Each year, the SupeBowl is the most watched television broadcast in America, amassing 124.9 million viewers, yet only one thing is more viewed than the game itself- the Superbowl halftime show. This year, the halftime show received 128.2 million viewers due a highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime performance from viewers not just in the United States, but from around the globe.
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, began his music career in 2016 as a SoundCloud rapper before gaining popularity from his features on several successful single tracks, such as Cardi B’s “I Like It” in 2018. Although he was featured in Shakira’s 2020 superbowl performance and released a successful studio album Un Verano Sin Ti in 2022, , Bad Bunny’s true rise to stardom began with his 2025 Album DeBí TiRaR MáS FOTos. This album spent four weeks in the Billboard 200, with singles “DTMF” and “Baile Inolvidable” hitting the top 5 of the Hot 100. By September 28th of 2025, Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner of the Apple Music Superbowl LX halftime show, making him the first Spanish-speaking Latin solo artist to headline the show.
Just a week prior to the SuperBowl, Bad Bunny made history by being the first artist to win Album of the Year for a fully Spanish project at the 2026 Grammys. In his acceptance speech, he dedicated his award to immigrants and those who left their homes to follow their dreams. Days later, Bad Bunny continued his historical legacy with the SuperBowl halftime show, in which he upheld his message of hope and cultural embrace.
Bad Bunny opened the show with a set of a sugarcane field, which is commonly considered to be the backbone of Puerto Rican economy and landscape, alongside workers wearing traditional pava straw hats. The stage was filled with instrumentalists playing Puerto Rican instruments, such as the Pandero and Maracas, as the set transitioned to depict a puerto rican town featuring casitas (small homes), coconut stands, and elderly men playing cards together- all staples of Puerto Rican towns and culture. Additionally, the show depicted a real wedding, in which Lady Gaga was featured as a guest, performing a salsa rendition of hit song “Die With a Smile.” The wedding scene also featured elements of Latin culture, including a child sleeping across three chairs as the wedding guests danced- a nod towards the shared experience of Latin children sleeping during parties that continue into the late night. Bad Bunny also depicted a little boy watching his grammy award speech on TV, proceeding to hand the grammy to the boy who is understood to represent his younger self. Finally, the show concluded with a simple yet powerful statement. The stage was filled with flags from Latin American countries as Bad Bunny listed each of their names. He proceeded to hold up a football with an empowering message written on it: “Together, we are America.” The screens across the stadium sustained this message, stating, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
During a politically divided time, Bad Bunny’s halftime show seeked to bring together people of all cultures and backgrounds. Bad bunny chose to not only acknowledge and honor his own culture and identity, but convey a message of unity and hope- all in the span of a 13 minute show. Regardless of continuing controversy, Bad Bunny’s halftime show will be one to remember for years to come, not just due to his incredible vocal performance, but because of its empowering and hopeful message.
