Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure that you’ve heard that the NFL has announced that Puerto Rican international superstar, Bad Bunny, will be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. This announcement was met with many singing Bad Bunny’s praises as he has only recently finished his 31 show residency in Puerto Rico for his album, “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,” that was released in Jan. 2025. It’s no secret that Benito has been having one of the greatest years of his career so far, but that isn’t the only reason why him being chosen as the headliner is significant, and that is exactly what I want to talk about today.
For starters, Bad Bunny is making history by being the first ever male Latino artist to headline the halftime show. In the past, Latinos and Latinas have graced the halftime show many times, starting with Gloria Estefan in 1999 and most recently Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in 2020. Fun fact, Bad Bunny actually made an appearance alongside J-Lo and Shakira, so he isn’t actually completely new to the Super Bowl stage. But to have a Latino perform at one of the most watched sport halftime show performances, particularly in the United States’ current political climate, is a huge deal, especially when no one even guessed that it would be Bad Bunny — many predicting a Taylor Swift performance — despite his stellar year. And on top of these other factors, Bad Bunny is very outspoken about his political beliefs and how he feels about our current administration.
When announcing his tour for “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,” it was striking to many to see that the entire United States was missing from the tour stops. When asked about this, Bad Bunny simply responded with, “no es necesario,” or “it’s not necessary.” Talk about a power statement. More recently, he sat down and explained further that he didn’t want to allow his concerts to become hot spots for ICE raids as he knows that the majority of his listeners are Latinos. He has also publicly denounced the Donald Trump administration and even mimicked Trump’s voice in his music video for the song “NuevaYoL.” Of course, his track record of standing against Trump, ICE, and racism has Trump supporters in a complete twist about why he would be chosen to perform at the Halftime show. Many are calling it — as they do most things nowadays — the NFL falling to “wokeness,” but actually there is a much more calculated reason why the Puerto Rican was chosen as the headliner.
If you didn’t know, the Super Bowl halftime show performer is chosen by Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company, every year since they partnered with the NFL in 2019. Jay-Z actually holds a lot of power in who gets chosen for this honor, having a very hands-on part in the decision making. Jesse Collins, who is an executive producer of the halftime show, has said, “it’s a decision that Jay makes. Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right!” Last year, Jay-Z made a no-brainer by choosing rap star, Kendrick Lamar, to take the stage; so honestly, I don’t think it’s that surprising that he’s chosen Bad Bunny now. Both Lamar and Bad Bunny had an incredible year leading up to being chosen for the halftime show, but maybe it is deeper than that. The NFL has been making a large attempt in expanding their global market to outside of the U.S. with recent international games in different countries including Ireland, Brazil, the U.K., Germany, and Spain for the 2025-2026 season. They’ve also opened up to the idea of an expansion including 25 teams across 19 international markets but nothing has been confirmed on that end. Looking from the perspective of a company that is making attempts to get more of an international audience, choosing an artist that is not only at the top of the leaderboard but also can bring in that international audience truly makes a lot of sense.
Obviously, as most things, this has been politicized by people who aren’t aware that Puerto Rico is a part of the U.S., and have shared their opinion about the decision. However, I think that there really couldn’t be a better option. Bad Bunny is an icon. He is a symbol. And if we ever needed someone that isn’t afraid to talk about love and how this country has lost it, it’s now. Not only is he an American citizen — so that argument holds no value — but his music is a reminder that life isn’t worth it if you don’t love. I do hope that Bad Bunny makes a statement with his performance and I definitely hope that he performs his hit, “LO QUE LE PASO A HAWAII,” which has him pouring his heart out in hopes that what happened to Hawaii doesn’t happen to Puerto Rico. However, his main message, especially in his most recent album, is love. In his song, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” he includes an interlude spoken by Jacobo Morales, a famous Puerto Rican poet and actor, saying “mientras uno está vivo, uno debe amar lo más que pueda,” which translates to, “while someone is alive, they should love the most that they can.” And if you don’t think that is a message that this country needs to hear right now on the biggest stage of the country, you are lying to yourself.
I personally cannot wait to see Benito take that stage — both out of pride for Latinos but also for the free concert — and I truly don’t think that there is another artist that deserves it more this year. Catch Bad Bunny on the Super Bowl Halftime stage on Feb. 8, 2026.