The Super Bowl LX halftime show, officially known as the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show for sponsorship purposes, was the halftime entertainment for Super Bowl LX, which took place on February 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It featured Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny as the headline performer, with guest appearances from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and Los Pleneros de la Cresta. Bad Bunny was the first Latino solo artist to headline the halftime show, as well as the first to perform almost entirely in Spanish. The show was televised nationally in the United States by NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, and NFL+. The halftime show was widely discussed for its pronounced political themes. In it, Bad Bunny used the platform to redefine the words "America" and "American" as a continental identity rather than being a term for citizens of the United States, calling for Latino ethnic consciousness, and criticizing the country's actions in Puerto Rico and Hawaii as forms of arrogance, colonization, and imperialism. == Background == On September 9, 2025, it was reported that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hinted that singer-songwriter Taylor Swift could be the headliner for the halftime show. He said when asked if it is possible that Swift could do the show: "We would always love to have [Swift] play. She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time". When asked by Today co-host Savannah Guthrie if an appearance from Swift was in the works, Goodell said "I can't tell you anything about it". Swift, for the third time in four years, declined the opportunity. It was initially reported that Swift had asked for an appearance fee and full copyrights to the show, which the NFL does not provide to performers. However, Swift later said that she had rejected the possibility during early conversations with Roc Nation because she was unwilling to perform in a game in which her fiancé Travis Kelce could be a participant, since it would detract from her enjoyment of the game by having to focus on the details of a concert. Swift's concerns were rendered moot after Kelce's team, the Kansas City Chiefs, were eliminated from the possibility of reaching the playoffs on December 14, 2025. Billboard also previously reported that potential headliners included Lady Gaga—who previously headlined the Super Bowl LI halftime show—Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Drake, BTS, Green Day, Metallica, and Jay-Z. == Announcement == Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny was officially announced as the headliner for the Halftime Show on September 28, 2025, by the NFL in partnership with Apple Music and Jay-Z's Roc Nation. The show was broadcast during the halftime of NBC's Sunday Night Football. In a statement, Bad Bunny highlighted the cultural significance of the event, saying, "This is for my people, my culture, and our history". Earlier in the year, Bad Bunny declined to hold concerts in the mainland United States and reserved Puerto Rican shows to archipelago and island residents due to concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. A day before the announcement, Bad Bunny said, "I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I'll do just one date in the United States." The announcement came after Kendrick Lamar's previous performance and marks Bad Bunny as the first Latino and Spanish-speaking artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show as a solo act. He previously performed as a special guest at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, alongside headliners Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. === Latino audience strategy === Bad Bunny's selection came amid the NFL's intensified efforts to grow its Latino fanbase, which the league identified as essential to its expansion strategy. In 2024, NFL Senior Vice President of Global Brand and Consumer Marketing Marissa Solis stated that league growth "is mathematically impossible without Latinos," pointing to over 39 million Latino fans in the United States—one of the largest Latino fanbases in American sports. The league's "Por La Cultura" campaign, launched in 2021, represents an ongoing initiative to cultivate Latino audiences through Spanish-language broadcasts, cultural partnerships, and storytelling featuring Latino players. The selection also reflected the growing economic influence of Latino consumers in the United States. According to research from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Latino Donor Collaborative, U.S. Latino gross domestic product (GDP) reached $4.1 trillion in 2023. Latino consumers rank as the world's fifth-largest economy if measured independently with Latino purchasing power reaching $4.1 trillion. A 2025 McKinsey & Company report projected that Latinos would account for one-third of total U.S. sports market growth by 2035. Super Bowl LX featured the broadest Spanish-language broadcast distribution in Super Bowl history, with both Fox Deportes and Telemundo producing separate Spanish-language coverage of the game. === Reception to selection === Reactions to the announcement were mixed. Some responses were positive, celebrating the selection as a milestone for Latino representation. California Governor Gavin Newsom was "excited" to welcome Bad Bunny to the state, and declared February 8, 2026, as Bad Bunny Day to commemorate the performance. Univision highlighted the pride of the Latino community, while celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars, Shakira, and Jelly Roll expressed their support. Jay‑Z of Roc Nation praised Bad Bunny's achievement, and reports emphasized the economic and cultural impact of his concerts in Puerto Rico. NFL officials stated that Bad Bunny's selection was an important way to be relevant to its growing Latino fanbase, and that it was part of a broader effort to engage the community of over 70 million Latinos in the United States. Other responses were critical, particularly from conservative commentators. President Donald Trump described the announcement as "absolutely ridiculous". Some commentators noted that Bad Bunny performs primarily in Spanish and had reportedly avoided including mainland U.S. dates in his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour due to concerns about potential ICE raids. Conservative influencers and political figures questioned Bad Bunny's selection, with Ryan Fournier stating that "whoever picks these people should be fired". Benny Johnson described him as a "massive Trump hater" and "anti-ICE activist", and criticized that he primarily performs in Spanish. In response to the controversy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that ICE agents would be present at the Super Bowl. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson opined that choosing Bad Bunny was a "terrible decision" and claimed he did not have broader appeal, suggesting Lee Greenwood as an alternative. Bad Bunny later addressed the backlash, notably during his Saturday Night Live appearance, where he jokingly told critics they had "four months to learn" Spanish. Conservative organization Turning Point USA held its own halftime musical performance as counterprogramming, with conservative musician Kid Rock announced as the headliner on February 4, 2026. Goodell dismissed criticism of the selection as typical for an event of its caliber. He praised Bad Bunny as "one of the greatest artists in the world," and rejected calls to change the performers. Jay-Z dismissed the opposition to the selection as astroturfing. == Themes == The halftime show was widely discussed for its political themes. === Redefinition of the term "American" === The ending redefined the English words "America" and "American" as a continental identity, rather than being a term for citizens of the United States. Bad Bunny spoke in English for the only time during the performance to say "God bless America," followed by the Spanish filler phrase "o sea" (roughly meaning "that is to say"). He then named more than twenty countries throughout the Americas: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, thus positioning the United States as just one of many countries. Dancers trailed behind him displaying flags of those nations along with many others in the pan-American and Carribean region, with the U.S. and Puerto Rican flags most visible. At the conclusion, Bad Bunny held up a football inscribed with the words "Together we are America" and said "seguimos aquí" ("we're still here"). Experts noted the gesture followed "a long line of Latin musicians including Panamanian Rubén Blades, Puerto Rican Residente, and Mexican group Los Tigres del Norte" who have united the Americas in their music. === Demographics and Latino ethnic consciousness === The American socialist magazine Jacobin interpreted the halftime show as advocating for Latino ethnic consciousness. A short film released in 2022 by Puerto Rican director Arí Maniel Cruz presented "a dystopian future where Puerto Ricans have turned into a [racial] minority in their own country, displaced by Anglo-Americans" who speak English. The short warns of the "threat posed by the relocation of US Americans to the island" and calls for limits on mainland immigration. Another song, "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii", focused on imperialism, settler colonialism, and colonization, drawing parallels between the treatment of Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Puerto Rico and Hawaii both came under U.S. control in 1898. The song critiques gentrification and displacement, warning Puerto Ricans to protect their culture, land, Spanish language, and demographic majority. Commentators noted that the United States is expected to become a majority-minority country by 2045 due to immigration and higher fertility rates among Latinos, interpreting the show as highlighting that those of European ancestry will soon be relegated as a minority in a similar manner to Hispanics and Native Americans, those who they displaced. The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the song as addressing "ethnic cleansing and colonization" and what happens to Puerto Rico, as it gets stripped of its culture and identity, just like Hawaii." === Colonial imagery === The performance incorporated imagery referencing Puerto Rico's colonial history. During "El Apagón", dancers dressed as sugar cane workers appeared performing on electric poles, a visual which scholars said demonstrated "the continuity between colonial exploitation of Puerto Ricans across centuries." Sugar plantations operated in Puerto Rico using enslaved African labor until 1873 under Spanish rule, and after the U.S. took control in 1898, American sugar companies acquired significant Puerto Rican land. The electric pole imagery also referenced Hurricane María, during which citizens taught themselves electrical skills and climbed poles to restore power after the storm devastated the island's infrastructure. Bad Bunny sang from atop a replica of a LUMA Energy light post, the private