After months of speculation around, the NFL recently confirmed that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026. But while the three-time GRAMMY winner is one of the most streamed artists on the planet, the announcement has ignited a wave of criticism online.
Advertisement
For many fans, two points of discontent keep resurfacing. First, detractors point to Bad Bunny’s decision to skip U.S. tour dates in 2025, citing fears that ICE could target Latino fans attending his concerts. Second, with most of his catalogue performed in Spanish, some have questioned whether the halftime show can truly connect with NFL’s traditional audience.
Yet while skeptics have been vocal against Bad Bunny and the NFL, others see the move as not just bold, but brilliant. In fact, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark went so far as to call it “absolute genius.”
“I think sometimes you’ve got to not only be honest with yourself, but be honest with the people that see you every day,” Clark said before making his case.
“I think Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime show is absolute genius. If you’re the NFL, you always fight this stigma of that’s America’s sport. That’s why they play in Brazil now. That’s why they play in Ireland… Mexico… London,” he added.
The former Super Bowl winner hence argued that the NFL’s international expansion and global audience make a megastar like Bad Bunny a natural fit. “You want to make people watch this game or you want somebody to tune in from a viewership standpoint that ain’t your traditional American football fan? Put Bad Bunny out there at halftime,” he said.
To make his point even stronger, Clark pointed out the Bad Bunny’s recent cultural impact, from streaming a blockbuster Amazon concert to starring in Happy Gilmore II. “Everybody was posting about it. Everybody was talking about it. And when he does something like that, it’s the layup and the alley-oop for Roger Goodell and Jay-Z,” RC noted.
Bad Bunny is a genius pick for a Super Bowl halftime perform! The viewership just keeps growing, & who cares who is mad? The NFL has its eyes on the international prize, & there’s no one bigger.
The NFL is the biggest sport in America, but their stars don’t shine as bright as… pic.twitter.com/R8mU2XGjBy
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 2, 2025
While Ryan Clark did seem to get the frustration from critics, he feels that the NFL’s decision to appoint Bad Bunny was about flexing its cultural influence and continuing their path towards expansion:
“This the NFL flexing its muscle. You from the outside can’t tell me who y’all want. You can’t tell me what they could look like, what they could sound like, where they could be. And by the way, the one we going to get going to be bigger than anybody else we could get anyway. I think it’s a genius move.”
So while the debate rages on between those skeptical of a Spanish-heavy setlist and those excited about the historic representation, the NFL has made its play.
And if Ryan Clark is right, Bad Bunny’s halftime show may just prove to be a milestone in how the league defines its audience going forward. Safe to say, the fallout after the Puerto Rican star’s performance will be super interesting to see.
