On Sept. 28, 2025, the Puerto-Rican artist Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl Halftime show. Backlash from the GOP was immediate.
Republican politicians expressed a number of concerns, primarily centered around the idea that “un-American” Bad Bunny was infiltrating the most American tradition there is: the Super Bowl. However, given that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, Bad Bunny, who was born there, is as American as apple pie. And even if Bad Bunny wasn’t an American, the Super Bowl had hired 13 non-American headliners prior to Bad Bunny, including the UK’s Rolling Stones and Colombia’s Shakira. Conservatives raised additional concerns regarding the performance being in Spanish, which they perceived as inherently un-American. Prior to a controversial executive order by President Trump on March 1, 2025, however, the United States did not have an official language, and speaking a different language does not make someone or something un-American. Ask First Lady Melania Trump, one of millions of naturalized U.S. citizens, who is as American as anyone else, regardless of her native language.
Notwithstanding these concerns, the NFL stayed firm in their decision to hire Bad Bunny as the halftime show artist.
“[Bad Bunny is] one of the most popular entertainers in the world,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “It’s carefully thought through. I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism…we’re confident it’s going to be a great show.”
On Oct. 9, 2025, in response to the announcement that Bad Bunny would be the halftime artist, Charlie Kirk’s organization Turning Point USA announced their own alternative halftime show called “The All-American Halftime Show.” The show was endorsed by the Trump administration, and was attended by notable Republicans, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance.
The alternative halftime show included Kid Rock and Lee Bryce as artists, and featured lyrics such as: “I just want to cut my grass, feed my dogs, wear my boots / Not turn the TV on, sit and watch the evening news / Be told if I tell my own daughter that little boys ain’t little girls / I’d be up the creek in hot water in this cancel-your-ass-world.” The show had a major emphasis on living life simply and “biblically,” which, by implication, is what made the show “All-American.”
Despite the backlash, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, according to USA Today, had about 135 million concurrent viewers (compared to Turning Point’s 5 million) and has been praised as an uplifting and inspiring performance. The show featured a billboard in the back that read: “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
