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Bad Bunny closed his Super Bowl LX halftime show with a message of purported unity, “together we are America” — but keen-eyed critics quickly slammed the song-and-dance act a divisive and “degenerate” performance.
And the Puerto Rican star made no effort in his Spanish-only performance to include the 78% of American households that speak only English.
Bad Bunny previously taunted that anyone annoyed with his selection as halftime performer had “four months to learn Spanish.”
“Expanding to the Latino audience is one thing. Doing a show EXCLUSIVELY for the Latino audience? They’re gonna hear about this one,” “Sopranos” and E Street Band legend Steven Van Zandt groused via X.
“I’m sorry, no subtitles was a bad decision and an insult to the audience. Subtitles would have been ‘countering division,’ having none encourages it.”
President Trump also weighed in to blast the halftime show as an “affront to the Greatness of America.”
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” President Trump fumed on Truth Social.
The president had publicly said he wouldn’t be watching this year’s big game after the lefty artist — real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — was announced as the halftime entertainment at Levi’s Stadium.
Much of the performance took place in a makeshift sugar cane field set up on the gridiron, where straw-hatted actors portraying migrants appeared hard at work harvesting the crop, conspicuously dabbing sweat from their brows.
Bad Bunny meandered through the maze of sugar cane, passing food cart vendors, old-timers playing dominos, nail salon employees and a cluster of scantily-clad women standing beside a pile of cinderblocks, presumably a fanciful nod to construction workers.
The routine’s theme centered around professions with an outsize migrant footprint, a carefully curated bit of messaging by the famously anti-ICE pop star.
“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History,” Trump raged.
“There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD — And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
And even in Spanish Bad Bunny’s lyrics sparked controversy — particularly the song “Tití Me Preguntó” (My Auntie Asked Me”), which is about sleeping with multiple women.
“Worse than I realized. Pure degeneracy,” said Andrew Kolvet, of Turning Point USA.
In response to the controversial performance, Turning Point simultaneously broadcast its “All-American” halftime show as counter-programming, which celebrated blue-collar workers and featured a tribute to TUPSA founder Charlie Kirk, who was allegedly murdered in September by a Trump-hating radical leftist.
The alternative show — which was viewed by more than 5 million people — featured unapologetically American performers including Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, with the Stars and Stripes taking center stage throughout the hour-long concert.
Back in Santa Clara, New York-born Lady Gaga performed a rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” — also in Spanish.
Near the end of the halftime show, Bad Bunny emerged from the thick of a sugar cane field, brandishing the Puerto Rican flag while surrounded by dancers mimicking power line workers.
Against the backdrop of a scoreboard displaying a retread of his “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” Grammy’s speech, Bad Bunny then rattled off the names of every country in the Americas as a procession held aloft the flags of every nation mentioned.
He then held up a football emblazoned with “Together, we are America” before triumphantly spiking it.
A host of conservative influencers gave the performance poor marks for its divisive tenor and heavy-handed messaging.
“The NFL having a Super Bowl Halftime Show where their performer sings ENTIRELY in Spanish & waves other nation’s flags, is 100% a political statement,” Jon Root wrote on X.
“Bad Bunny will go down as the worst halftime show in the history of the league. America deserved better for its 250th birthday,” he wrote.
“Nah, I like my half time shows in English from ppl who love America,” Fox News host turned podcaster Megyn Kelly wrote disdainfully.
“Call me crazy, but the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the most American moment on TV, should be in English,” wrote influencer Kangmin Lee, who said he “didn’t understand a word” of the performance.
Curiously, Ocasio also wiped out his entire Instagram post history soon after the broadcast with no explanation given, perplexing his more than 52 million followers.
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