Bad Bunny responded to MAGA critics upset he'll be the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performer during his Saturday Night Live monologue on Saturday by speaking in Spanish — then telling them they have four months to learn what he just said.
Why it matters: It was the first time Bad Bunny, one of the world's most popular performers, had responded to far-right commentators, and signals he has no intention of pulling back on a potentially provocative and political performance in February.
Driving the news: During his monologue, Bad Bunny played an edited montage of Fox News personalities saying he was their favorite musician and he should be the next U.S. president.
- Fox News has been one of the most vocal critics of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime selection, with some even suggesting he was too international (he is a U.S. citizen since he was born in Puerto Rico).
- "I'm very excited to be doing the Super Bowl and I know people around the world who love my music are also happy, especially all Latinos," he said in English after the montage.
- "All Latinos and Latinas throughout the world and here in the United States, all people who have worked to open doors...more than an achievement of mine," he then said in Spanish.
"Our footprints and contributions in this country...no one will be able to take it away or erase it," he continued in Spanish.
- He then added, "And if you didn't understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."
Context: Far-right commentators lashed out on social media almost immediately after the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Bad Bunny as 2026's Super Bowl halftime performer.
- MAGA-aligned commentators accused the Puerto Rican artist of being a "demonic Marxist" and attacked him for criticizing ICE raids.
- Others said he wasn't American enough because he performs mainly in Spanish.
- An adviser to Homeland Security even suggested that ICE agents may be dispatched to the Super Bowl during his performance — even though the Puerto Rican-born performer is a U.S. citizen. (Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and ICE cannot legally detain him).
- When asked about it at a press conference on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said of ICE being at the Super Bowl, "as far as I'm aware, there's no tangible plan for that in store right now."
Between the lines: The anger about Bad Bunny stems from ignorance that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and that he's an outspoken Latino artist, Amílcar Antonio Barreto, Northeastern professor of Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies, told Axios.
- Barreto said Bad Bunny's choice to speak out politically and perform in Spanish shows he creates on his own terms — something that unsettles some people.
Zoom out: Bad Bunny has become one of the most popular musical stars on Earth and just finished a 31-concert residence in Puerto Rico, while refusing to perform in the continental U.S. because of ongoing ICE raids.
- He was the third-most-streamed artist globally on Spotify last year and the only Latino to crack a top-five spot on Spotify's list.
- His 2022 album "Un Verano Sin Ti" is the most-streamed album on Spotify of all time.
Go deeper: Bad Bunny's Super Bowl backlash part of history for Latino performers
