The NFL’s decision to have Bad Bunny headline the Super Bowl halftime show was announced as another reflection of the league’s modern, global reach, a booking of one of the most commercially successful artists in the world at the height of his influence. But the celebration quickly turned into controversy.
Advertisement
An anonymous NFL player dismissed the selection in comments that went viral, saying, “I don’t even know who Bad Bunny is. I always think it should be an American. I think they’re trying too hard with this international stuff.”
The remark immediately drew criticism, not just for its dismissive tone, but for a fundamental factual error.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is American. He is a native of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory whose residents are American citizens by birth. What began as a critique of the halftime show soon morphed into a broader debate about citizenship, identity, and who is considered “American” on the country’s biggest sports stage.
Fans were quick to respond online. “Nick Bosa not knowing that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory,” one user wrote. Another added, “The lack of general education in this country continues to astound me.”
Others pointed out the inconsistency in outrage, asking whether similar complaints were ever raised about past halftime performers such as Rihanna, Shakira, U2, Paul McCartney, or The Rolling Stones.
A list of actual non-Americans who performed at the Super Bowl but nobody & their mama complained about it 😂
– Paul McCartney (UK)
– U2 (Ireland)
– Shania Twain (Canada)
– The Rolling Stones (UK)
– Coldplay (UK)
– Shakira (Colombia)
– Rihanna (Barbados)
– The Weeknd (Canada) pic.twitter.com/rrHFdIUMrs— Lui Hard😎 (@LuiHard) February 3, 2026
— Beavis Lipschitt (@BeavisLipschitt) February 2, 2026
Couldn’t agree more crowd😂 pic.twitter.com/AL8XdhD5uW
— Franky (@frankyyvv) February 2, 2026
As the backlash grew, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell publicly defended the league’s choice, especially after scrutiny intensified following Bad Bunny’s comments criticizing ICE during his Album of the Year speech at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Speaking Monday night, Goodell said he does not expect the performance to take a political turn.
“Bad Bunny is one of the great artists in the world,” Goodell said. “That’s one of the reasons we chose him. But the other reason is he understands the platform he’s on, that it’s used to unite people and bring them together.”
Goodell added that he believes the artist will rise to the moment, saying, “I think Bad Bunny understands it, and I think he’ll have a great performance.”
