Bad Bunny has hopped into the Super Bowl, and so far, the choice to have him play at the halftime performance has turned into another debate between the left and right. Who could’ve guessed?

The Puerto Rican artist, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, announced in a commercial break during the Cowboys and Packers game that he’s going to be playing at the 2026 NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show. And, by no surprise, it has quickly turned into “another round in the culture wars over what “real America” should look and sound like (The Atlantic).”

One notable opponent of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl appearance is Danica Patrick, a former race car driver and an outspoken supporter of President Trump. Patrick recently posted on X calling Bad Bunny a “demonic Marxist” and saying, “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year … not just for sports (New York Post).” However, I think Patrick must be forgetting that Latin American music in the United States has been declared the fastest growing genre, amounting to around $1.42 billion dollars in 2024 alone.

The news also reached the White House, with Chief Advisor to the Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, Corey Lewandowski, commenting, “It’s so shameful that they’ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime (show).” And even President Trump, who in an interview earlier this week said, “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy.”

And despite the blatant irony by MAGA and right-wing enthusiasts who say that Bad Bunny goes against American values when Puerto Rico is quite literally apart of the United States, this still isn’t even the craziest part.

The New York Times stated, “Turning Point USA, the organization founded by the late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, announced on social media that it will be hosting its own Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 8, 2026, to counter the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny.”

The performance, which will be called The All-American Halftime Show centered around “faith, family, and freedom”, has yet to announce the artist that will be playing; however, Turning Point USA did ask an intriguing and thoughtful question to find out what kind of music the fans wanted: “What music genres would you like to see featured?” Insightful, right?

Of course, the opposition towards Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl appearance is mainly rooted in his political stances, in addition to his decision to not playing any shows of his DeBí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour in the United States out of fear of ICE agents attacking his fans. “But there was the issue of — like, f‑‑‑ing ICE could be outside [my concerts],” he told i-D magazine. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.””

And the Trump administration has assured Bad Bunny’s fears, claiming that there is no safe haven for undocumented immigrants. Lewandowski reported, “If there are illegal aliens, I don’t care if it’s (at) a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else, we’re going to do enforcement everywhere because we are going to make Americans safe. That is a directive from the president (New York Times).”

Yet throughout all the chaos surrounding a Latin American artist being featured at the NFL halftime show, Bad Bunny was in no doubt the right choice.

“Bad Bunny represents the global energy and cultural vibrancy that define today’s music scene”, bridging genres, languages, and audiences with “dynamic performances, creative vision, and a deep connection with fans will deliver the kind of unforgettable experience we’ve come to expect from this iconic cultural moment (New York Post).”

Furthermore, in an interview done by NPR, one fan commented on the feeling that Bad Bunny’s music portrays, stating, “You sit in that room, like Felix said, and you feel the pride of what it feels like to be proud of where you’re from and to be unapologetic about that and to sing in Spanish and to scream in Spanish.”

I have nothing but excitement coming up for this Super Bowl Halftime Show. I’m ready to see the kind of performance that Bad Bunny will be putting on, along with his messages of championing community, his love for Puerto Rico and its culture, and self-love and pride. I also hope that Bad Bunny will use his platform to raise attention to anti-Latino sentiment, especially in times like these when violence, hate, and harassment faced by immigrants is at an unpromising rise.

But only time will tell! So whether you are watching the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the knockoff Turning Point USA version of it, or neither, I hope that you will find ways to show love for your community just as Bad Bunny has done for his.