Bad Bunny Breaks New Ground at Super Bowl with Spanish-Language Spectacle Celebrating Unity

Bad Bunny delivered a landmark Super Bowl half-time show that blended cultural pride, star power and a call for unity, even as former US President Donald Trump dismissed the performance as “terrible”.

The 31-year-old global superstar turned the 14-minute spectacle into an affectionate tribute to his native Puerto Rico and the wider Americas, ending with messages of shared identity and togetherness with the United States. The performance featured guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, while high-profile cameos from Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G and Jessica Alba added to the celebratory atmosphere.

Much of the show unfolded around Bad Bunny’s now-famous casita set — a stylised recreation of a traditional Puerto Rican home that has become a visual hallmark of his live performances. Cameras captured celebrity guests dancing on its porch as the music pulsed with Caribbean rhythms and Latin pop energy.

Fresh off a year in which he was named the world’s most-streamed artist of 2025 by Spotify, Bad Bunny made history by becoming the first performer to deliver an entire Super Bowl half-time show in Spanish. The Super Bowl is typically the most-watched television event in the US, making the moment a significant cultural milestone.

He briefly switched to English for a single line — “God bless America” — before naming countries across Central, South and North America as dancers paraded with their national flags. Behind them, a billboard carried the message: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” The segment concluded with Bad Bunny holding a football emblazoned with the words: “Together, We Are America.”

Despite the symbolism, the artist — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — avoided any direct political criticism of the current US administration during the performance. Nonetheless, Trump, who did not attend the game, took to his Truth Social platform to attack the show, calling it “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!”

He went on to describe the performance as “an affront to the Greatness of America” and complained that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying”, comments that quickly drew criticism from Bad Bunny’s fans and supporters of multicultural representation.

In response to the controversy, conservative group Turning Point USA organised a separate event dubbed the All-American Halftime Show, headlined by outspoken Trump supporter Kid Rock.