Bad Bunny exceeded expectations with his much-anticipated performance on the Super Bowl halftime show. The Puerto Rican rapper turned the event into a flashpoint for cultural debate since a major sector of American critics could not decipher his Spanish-language performance.
In fact, it ended up stirring cultural-war debate on social media, based on claims that the language of his performance could not be understood by many.
The performance celebrated Puerto Rican heritage through the use of powerful symbols. These included putting up Latin American street scenes and even wearing the traditional pava hat. It also incorporated special guest appearances of several Latin icons and celebrities. Despite that, the performance is now facing backlash and becoming a topic of controversy.
ALL THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES BEING MENTIONED BY BAD BUNNY IN THE HALFTIME SHOW. #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/sYySsOmTE8
— Access Bad Bunny (@AccessBadBunny) February 9, 2026
It all started when President Donald Trump, in his fiery Truth Social post, criticized Bad Bunny’s show, calling it the worst ever. He claimed that much of the audience couldn’t understand Spanish and said the performance was a dud.
An excerpt from his post read, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. 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.”
The performance then became a topic of debate on Fox News, with a commentator saying that Bad Bunny refused to use even ‘one word of English’. However, social media commenters seemed to have a different take on the entire matter, including some strikingly polarized reactions. While many praised the artistry reflecting on cultural pride, others chalked it down to a lack of English lyrics, which made it difficult for listeners to interpret.
Bad Bunny closed out his #SuperBowl performance with a billboard behind him saying:
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love” pic.twitter.com/anIvbxr4NT
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 9, 2026
A social media user wrote on X, “You don’t have to understand a single word of an opera to appreciate and be moved by the music and lyrics”, while another wrote “, Whose idea was it to have a foreign national perform?” Interestingly, considering the stiff political criticism which the performance fetched, netizens even condemned if the cultural diversity of America was being questioned at the very core here.
Echoing similar sentiments, a viewer penned, “There were English words in there. He didn’t understand them because they were positive”. Some users even defended Bad Bunny’s performance by comparing it with that of Lady Gaga and commented, “I understood Lady Gaga’s Spanish perfectly. I’m more bilingual than most.” A third added, “Bad Bunny clearly got his message across. These Fox News ‘pundits are idiots. America is not the center of the universe.”
Bad Bunny said “God Bless America” then brought out the flag of EVERY country in the American Continent to remind gringos the world doesn’t revolve around YOU
— devilette (@deviIette) February 9, 2026
Well, there have been some supporters of the Puerto Rican rapper who highlighted that it was untrue to claim that his Super Bowl performance was totally in Spanish. They pointed out that he did use a few English phrases, including ‘God Bless America’, which only interpreted his love for the culturally diverse country. The show’s final message, “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate is Love”, became the highlight in the wake of all the criticism coming for Bad Bunny.