company responsible for Puerto Rico's power grid whose name has become associated with ongoing power outages. Some commentators interpreted the halftime show as calling for Puerto Rican independence from the United States. Bad Bunny's Puerto Rican flag featured a light blue triangle rather than the darker shade used in the official flag, referencing the island's original flag prior to U.S. control. The United States changed the shade of blue on the Puerto Rican flag to match the blue in the U.S. flag, and the azul clarito (light blue) has since become associated with movements advocating for Puerto Rican independence. == Performance == For the Halftime Show, part of the stadium was transformed into a sugarcane field. Yellow Studio's Julio Himede, part of the creative team behind the show, said that they divided the stage into various smaller sections to accommodate the “vignettes” that Bad Bunny would walk through as he told the story of “real people in everyday life that are celebrating the Latin community". The show featured more than 300 dancers and multiple moving stages, along with an actual wedding. The set consisted of multiple odes to Puerto Rican everyday life, with the rapper interacting with old men playing dominoes, a coconut stand, a jeweler and more. The show featured guest performers Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. Lady Gaga performed a salsa version of "Die with a Smile" (2024) backed by the salsa band Los Sobrinos, with an arrangement by Big Jay. During the performance, a couple, who had previously invited Bad Bunny to attend their wedding, was actually married onstage. League sources confirmed to ESPN that the marriage was legally binding. Time said that Lady Gaga's performance was "a shrewd moment of reverse assimilation," noting that "while conservatives called for Bad Bunny to sing in English, instead he got a major white female pop star to adapt her song into salsa." Meanwhile, Ricky Martin made his Superbowl debut by singing a rendition of "Lo que le pasó a Hawaii" a song about the growing dangers of gentrification and the cultural loss Puerto Rico is experiencing. The "Mónaco" orchestral segment was conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero, and during "Café Con Ron," Bad Bunny was backed by Los Pleneros de la Cresta, a plena ensemble. The performance also saw Bad Bunny give a replica of his one of his Grammys to a small child, watching television with his family in a domestic set. While there was speculation that the child was Liam Conejo Ramos, a five-year-old boy detained along with his father by ICE officials in January, it was later revealed to be child actor Lincoln Fox. The "casita" portion of the stage included special appearances by Cardi B, Karol G, Young Miko, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Alix Earle, David Grutman, baseball outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., and boxers Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas. Toñita, owner of the Caribbean Social Club in Little Caribbean, Brooklyn, New York was also shown serving Bad Bunny a drink. == Set list == Set list adapted from Business Insider. "Tití Me Preguntó" "Yo Perreo Sola" "Safaera" "Party" "Voy a Llevarte Pa' PR" "Eoo" (prefaced by parts of "Pa' Que Retozen" by Tego Calderón, "Dale Don Dale" by Don Omar, "Noche de Travesura" by Héctor el Father and "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee) "Mónaco" "Die with a Smile" (salsa version performed by Lady Gaga) "Baile Inolvidable" "Nuevayol" "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" (performed by Ricky Martin) "El Apagón" "Café con Ron" (with Los Pleneros de la Cresta) "DTMF" == Reception == === Critical response === Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter called it "the most impressively conceived and executed Super Bowl halftime production I've ever seen... vital in every imaginable definition of the word." The Chicago Tribune reviewer Christopher Borrelli described it as "a cultural moment, a paradigm shift." Time characterized the show as being "a fierce act of resistance" and "a sharp cultural and history lesson." Deadline Hollywood called it "a complex and compelling success" and "a celebration of excellence and love of Latino USA." Billboard said it was "one of the most culturally specific productions in Super Bowl history." The Washington Post described the show as largely restrained and celebratory, highlighting its inclusive message and emphasis on unity and love. === Political response === U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the performance on Truth Social, calling it "absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!" Rolling Stone noted that Trump's reaction came despite the White House having previously stated that he would not be watching the halftime show. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that "the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny." Governor of California Gavin Newsom made a tongue-in-cheek tweet mocking Trump and declaring it "Bad Bunny Day". Turning Point USA organized an alternative halftime event, the "All-American Halftime Show", which featured Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, as well as Eric Dickerson and Brett Favre, former NFL players, and former ESPN host Sage Steele. The event peaked 6.1 million simultaneous views on YouTube. Variety called Bad Bunny's show "an All-American triumph", labeling the TPUSA event "slapdash". == References == == External links == Bad Bunny's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show on YouTube