"Bad Bunny Didn't Have ONE WORD of English at the Halftime Show!"
One of MAGA's many complaints about Bad Bunny is its least accurate
Aren’t “bad” and “bunny” both English words?
Some (likely) monolingual speakers are so angry about a Latin American artist singing in Spanish they seem to have forgotten an awful lot of English words, particular words in English that call for love and unity.
The target of their “culture war”? Puerto Rican singer and international sensation Bad Bunny.
The reason for their rage? That Puerto Rican is headlining the world’s biggest stage. It doesn’t matter that we’re all invited to the same party, opponents are so triggered by anyone critical of Trump, MAGA, and ICE getting to host it, especially if that someone is Latino. They didn’t complain when he headlined Coachella in 2023 but the current anti-Bunny outrage centers around branding and co-opting the NFL and the Super Bowl for and about “real Americans”, the definition of which they are violently trying to narrow down to English-speaking white Evangelical conservatives who never question authority or challenge the status quo.
They were furious about Pulitzer Prize-winning Kendrick Lamar too.
Ever since Colin Kaepernick (in consultation with and at the suggestion of former Seahawks player and Army combat veteran Nate Boyer) kneeled to protest police brutality in 2016 the Super Bowl has become a controversial touchstone for who and what gets to represent the “real America.”
But even if the many, many complaints were merited, they’re just not accurate.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, who chose an English stage name, Bad Bunny, not Conejito Malo, did feature speaking, singing, and signage in English at his incredible 2026 Super Bowl LX Halftime Show.
His first surprise guest was a blonde white woman singing an entire song in English. Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is Italian-American with Sicilian roots. Her immigrant ancestors would not have been considered white when they first came to the U.S. Yet there she was, a white woman invited to share Bad Bunny’s stage. Both singers are championed by many cultures for their positivity and inclusivity, but that same inclusivity has MAGA claiming Bad Bunny is a “DEI hire” for the halftime show.
Though he mostly sang in Spanish, as he does on most of his stratospherically successful songs, Bad Bunny included lots of English words into his brief set. He shouted out California, San Francisco, New York, the Bronx, and Washington Heights. He referenced Fourth of July and sang the line “Welcome to the calentón,” an easily google-able word loosely meaning hot spot, or in this case, the hottest place to be. Also in English? “VIP”, “selfie”, “say cheese”, “and my motherland, and half a dozen “baby”s.
But even if you didn’t notice all those English words, not even the most ardent, offended critics can deny that his high-energy, infectious performance prominently featured three messages, each one in English, each one beautiful.
“God bless America,” he yelled to the roaring crowd before naming every single country in the Western Hemisphere, every country making up the Americas. People from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and North America were thrilled to be recognized by name on an international stage. And they are still posting their ecstatic reaction videos of their families and friends jumping up and down, cheering, crying, and hugging.
Then, with all of the American flags waving behind him, he turned the football’s inscription to the camera for us all to read before spiking it in a symbolic touchdown: “TOGETHER, WE ARE AMERICA”.
No one wanted this concert to be over so quickly but behind the dancers, the fireworks, and the sugarcane, above the crowds, the Jumbotron blazed a powerful message that is still being repeated and celebrated almost a week later, an eternity in the microscopic attention span of the internet news cycle: “THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE.”
His message is clear. It’s universally beautiful in every language, no matter what language or languages you speak. Yet conservatives seem as hell-bent on rejecting that message, even in English, as they are on hating the messenger.
Language isn’t the only way to move people. Music can be a universal language. Most people outside of New Zealand don’t speak Te Reo Māori but who among us can see a Haka video online without our hearts, and tears, immediately swelling up? And every last music lover can name at least one instrumental song that makes them soar. Mine? “Sleepwalk” by Santo & Johnny.
Not only did Bad Bunny prove you don’t have to speak Spanish, or English, to be part of a global phenomenon, he inspired a lot of people to learn Spanish, to at least google lyrics, and to dance.
History won’t forget the hate and racism Bad Bunny overcame to create this joyful masterpiece of a football halftime show. But history will also remember that he defiantly stood for love, proudly sang for unity, and invited us all to have fun celebrating together.