Bad Bunny, born Benito Ocasio, has been officially announced as the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show headliner, taking place Feb. 8. Ocasio, one of the most popular artists in the world, is coming off of the recent success of his 2025 album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” and his following series of performances at his Puerto Rico residency, titled “No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí.” The residency has brought in more than $200 million for the economy of Puerto Rico, and brought incredible amounts of tourism to the island. With the level of success Ocasio has reached, many would assume that his announcement as the Super Bowl headliner would be met with high praise and support. However, this is not the case. Ocasio, the NFL, and Roc Nation, JAY-Z’s entertainment company in charge of organizing the show, have all faced serious backlash following the reveal of the headliner.
Upon the announcement of Ocasio’s headlining performance, many critics vocalized their complaints with the choice, including U.S. President Donald Trump. “I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it,” Trump said in a recent interview with Newsmax’s Greg Kelly.
The MAGA follower base shares similar sentiments, with many taking to X to echo similar sentiments. Demands for “an American headliner” are growing, despite Ocasio’s status as an American citizen, being born in Puerto Rico, and many are expressing a concern with being able to “understand him,” given all of Ocasio’s music is performed in Spanish.
In addition to these remarks, there has been an increasing amount of political tension surrounding Ocasio’s performance. Ocasio, a political activist himself, has a long track record of speaking out against injustice, bringing a voice to often underrepresented puertorriqueños and the Hispanic-American community. Most recently, he’s tackled the gentrification of Puerto Rico and the displacement of locals by tourism in his song and 2025 short film “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” relating the current situation of his home to one faced by Hawaii in its earliest days as a U.S. state, a process causing the island to lose its cultural identity.
Ocasio has also expressed disappointment in the current ICE deployments being ordered by the Trump Administration. Ocasio has cited these ICE raids, which have affected numerous Hispanic-Americans (Ocasio’s main fanbase demographic), as a reason to not tour in the U.S. “There was the issue of—like, ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” Ocasio said to i-D in a recent cover interview.
Ocasio’s concerns have substance to them: Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, emphasized that there would be an ICE presence at Ocasio’s halftime show. “There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Lewandowski said in an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.
Despite the mixed feelings on the show, Ocasio will bring an energetic and moving performance to the largest stage in the world, and leave an undeniable impact. His “No Me Quiero Ir De Aquí” series of performances was universally praised for its cinematic feel, surprise guest performances, and emotional value, all aspects that Ocasio will be sure to showcase for Super Bowl LX.
