Bad Bunny Puts Latino Identity Front and Center at the Super Bowl

By Stacy M. Brown

Senior Global Correspondent

Bad Bunny turned the Super Bowl LX halftime show into one of the most discussed cultural moments of the year as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29 to 13 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The Puerto Rican artist delivered an all-Spanish performance centered on cultural imagery, visual storytelling, and themes of identity that drew praise across politics, media, sports, and music, while also drawing criticism from President Donald Trump.

“Bad Bunny understood the assignment,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett wrote as reaction spread across social media during the broadcast.

The thirteen-minute set moved through scenes tied to Puerto Rican history and everyday life, including sugarcane fields, domino games, neighborhood salons, and a wedding ceremony that was later confirmed as real. The performance also placed the Caribbean and Latin America at the center of the stage, with flags and callouts extending beyond the continental United States.

New York Magazine noted on X that Bad Bunny shouted out countries across the Americas during the performance, reframing “God Bless America” as inclusive of Latin America and the Caribbean. Journalist Ashley Nicole Moss responded to critics by writing, “anyone who didn’t like the Bad Bunny performance has never had a bad b..ch in their life.”

Sports broadcaster Elle Duncan focused on the structure of the show. “It was so smart for Bad Bunny to have so much storytelling through visual aids, knowing just pacing a stage would not resonate as well to non-Spanish speakers,” Duncan posed. “Thematically the performance was universal, and he set a high bar for production value moving forward.”

Journalist Mariana Atencio described the moment as affirming rather than confrontational. “The Super Bowl halftime show didn’t feel like a protest. It felt like a homecoming,” Atencio wrote. “Bad Bunny could have gone another route. He could have used the stage to confront. He could have named names. Instead, Benito chose something far more powerful: a celebration of Latino identity as it actually lives and breathes in the United States, and in America.”

President Trump criticized the performance publicly, calling it the worst halftime show. That assessment drew a quick and sharp rebuke from news personality Piers Morgan. “Couldn’t disagree more, Mr President,” Morgan argued. “I absolutely loved Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Amazing theatre and choreography, great energy, superbly confident performance, and a very welcome unifying message. Oh, and Spanish is first language for more than 50 million Americans.”

Ricky Martin, who joined Bad Bunny during the show, praised the artist in an open letter published ahead of the Super Bowl. “You won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying true to Puerto Rico,” Martin wrote.

On social media, the Washington Post described the halftime show as carrying wholesome, traditional family values that aligned with several Super Bowl commercials, while Rolling Stone later ranked Bad Bunny’s performance as the second-best halftime show in Super Bowl history.

Bronx, New York, Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson said the performance arrived at a moment when representation matters. “At a time when Hispanic, Latino and Caribbean communities are often marginalized, Bad Bunny used the Super Bowl stage to affirm culture, diversity, language, and American pride,” Gibson wrote. “Rooted in Puerto Rican culture, identity and tradition, his performance reminds us that representation is not only symbolic, it’s powerful.”

Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino, who previously worked in Puerto Rico, added a personal note, writing, “As someone who spent time in Puerto Rico as their National Coach, watching Bad Bunny at halftime was awesome. You have a seat on the Johnnies bench anytime. Viva Puerto Rico.”

The viral performance included a real wedding performed onstage and the focus on Caribbean and Latin American life. One widely shared social media post described the show as “a massive celebration of La Nueva Religión,” marked by Puerto Rican flags, an all-Spanish set, and imagery rooted in everyday culture.

“What Bad Bunny did today on the Super Bowl stage was a perfect demonstration of the excellence, creativity, and talent of Latin people,” Brazilian artist Ludmilla declared.