Rapper and singer Bad Bunny has been announced as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer by the NFL on Sunday. The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
This comes after Bad Bunny opted out of touring in the United States, according to an interview with i-D Magazine.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican is one of the most-streamed artists on Spotify, having accumulated three Grammy awards in his career. Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is going to begin his “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” world tour in November and is set to continue into the middle of 2026.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown,” Bad Bunny said in the NFL’s press release. “This is for my people, my culture and our history.”
When asked about why he wouldn’t be giving any concerts in the U.S., Bad Bunny told i-D Magazine in an interview that, “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times,” He said, “But there was the issue of… ICE could be outside [my concert].”
The Super Bowl has a history of Latin American artists headlining the halftime show, such as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Estefan and more.
“I was super excited to find out that Bad Bunny was performing. I really enjoyed the J.Lo performance a couple years ago, so to know that another Latin artist is performing this year, I’m just really excited to see, especially because he’s a solo artist,” said Yeabsra Guetachew, a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering.
Naomi Kassahun, a junior majoring in human biology, liked how the Super Bowl was incorporating other cultures.
“American football seems like very stable, one kind of music, so I like how they’re bringing that in,” said Kassahun.
Kendrick Lamar performed at Super Bowl LIX earlier this year, exceeding expectations after the release of his album “GNX,” leaving one Super Bowl fan skeptical about Bad Bunny’s upcoming show.
“His [Lamar] performance was really, really good, I don’t know if he [Bad Bunny] could top it, but I guess we’ll see,” said Eratzmo Ovando, a freshman majoring in accounting and finance.