Bad Bunny does good at Super Bowl LX halftime show

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Bad Bunny?

Actually, pretty good Bunny.

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The pride of Puerto Rico may be a polarizing artist in a polarizing time in the U.S., but he did a bueno job — due in no small part to his secret guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin — as the Super Bowl halftime performer despite the controversy over him being a Spanish-language artist.

Turns out the the rapper and singer hailing from the American territory — don’t forget, he’s an American citizen — had a lot going for him heading into the most watched event on TV.

Among his achievements, Bad Bunny has been Spotify’s top global artist four times — in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2025 — and garnered 19.8 billion streams last year, according to Spotify.

The 31-year-old artist also became the first to win best album entirely in Spanish at the Grammy Awards the week before with his 2025 release (and sixth solo album) Debí Tirar Más Fotos.

He used that platform to declare “ICE out!” in his acceptance speech as members of other Latino communities in the U.S. have been detained and deported amid President Donald Trump and his administration’s immigration crackdown.

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He also omitted the U.S. from his ongoing world tour due to concerns ICE would target and harass his fans.

For his part, Trump already described the Puerto Rican as a “terrible” choice for halftime and said he’s skipping this year’s spectacle after attending last year’s big game.

Shortly after the halftime show ended, Trump made his feelings known, calling it “absolutely terrible” one of the “worst ever.”

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“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump shared to his Truth Social platform.

However, NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell stood by the league’s selection back in October, telling CBS Sports: “It’s carefully thought through. I don’t think we’ve ever selected an artist without some blowback or criticism.”

Bad Bunny was certainly given an impressive stage at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., where the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots were facing off.

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So what did the rapper-singer, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, do with his 13 minutes?

He turned it one big party thanks to his rhythmic music, Gaga and Martin, and major shout outs to all things Puerto Rican such as sweet drinks, boxers, jewelry, and weddings with one couple seeming to tie the knot on the field.

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As he told non-Spanish speakers ahead of his halftime show at a press conference last week: “(People) don’t even have to learn Spanish. It’s better if they learn to dance.”

Here’s the best and worst moments of the halftime show plus the set list:

BEST:

Dressed in an all cream tracksuit with the number 64 on it and carrying a football, Bad Bunny kicked off the show standing in a re-creation of a Puerto Rican sugar cane field while singing “Titi Me Pregunte”.

He climbed up on stage while performing “Yo Perrero Sola” on top of a pink and yellow nightclub while female dancers in white tank tops and short skits danced on the field and dramatically fell through the ceiling.

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Lady Gaga in a blue gown belted out her hit “Die With a Smile” (normally a duet with Bruno Mars) backed by an incredible band on the field floor.

Celebs like actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, and rapper Cardi B appeared dancing on Bad Bunny’s set in a fleeting camera pan.

He gave his historic best album Grammy to a small boy watching last Sunday’s ceremony on a TV with his parents. The child was used to symbolize Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy who was detained recently by immigration agents along with his father in Minnesota. They have since been released.

“God bless America!” he yelled at the very end of the show while holding the football again and crossing the field with dancers holding various flags in tow, before running off the names of many other Latin countries plus Canada.

WORST:

He could have upped the ante on his wardrobe which was a bit bland even as he changed from a tracksuit into a suit with a tie.

It took awhile for him to escape the sugar cane fields and climb up on top of the stage.

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The wedding, fake or real, could have been played up a bit more although they did get a chance to dance and kiss.

Better use of Ricky Martin, who sat down for his song, when we all know the man can dance.

Bad Bunny waved a Puerto Rican flag while climbing an electrical utility pole alongside others in straw hats but it didn’t quite work as a set piece about power outages on the island territory.

SET LIST:

Tití Me Preguntó

Yo Perreo Sola

VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR

EoO

MONACO

Die With a Smile (Lady Gaga)

BAILE INoLVIDABLE

NUEVAYoL

El Apagón with “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” sung by Ricky Martin

CAFé CON RON

DtMF

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