Legendary musician and longtime actor Steven Van Zandt is among those who came away frustrated with Bad Bunny’s controversial Super Bowl halftime show, accusing the Puerto Rican superstar of encouraging “division.”
Van Zandt, who has been a key member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band for parts of six decades, questioned the NFL’s decision not to include subtitles for a performance he viewed as “exclusively for the Latino audience.”
“I’m sorry — no subtitles was a bad decision and an insult to the audience,” Van Zandt wrote in a since-deleted X post. “Subtitles would have been ‘countering division.’ Having none encourages it.”
In follow-up posts, Van Zandt explained that his problem with the halftime show was not personal or directed at Bad Bunny himself. Instead, he questioned why there was no opportunity for fans who do not speak Spanish to understand what Bad Bunny was saying.
Van Zandt speaks from experience. He and the E Street Band performed the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in February 2009.
So ok you’re comparing Bad Bunny to Mozart, and I’m sure you’re right. But would it have killed Roc Nation to share his lyric genius with the rest of us? That’s a big audience opportunity to educate and share his insights. https://t.co/xaOr0MZ2io
— 🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇦🕉Stevie Van Zandt☮️💙 (@StevieVanZandt) February 9, 2026
“Bad Bunny missed an opportunity tonight to expand, educate, and provide his insights to a massive audience he’ll never have again,” Van Zandt said. “And if you are a moron, you can call that racism, but that says more about you than it does about me.”
Van Zandt also dismissed the idea that his criticism of the halftime show was politically motivated. Some viewers opted to skip Bad Bunny’s performance and instead watch Turning Point USA’s alternative halftime show, which featured Kid Rock and Brantley Gilbert, among others. As of Tuesday morning, TPUSA’s “All-American Halftime Show” had more than 24 million views on YouTube across the organization’s official channel and Charlie Kirk’s channel.
As for why he deleted the initial post, Van Zandt wrote, “Too much [expletive] to contend with. I don’t have the time.”
Not all musicians agreed with Van Zandt. John Mellencamp wrote on Instagram, “I don’t know what Bad Bunny is saying. However, I do know he is standing up for Puerto Rico, and I am standing up for him. His [halftime] show was great.”
Great! We all loved it! https://t.co/mZWfCz19xn
— 🇺🇸🇮🇱🇺🇦🕉Stevie Van Zandt☮️💙 (@StevieVanZandt) February 9, 2026
The NFL posted Bad Bunny’s full halftime show on YouTube, where it had more than 53 million views as of publication.
Super Bowl LXI will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which last hosted the Big Game in 2022. That year’s halftime show was headlined by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar (who later headlined last year’s halftime show), with guest appearances by 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. Other recent Super Bowl halftime performers include The Weeknd (2021), Rihanna (2023), and Usher (2024).
The NFL has not announced who will perform at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, and that news likely will not come until September or October. Turning Point USA has also confirmed that it intends to host its own halftime show again next year.
