On Feb. 8, 2026 at the Super Bowl LX, Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) made history as the first artist to headline the Super Bowl singing entirely in Spanish. Bad Bunny is known for his political messages, and this performance certainly didn’t shy away from that. After facing immense hate from right-wing people, Bad Bunny delivered one of the most iconic and memorable performances to date. It has quickly become the most viewed halftime show, garnering over 135M views. He surpassed Kendrick Lamar, who previously held the highest viewership for his 2025 halftime show. In just thirteen minutes Bad Bunny weaved together a history lesson, insight into Latin culture, and left the audience with a rare message of hope amid our current tumultuous political climate.
Opening with Sugar Cane Fields
The performance opens up to a sugar cane field, bringing to light the history of colonization and slavery in Puerto Rico. Sugar cane was introduced to Puerto Rico in the 1520s by Spanish colonists, but by the 16th century, sugar production lost momentum and plateaued. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, sugar production once again skyrocketed and surged in Puerto Rico. As a result of the 1901 Presidential Proclamation, Puerto Rico became a part of the United States. This led them to receive the same tariff benefits as the rest of the United States, and U.S. based sugar companies began heavily investing in the island’s sugar production industry. Slavery was the backbone of the sugar industry for years, as “sugar plantations without slaves, in Puerto Rico as in the rest of the Caribbean, were not just unthinkable, but impossible.” In 1845, 82.1 percent of sugar cane production came from slave labor, and this only grew with the industry. In Bad Bunny’s performance the sugar cane weren’t just stationary props, but were actually people dressed up in costumes depicting sugar cane. This further symbolizes that labor affects real people, the cost of sugar is the cost of human lives. They were joined alongside workers wearing traditional pava straw hats, an homage to jíbaros (countryside farmers).
La Cultura
Bad Bunny kicked off the performance with his hit song “Tití Me Preguntó.” Bad Bunny released this song in 2022, a part of his widely successful album Un Verano Sin Ti. Times Magazine named it best song of the year in 2022. “Tití Me Preguntó” was the first song in which Bad Bunny used a full dembow beat, giving it a fast-paced rhythm that easily became a fan favorite. Contrary to its upbeat tack, it features heartbreaking lyrics that translate to “I’d like to fall in love but I can’t” and “I don’t even trust myself,” showing there is more to him than just the chauvinistic act he depicts in the first two lines.
As the camera moves along the sugar cane it highlights key cultural aspects. Starting off with a Coco Frio stand, or a stand offering chilled coconuts. These stands are often found roadside, and are a common occurrence across the Caribbean and Mexico. Coconuts have been a life line for labor workers offering a necessary food and hydration source to support their long work days. The viejitos (elderly men) playing dominos help showcase typical everyday life in Puerto Rico, as does the nail salon and the Piraugas stand. Villa’s Tacos is also a real taco shop found in Los Angeles. This real Mexican-American small business pays homage to all the small businesses that make up Puerto Rican neighborhoods. Emiliano Vargas and Xander Zayas pay tribute to the large and long history of boxing in Puerto Rico with their surprise cameo. Puerto Rico has produced over 50 boxing champions, and the sport is a large source of pride for the island.
La Casita
Many celebrities were spotted on the porch of La Casita: Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, and even Pedro Pascal were seen dancing and portraying a party de marquesina, or a traditional house party. The Casita was a replica of the La Casita that was used as a second stage during Bad Bunny’s “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” residency. Its patio was often filled with celebrities and other notable people during his time at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum. The Casita during his Super Bowl performance served as the focal point for his Puerto Rican vecindad (neighborhood). The same La Casita is also featured in Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS self-directed short film.
The Coquí
The coquí is a small tree frog native to Puerto Rico. This small beloved animal made an appearance on a jumbotron, and has made regular appearances throughout Bad Bunny’s latest tour. In particular, a coquí named Concho was also introduced in Bad Bunny’s short film. The short film showcased “nostalgia, native alienation, and cultural restoration while tackling the disappearance of traditional Puerto Rican culture.” The coquí represents the people of Puerto Rico; they come from a small island, but they have a big voice. The distinct and rather loud call of the Coquí is uniquely Puerto Rican. It serves as a reminder of home for those living abroad, as the sound instantly transports them back to the island, or within the diaspora.
Bad Bunny’s Courage Speech
During the opening notes of “MONACO,” Bad Bunny addresses the camera directly and says, “Buenas tardes, California. Mi nombre es Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. Y si hoy estoy aquí en el Super Bowl 60, es porque nunca, nunca dejé de creer en mí. Tú también debería’, tú también deberías de creer en ti. Vales más de lo que piensa’, créeme.” This all translates to “Good afternoon California, my name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. And if I am here today at Super Bowl LX, it is because I never, never stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You are worth more than you think. Believe me.” Bad Bunny shares this inspiring message to all the other people who have been told they don’t belong. He is living proof that there is a stage for them, and they belong on it.
The Wedding
The camera then cuts to a real wedding moments before Lady Gaga’s surprise guest appearance. The couple originally invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, and instead, Bad Bunny invited them to get married during the performance, serving as their witness and signing their marriage license. The newlyweds cut their cake to “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” after Gaga preformed “Die With a Smile.” The stage was filled with wedding guests, and even illustrated the common occurrence of children falling asleep at Latin parties due to their nature of lasting very late into the evening.
