Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance showcases love and Latino pride — and sparks Trump's scorn

Bad Bunny promised a high-energy party ahead of his Super Bowl halftime show performance — and the "King of Latin Trap" delivered.

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican superstar took to an elaborate set depicting a landscape from his home island on Sunday night, performing 13 tracks in just under that many minutes at the halftime show put on by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Apple Music.

Kicking off the night with a rendition of Tití Me Preguntó, Bad Bunny strutted through the set past symbols of Puerto Rican life and culture in an all-white suit.

But the artist opted against using his massive platform to make any overt denunciation of U.S. President Donald Trump or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in the United States — instead presenting a message of unity among the people of the Americas.

The performance atop music’s biggest stage is part of a victory lap after a banger year for the Puerto Rican artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. The release of his massively successful sixth studio album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, helped make him the most streamed artist in the world in 2025, according to Spotify.

He played a 30-day residency in Puerto Rico last year and will soon set out touring that album in Europe, Latin America and Asia. This comes on the heels of the star’s big wins at the Grammys just last weekend — including making history with the first all-Spanish language record to win album of the year, for the aforementioned DtMF.

The performance was checkered with references to Puerto Rico — from dancers in pava hats, women at a makeshift nail salon and older men playing dice around a table, to the classic dessert Benito picks up from a roadside stand, or the typical Puerto Rican house — la casita — which Bad Bunny crashed through the roof of part way through the performance. Inside the casita at the star’s mock house party, some Latin celebs could be spotted, including Karol G, Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal.

This wasn’t the first time Benito graced the stage at the Super Bowl. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (both of whom cheered him on ahead of the performance) brought Bad Bunny out as a guest in 2020 when they co-headlined the event, in what the duo said would be a landmark moment for Latino culture and music.

And while Spanish language genres were on display then, tonight is arguably a bigger landmark: Bad Bunny performed solely in Spanish, making him the first halftime act to do so. 

In classic halftime show tradition, Bad Bunny didn’t come alone, either. Lady Gaga joined him on stage, borrowing some classic salsa sound for a dance-y version of her song with Bruno Mars, Die With A Smile, before taking the main act’s hand for a brief dance. 

Bad Bunny then burst into a performance of NUEVAYoL surrounded by backup dancers before handing a Grammy award to a little boy grinning from ear to ear, who many viewers took to represent a younger version of Benito himself. Some commenters online thought the boy bore similarities to five year old Liam Ramos, however — a young boy who was picked up by ICE alongside his father last month.

While the singer wasn't sending an overt political message, some of the song choices made a statement. With backup dancers dangling from power lines and the stadium lights flashing, Bad Bunny sang El Apagón — which translates to "The Blackout," in reference to socioeconomic issues in Puerto Rico, and the frequent power outages its citizens experience. Fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin also came out to sing one of Bad Bunny's tracks about fears of gentrification at home on a set that mirrored the album cover art for DtMF.

Whether the Puerto Rican star would get political was a big question hanging over the performance in the lead-up to it last week, given Bad Bunny has been critical of Trump and his immigration enforcement policies in the past, and following his critical message for ICE at the Grammys.

Still, politics were bound to be in play, given the critical reaction from some conservatives when Bad Bunny was first announced as the headliner in September.