Donald Trump has criticised Bad Bunny's Super Bowl half-time show as 'absolutely terrible, one of the worst' and a 'slap in the face to our country'. The former president's comments on Truth Social came after the Puerto Rican star's performance, which drew an estimated 135.4 million viewers and featured references to Puerto Rican culture and politics.
Celebrities have rallied in support of Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. Kacey Musgraves wrote on X: 'That made me feel more proudly American than anything Kid Rock has ever done.' Meghan McCain also defended the show, saying: 'I'm sorry but I just genuinely question your taste level if you didn't enjoy the Bad Bunny halftime show.'
Piers Morgan hit back at Trump, stating: 'Couldn't disagree more, Mr President. I absolutely loved Bad Bunny's halftime show … Oh, and Spanish is 1st language for 50m+ Americans!' California Governor Gavin Newsom declared Sunday 'national Bad Bunny day' in the state and wrote: 'America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.'
The alternative show by Turning Point USA, featuring Kid Rock, drew only 5.2 million viewers. Country star Zach Bryan mocked it on Instagram, sharing a video of someone blocking Bad Bunny's set to watch the Turning Point performance. Bad Bunny's show included a surprise appearance by Lady Gaga and performances by Ricky Martin, who later said he needed 'several hours to process the tsunami of emotions'.
Bad Bunny's half-time show ended with the message: 'The only thing more powerful than hate is love.' The Guardian's Stefanie Fernández called it a celebration of 'the love, the community and the absolute joy that we create together every day in spite of everything else'.
