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Bad Bunny‘s impending Super Bowl LX halftime performance has incensed reactionary conservatives so much that Charlie Kirk‘s nonprofit organization is personally organizing an alternative halftime show for viewers who would rather watch someone perform “anything in English.”
Turning Point USA announced The All American Halftime Show will be taking place Feb. 8 “celebrating faith, family & freedom.” The show’s website invites users to sign up for updates on the event and weigh in on what music genres they would like to see featured, offering options such as Americana, classic rock, country, pop, worship, or just “anything in English,” which is clearly a jab at the Spanish-speaking, three-time Grammy winner. (Who, it’s worth mentioning, is American.)
Sounds like loads of fun.
Bad Bunny was announced as the next halftime show performer Sept. 28, marking the latest feat in what has been an eventful year for the Puerto Rican singer and rapper. The halftime show will take place Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, amid Bad Bunny’s eight-month world tour that pointedly does not include any stops in the United States, as the singer revealed he was “very concerned” Immigration and Customs Enforcement would target fans during tour stops. The news also came on the heels of his 31-show Puerto Rico residency which generated an estimated $400 million for the island’s economy.
The Super Bowl announcement drew immediate backlash from right wing politicians and pundits who have criticized him for his personal politics, accused him of not being an American citizen (despite the fact that he hails from a U.S. territory), and taken issue with the fact that most of his music is sung in Spanish.
Even President Trump recently weighed in, calling the choice “absolutely ridiculous.”
Trump claimed he had “never heard of” Bad Bunny, adding, “I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy. They blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also hit back against Bad Bunny’s claims about ICE, confirming ICE would be in attendance at the Super Bowl to “enforce the law.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson went as far as to suggest that 82-year-old Lee Greenwood perform instead, “not somebody like this.” (Johnson didn’t elaborate on what he meant by “like this,” but you can probably infer his intention.)
This will mark the second time Bad Bunny has performed at the Super Bowl halftime show, having appeared in Shakira and Jennifer Lopez‘s performance in 2020.
Bad Bunny, who has cemented himself as one of the biggest recording artists of the moment with three Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammys, is shrugging off the hate, however.
He was unapologetic when hosting the recent Season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live when he addressed the crowd in Spanish, after expressing how “excited” he was to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, noting in English, “know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy.”
“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” he then said in Spanish. “It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
He then switched back to English, warning viewers, “And, if you didn’t understand know what I just said, you have four months to learn!”