NUEVAYoL
NUEVAYoL is the opening song on Bad Bunny’s latest album DeBÍ TiRAR Más FOToS. It is the Caribbean-Spanish spelling of New York, and is a tribute to Latin culture within New York City and the Great Migration. The setting emulates popular Puerto Rican owned businesses such as barber shops and bodegas. Bad Bunny is handed a drink from Toñita (Maria Antonia Cay), a Brooklyn Puerto Rican legend. Toñita is the owner of one of the last Puerto Rican social clubs that can still be found at 244 Grand St. Toñita has been fighting the gentrification and erasure currently plaguing Williamsburg, as well as most of New York City, but she has been persevering and refusing to sell her business. “I’m staying here with my people as long as I can. This isn’t for me to make money or a fortune. It’s to maintain a space for all of us to be together,” Toñita told the New York Times. By bringing out Toñita, Bad Bunny isn’t just honoring her and her namesake, but also all of the other Puerto Ricans creating a community for those living outside of the island.
Passing of the Grammy
Bad Bunny passes off his latest grammy for Album of the Year to a young boy. Although this young boy – played by child actor Lincoln Fox – is meant to depict his younger self, many fans made the potential connection to Liam Conejo Ramos. Ramos is a five-year-old boy who was taken by ICE on Jan. 20 amid the latest immigration raids in Minnesota. The symbolism in choosing a boy of a similar age does seem intentional given his outspoken critiques of the current administration’s immigration policies. In his Grammy acceptance speech Bad Bunny said, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE out!” His performance serves as another reminder of his previous statement also made at the Grammys; “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” Throughout his entire performance he depicts the joys and pride of Latin people.
Ricky Martin
The second guest appearance was given to another Puerto Rican Star, Ricky Martin. Martin paved the way for other Latin artists with his early stardom. Martin wrote an open letter to Bad Bunny after his Grammy win stating: “You won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying true to Puerto Rico.” Martin sings the song “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” (what happened to Hawaii), a song all about the dangers of colonization, gentrification, and losing cultural identities. Martin claims that he doesn’t want what happens to Hawaii to happen to Puerto Rico, calling for the independence, sovereignty, and decolonization of Puerto Rico.
El Apagón
“El Apagón” (the blackout) is a protest song, criticizing the island’s ongoing infrastructure failures following Hurricane Maria and government corruption. The privatization of Puerto Rico’s power grid continues to cause blackouts. Genera PR is an independently managed branch of a New York energy power company. Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc on the power grids six years ago, and the discussion to update and change the power grids to be less reliant on fossil fuels began, yet little has been done. Only four percent of Puerto Rico’s power comes from renewable energy. The power equipment in Puerto Rico is on average 45 years old, over twice the lifespan of equipment found on the U.S. mainland. During “El Apagón” Bad Bunny was joined by Jíbaros, showcasing that it commonly falls on the people or laborers of Puerto Rico to try to repair power outages, when it is the government’s responsibility. Bad Bunny even sets down the Puerto Rican flag to climb the power line poles, demonstrating his commitment to his people.
Bad Bunny flies the Puerto Rican flag that was banned by the La Ley de la Mordaza or Gag Law of 1948. The Gag Law was an oppressive movement used to crush Puerto Rico’s independence movement. Among other restrictions, the United States government made it illegal to fly the red and white striped flag, with a sky blue triangle, and white star. Displaying this flag was punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The sky blue was darkened to more closely resemble the navy blue found on the United States of America’s flag. This subtle change was a constant reminder of territorial claim and colonization. However, by making the sky blue version illegal, it incidentally made it a symbol of Puerto Rican independence, which it remains to be to this day.
God Bless America
Bad Bunny ends his performance by saying his first and only English words of the night “God Bless America” followed by “Sea” (be it). He then goes on to list all of the countries that make up the Americas. He reminds us that we have to decenter the United States from discussions of America. He starts by listing countries geographically from the equator, starting with South America to Mexico, then shifting to the Caribbean, finishing up to North America, ending with the United States and Canada, and finally concluding on “my mother land, mi patria, Puerto Rico.” Bad Bunny says “seguimos aqui” (we are still here) while showing us a football that reads, “Together we are America,” before punting it to the ground. Bad Bunny exits through the tunnel as everyone sings his widely popular song and the namesake of his album “DtMF,” as one last message was displayed on the big screen: “The only thing stronger than hate is love.”
LGBTQIA+ Representation
From allies to queer representation, this performance was littered with support for the queer community. Martin has been a prominent LGBTQIA+ figure since coming out in 2010, and is the first openly gay man to perform at the Super Bowl. Lady Gaga and Cardi B are openly bisexual, and Young Miko, also seen on La Casista, proudly identifies as a lesbian. The camera pans to two men grinding on each other, a rare moment where queer expression is given center stage at such a heteronormative event. During the wedding dance, two same-sex dance partners were mixed in. Bad Bunny also performed his hit song “Yo Perreo Sola,” where he famously sings in full drag during his music video.
Costuming
Bad Bunny wore a custom outfit made by Zara, rather than a high fashion, designer company. Zara is a Spanish company, and this is their first time dressing performers for such a large stage. They were also responsible for dressing the background dancers, band, and orchestra. His jersey showed off the last name “Ocasio,” paying respect to his mother’s last name. The 64 displayed on his back again paid tribute to his mother by showcasing her birth year, 1964. However, many fans are making correlations to 64 referencing the 64th Congress of the United States which gave US citizenship to Puerto Ricans in 1917. Other fans have made the connection to the 64 deaths of Hurricane Maria that the Trump administration first released as the official death count, when the real number was closer to 3K. Regardless of the true meaning behind the 64, it brings to light many key factors in Puerto Rican history. Gaga’s dress was also in the same sky blue shade found on the illegal Puerto Rican flag.
Bad Bunny blended together a display of community, passion, joy, and courage, with a critical lesson on the colonization of Puerto Rico. He reminded the audience that the people have the power, and there is strength in the community. The Seahawks might have won the Super Bowl, but Bad Bunny won over the audience, making history that will not be easily forgotten.