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Turning Point USA's Super Bowl Halftime Show Viewed by 5 Million 'Underserved' Americans
It was a far cry from the 120 million plus that watched Bad Bunny's historic set. Jacob Stolworthy Monday 09 February 2026 09:01 GMT.
Turning Point USA Kicks Off 'All American Halftime Show' Moments Before Bad Bunny Takes Super Bowl Stage
Turning Point USA's 'All-American' Super Bowl show might have been held for 'underserved' Americans, but the majority opted to watch Bad Bunny's half-time performance instead. The MAGA-friendly show streamed live at the same time the Puerto Rican artist stunned viewers with a star-studded set featuring special appearances from Lady Gaga and Pedro Pascal.
Turning Point USA's stream, meanwhile, featured performances from Kid Rock, who appeared to mime his way through, and country musicians Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett. It garnered an average of between four and five million viewers at the time of its 25-minute broadcast, with some estimates claiming that figure peaked at 5.7 million on Turning Point USA's YouTube channel. Others have claimed viewership hit 6.2 million.
At the time of writing, the concert has been viewed 18 million times, with many noting on social media that they clicked on the video once the Super Bowl ended out of curiosity. This is a far cry from the figures amassed by the Super Bowl. Official numbers are yet to roll in for Bad Bunny's performance, but they're being projected around the 128 million mark, which would make it one of the most-watched half-time shows in history.
The record was achieved by Kendrick Lamar, whose set in 2025 reached highs of 133.5 million viewers. Turning Point USA, founded by late far-right commentator Charlie Kirk, announced its alternative halftime show last October amid mounting conservative criticism over the selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer. The award-winning rapper has been a vocal critic of US president Donald Trump.
Musician Kid Rock, an outspoken supporter of the president, went on to say that the Turning Point show was engineered for conservative Americans to celebrate their patriotism, adding that right-wing views are not represented in mainstream media.
Kid Rock said Turning Point USA was designed for 'underserved' Americans. 'There's a big portion of this country, like it or not, that's underserved entertainment-wise,' Kid Rock said. 'We're just [going to] go play for our base. You know, people who love America, love football, love Jesus.'
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The White House expressed support for Turning Point's show, reposting a video of it on social media. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on X that his family had tuned in. President Trump also bashed the official Super Bowl mid-game show in a post on Truth Social, labelling it 'absolutely terrible' and 'one of the worst, EVER!'
But, despite harsh criticism from Trump and his allies, more Americans were interested in watching Bad Bunny perform in Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show than Turning Point USA's MAGA fest. A YouGov America survey released Friday found that 35 percent of respondents prefer Bad Bunny's show compared to 28 percent who said they were more interested in the Kid Rock-headlined event.
Bad Bunny performs during the half-time show of Super Bowl. This year's Super Bowl saw the Seattle Seahawks triumph over the New England Patriots by 29 points to 13 to claim their second-ever victory.
