Jimmy Kimmel returned to television this week and wasted no time poking fun at President Donald Trump’s supporters, who have erupted in outrage over the announcement that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
During the October 8 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the 57-year-old late-night host addressed the backlash from Trump’s MAGA base and Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who suggested that country singer Lee Greenwood should perform instead.
Kimmel played a clip of Johnson’s comments before laughing and responding, “The only name he could come up with is Lee Greenwood! Lee Greenwood is 82 years old! Mike, besides ‘God Bless the USA,’ name one Lee Greenwood song. Name one, and we’ll let him do the halftime show, I promise!”
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The host continued to rib Johnson and MAGA critics, saying their outrage over Bad Bunny’s selection showed how out of touch they were with pop culture. “Mike said he didn’t even know who Bad Bunny was,” Kimmel noted with a grin. “Well, now he does — and apparently that’s a problem.”
The announcement that Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl in New Orleans sparked a wave of complaints from right-wing commentators and social media users. Critics claimed that choosing the 31-year-old Grammy-winning artist was “un-American” because of his political views and his criticism of Trump-era immigration policies.
Despite being a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny has been falsely accused by some online users of being a “non-American.” One Reddit user wrote, “Of course, the NFL would announce a non-US citizen for the Super Bowl Halftime show, right on cue.”
Kimmel mocked those misconceptions and pointed out the irony of their complaints. “You’d think they’d like a guy who waves a flag and sings about his country,” he joked. “They just don’t like which country he’s from.”
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Robbie Starbuck accused the NFL of promoting “woke propaganda,” writing on X, “Is it that hard to pick a unifying act that doesn’t want to peddle woke propaganda? This isn’t about music — it’s about putting a guy on stage who hates Trump and MAGA.”
Kimmel, who has often clashed with conservative audiences, wrapped up his monologue by saying the controversy highlights how deeply politics has seeped into entertainment. “If Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl offends you,” he said, “maybe football isn’t the only thing you’ve lost touch with.”
“I never heard of him. I don't know who he is. I don't know why they're doing it.”
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 7, 2025
On Monday’s “Greg Kelly Reports,” President Donald Trump joined the show and commented on the NFL’s decision to feature singer Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer. @gregkellyusa… pic.twitter.com/LP6DNMDFgs
