Bad Bunny’s halftime show may have been the biggest play in the 2026 Super Bowl. The set included scenes from daily Puerto Rican life, European-style violin music among sugarcane-costumed dancers referencing to Puerto Rico’s years as a sugar island, salsa with dancers in typical U.S. costumes, a symbolic gift of a Grammy award from Benito to a boy representing his younger self, a wedding, and a surprise trap-door drop into a casita. The level of visual excitement, dance, and music kept the attention of Spanish speakers as well as those who couldn’t understand a word.
As a finale, Bad Bunny said, “God Bless America!” in English and then listed nations of the American continents, including the U.S. and ending with the territory of Puerto Rico. The recitation brought a parade of flags for many of the nations that make up North, Central, and South America: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, U.S., and Canada. Finally, Bad Bunny added the territory of Puerto Rico and said, “We are still here” in Spanish.
Reviews described the show as “electric,” “joyful,” and “powerful.” It drew as many as 140,000,000 viewers. If the early estimates are correct, this would be the most-watched halftime show in history.
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying”
President Trump posted this in his social media, but he was mistaken. Some 45 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home, according to the U.S. Census, with another 10 million or so speaking Spanish as a second language.
For monolingual English speakers, the music and dance and the sheer spectacle made the show a joyful celebration. Americans ready for a unifying message cheered the English language messages of “God Bless America!”, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” and “Together we are America.”
The New York Times called the performance “a love letter to Puerto Rico,” but the national audience also felt the love — even if they didn’t get all the visual and lyrical allusions.
People in the know will recognize the push for respect and equality for Puerto Rico, as well as the reminder that Puerto Rican people continue to live in and love Puerto Rico in spite of gentrification and enormous out-migration. The rest saw a call for hemispheric unity and love.
Bad Bunny says he’s an American. He voted in the last presidential election, as is his right since he lives in a state. He took the accusations of being un-American or alien with dignity and Americans across the nation stood up for him. In the halftime show, he stood up for Puerto Rico and for America.
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