NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is standing by Bad Bunny as next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performer amid continued MAGA backlash over the decision. Apple Music and the NFL announced Sept. 28 that Bad Bunny would headline the 2026 Super Bowl, prompting several conservative figures to lash out at the choice — given the music superstar sings primarily in Spanish.
“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said while defending Bad Bunny (via AP). “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching… We’re confident it’s going to be a great show. He understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”
Goodell added about Bad Bunny, “He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world. That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”
Donald Trump said during a NewsMax interview earlier this month that it was “absolutely ridiculous” for Bad Bunny to perform at the Super Bowl, even though he had not heard of the singer.
“I don’t know who he is… I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy,” Trump said at the time. “And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment — I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was one of the first people to publicly condemn the selection of Bad Bunny, going as far as threatening that ICE agents would be present at the Super Bowl next year. He warned: “There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you and apprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you. Know that is a very real situation under this administration, which is contrary to how it used to be.”
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl announcement was notable, as the NFL championship game is now his only U.S. concert appearance set for 2026. The singer’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, which is scheduled to run from December through July 2026, is purposefully not stopping in the States. Bad Bunny told I-D magazine last month that his fear of ICE raids was part of the reason why he skipped touring in the U.S.
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Lewandowski’s thoughts were later echoed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary head Kristi Noem, who said on Benny Johnson’s podcast that ICE will be “all over that place,” referring to the 2026 Super Bowl, and has every intention to “enforce the law” at the Super Bowl.
In recent days, various publications have reported on a viral internet petition that calls for the NFL to replace Bad Bunny with country music icon George Strait. Turning Point USA, the right-wing organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, has also announced plans to host its own Super Bowl Halftime Show in protest of Bad Bunny.
Many musicians, meanwhile, have come to Bad Bunny’s defense. Shakira, who performed with Bad Bunny during her own Super Bowl Halftime Show with Jennifer Lopez, championed Bad Bunny getting the chance to headline by telling Variety: “I’m so proud that Bad Bunny, who represents not only Latin culture but also how important Spanish language music has become on a global scale and how universal it has become, is getting to perform on the biggest stage in the world. It’s the perfect moment for a performance like this. I can’t wait to watch it.”
The 2026 Super Bowl is set for Sunday, Feb. 8.
From Variety US