Let’s Stop Pretending Politics Is the Reason People Are Angry About Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Set 

Since the NFL announced Bad Bunny arsenic headliner of the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, seemingly each pundit connected world has had immoderate profound opinion.

In The New York Times, Molly Jong-Fast labeled Bad Bunny an “anti-ICE popular star” successful a file titled “The N.F.L. Gets it: Why Don’t Democrats?” insinuating that Bad Bunny is the look that tin someway prevention Democrats from freefall. On the flip side, MAGA mavens piled connected the disapproval accelerated and furious, with podcaster Benny Johnson labeling Bad Bunny an “anti-ICE activist” and “massive Trump hater.”

And, erstwhile a large web interviewed maine unrecorded instantly aft the Bad Bunny announcement, I was asked: “Isn’t helium controversial?” I was genuinely baffled astatine the question. “No, he’s not,” I said successful implicit truthfulness.

Bad Bunny hasn’t had large scandals of immoderate sort; helium has nary apprehension record; he’s ne'er made quality for being intoxicated oregon nether the influence; helium hasn’t had nationalist fights with different celebrities oregon newsmakers, nor is helium known for provocative societal media posts oregon proclamations. He’s not fixed to making polarizing statements oregon offering governmental opinions, prevention for those straight related to his homeland of Puerto Rico, wherever helium lives full-time.

And portion respective Latin artists person been openly captious of the United States’ existent migration policy, adjacent there, Bad Bunny has tread lightly. His wide quoted remark regarding ICE came astatine the tail-end of an interrogation published online by i-D mag successful September, wherever helium was pointedly asked if his determination to not springiness concerts successful the U.S. was retired of interest astir the wide deportations of Latinos here.

“There were galore reasons wherefore I didn’t amusement up successful the US, and nary of them were retired of hatred — I’ve performed determination galore times. All of [the shows] person been successful,” helium said, noting that Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the US, and “People from the U.S. could travel present to spot the show.” But, helium added, “there was the contented of—like, f–king ICE could beryllium extracurricular [my concert]. And it’s thing that we were talking astir and precise acrophobic about.”

Is that truly a arguable statement? The antheral isn’t saying thing against the U.S. oregon the U.S. authorities — and hasn’t adjacent mentioned President Trump, arsenic galore different artists person straight and pointedly done, including rapper Doechii successful her caller BET Awards acceptance speech.

The information that an creator has antithetic governmental views from the president shouldn’t disqualify them from performing astatine the Super Bowl. Taylor Swift, aft all, was wide speculated to beryllium the Super Bowl performer successful 2026 and she has aligned herself with Democratic authorities — but it’s hard to ideate the aforesaid radical would beryllium arsenic aggravated astir her Super Bowl acceptable conscionable due to the fact that of her politics.

Furthermore, arsenic a Puerto Rican, Bad Bunny is considered a U.S. citizen, tin ballot successful statesmanlike primaries and pays state, section and income taxes (Puerto Ricans tin besides person representatives astatine legislature meetings, but they cannot ballot successful wide elections). Despite his citizenship, however, Bad Bunny sings lone successful Spanish and speaks English with a Spanish accent. And that is what has everybody’s panties –from the near and from the close — tied up successful a knot.

Spanish is the second-most-spoken connection successful the satellite among autochthonal speakers, 2nd lone to Mandarin. In the U.S., Spanish is the seco...