Bunny began his acceptance speech by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out!”—to rapturous cheers. It was an ingenious first step, teeing up the halftime show as a future instrument for broadcasting the anti-ICE fervor hitting red and blue states alike.
Then came step two: bringing the technicolor beauty of Puerto Rican culture to the Super Bowl stage. In a time of monsters, Bad Bunny was posing an alternative world: a place where laborers are seen and celebrated, where hurricanes and their victims aren’t forgotten, and where community—not atomization—fuels society. In the swirl of his irrepressible music, sung only in Spanish, and an elaborate set design that conjured the Caribbean in rich and playful detail, Bad Bunny refused to step into our dismal world. Instead, he brought us into his.
I saw the game in a bar, where the people watching around me initially seemed more interested in the halftime show because of the controversy around Bad Bunny’s selection as a performer—the prospect of his Spanish-only music had predictably enraged right-wingers and prompted them to launch a counter halftime show, which spectacularly failed. In 30 seconds, though, many were standing and dancing, everyone locked into every move on the stage. When Ricky Martin came out as a surprise guest, you could feel the room swoon. At the end, everyone rose in an actual ovation.
The performance was so dense with meaning …
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.
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Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
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Current Issue
February 9, 2026
Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
The Puerto Rican artist’s performance was a gleeful rebuke of Trump’s death cult and a celebration of life.
Dave Zirin
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Bad Bunny performs during the halftime show for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026.
(Stan Grossfeld / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The past year in Stephen Miller’s America has been unbearably bleak. When masked thugs with “blanket immunity” kidnap 5-year-olds and murder nurses, it tends to darken the national mood. But international mega-star Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) took the stage during the Super Bowl halftime show and gave the best possible response to Miller’s dystopic dreams: a burst of unbridled joy and a dizzying celebration of love, labor, and the power of living our everyday lives despite hardships, all performed in a lyrical language that Miller, in every possible way, lacks the capacity to understand.
People should view Bad Bunny’s singular performance as the second part of a political two-step aimed at the white-nativist heart of this racist regime. Part one was a week ago, when, after winning the Grammy for album of the year, Bad Bunny began his acceptance speech by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out!”—to rapturous cheers. It was an ingenious first step, teeing up the halftime show as a future instrument for broadcasting the anti-ICE fervor hitting red and blue states alike.
Then came step two: bringing the technicolor beauty of Puerto Rican culture to the Super Bowl stage. In a time of monsters, Bad Bunny was posing an alternative world: a place where laborers are seen and celebrated, where hurricanes and their victims aren’t forgotten, and where community—not atomization—fuels society. In the swirl of his irrepressible music, sung only in Spanish, and an elaborate set design that conjured the Caribbean in rich and playful detail, Bad Bunny refused to step into our dismal world. Instead, he brought us into his.
I saw the game in a bar, where the people watching around me initially seemed more interested in the halftime show because of the controversy around Bad Bunny’s selection as a performer—the prospect of his Spanish-only music had predictably enraged right-wingers and prompted them to launch a counter halftime show, which spectacularly failed. In 30 seconds, though, many were standing and dancing, everyone locked into every move on the stage. When Ricky Martin came out as a surprise guest, you could feel the room swoon. At the end, everyone rose in an actual ovation.
The performance was so dense with meaning …
Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.
Log In
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Password *
Remember Me
Forgot Your Password?
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Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
Magazine
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Magazine
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Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
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Current Issue
February 9, 2026
Bad Bunny’s Technicolor Halftime Stole the Super Bowl
The Puerto Rican artist’s performance was a gleeful rebuke of Trump’s death cult and a celebration of life.
Dave Zirin
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Bad Bunny performs during the halftime show for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026.
(Stan Grossfeld / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The past year in Stephen Miller’s America has been unbearably bleak. When masked thugs with “blanket immunity” kidnap 5-year-olds and murder nurses, it tends to darken the national mood. But international mega-star Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) took the stage during the Super Bowl halftime show and gave the best possible response to Miller’s dystopic dreams: a burst of unbridled joy and a dizzying celebration of love, labor, and the power of living our everyday lives despite hardships, all performed in a lyrical language that Miller, in every possible way, lacks the capacity to understand.
People should view Bad Bunny’s singular performance as the second part of a political two-step aimed at the white-nativist heart of this racist regime. Part one was a week ago, when, after winning the Grammy for album of the year, Bad Bunny began his acceptance speech by saying, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say: ICE out!”—to rapturous cheers. It was an ingenious first step, teeing up the halftime show as a future instrument for broadcasting the anti-ICE fervor hitting red and blue states alike.
Then came step two: bringing the technicolor beauty of Puerto Rican culture to the Super Bowl stage. In a time of monsters, Bad Bunny was posing an alternative world: a place where laborers are seen and celebrated, where hurricanes and their victims aren’t forgotten, and where community—not atomization—fuels society. In the swirl of his irrepressible music, sung only in Spanish, and an elaborate set design that conjured the Caribbean in rich and playful detail, Bad Bunny refused to step into our dismal world. Instead, he brought us into his.
I saw the game in a bar, where the people watching around me initially seemed more interested in the halftime show because of the controversy around Bad Bunny’s selection as a performer—the prospect of his Spanish-only music had predictably enraged right-wingers and prompted them to launch a counter halftime show, which spectacularly failed. In 30 seconds, though, many were standing and dancing, everyone locked into every move on the stage. When Ricky Martin came out as a surprise guest, you could feel the room swoon. At the end, everyone rose in an actual ovation.
The performance was so dense with meaning …
