Trump says Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show is ‘terrible’
President Donald Trump had strong words for Bad Bunny’s halftime show, which was a love letter to Puerto Rico.
- Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl 60 halftime show featured guest appearances and Puerto Rican cultural references.
- The performance drew backlash from some conservatives, who organized an alternate halftime show.
- Several Nashville music stars, including Sheryl Crow and Kacey Musgraves, praised Bad Bunny’s performance.
- Other Nashville-connected artists, like Coco Jones and Brandi Carlile, also performed at the Super Bowl.
On Feb. 7, more than 135 million viewers around the world tuned in to watch the “Benito Bowl.”
Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, took the field during Super Bowl 60’s halftime show, delivering a high-octane performance that blended Spanish rap, reggaeton, bomba, hip-hop and Latin pop.
With appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny wound his way through fields of sugar cane, taco and jewelry stands, and piragua (shaved ice) carts.
The 12-minute show was packed with Puerto Rican cultural references and pride, intricate moving parts, and even a real wedding.
On a billboard behind the field, it said: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Ahead of the Super Bowl show, the six-time Grammy winner faced backlash from some conservatives, with critics calling him a “Trump hater” and “un-American.”
After the Super Bowl show, President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying the performance was “absolutely terrible,” “an affront to the Greatness of America” and a “slap in the face” to the country.
Turning Point USA, an organization founded by late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, hosted an alternate performance called the “All-American Halftime Show.”
Headlined by Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, the counter-programming competed directly with the official Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show. Their show raked in about 6 million viewers.
Here are some reactions from Nashville stars about Bad Bunny’s halftime show.
Kid Rock: ‘None of us are approaching this with any hate’
While Kid Rock, a Nashvillian, has not directly reacted to Bad Bunny’s halftime show, he spoke to Fox News in the days leading up to the show.
“Turning Point read the room … they realized there’s a big portion of this country who is underserved entertainment wise,” he said.
“I think I speak for Turning Point and all the artists involved that none of us are approaching this with any hate in our heart at all. It’s just a love for our (fan) base, music, our country and everything else.”
Kid Rock said the NFL should have picked Metallica for the halftime show.
Sheryl Crow: ‘ A beautiful halftime filled with joy’
“Thank you, @badbunnypr, for bringing the love and the unity!” Sheryl Crow posted on Instagram.
“Truly, a beautiful halftime filled with joy!”
Kacey Musgraves: ‘Made me feel proudly American’
The “Golden Hour” star wrote on X, “Well. That made me feel more proudly American than anything Kid Rock has ever done.”
Zach Bryan: ‘What Kid Rock thinks is happening’
Zach Bryan mocked Turning Point’s alternative show with a post on his Instagram story.
He shared a satirical video of his friend blocking Bad Bunny’s show with his hand while watching the Turning Point performance on his phone.
“What Kid Rock actually thinks is happening across America,” Bryan wrote.
In the next slide, he asked followers to forgive his buddy.
“Free him, he is hemorrhaging followers, he watched Bad Bunny with me I swear.”
Noah Kahan: ‘So good’
Kahan posted a video the audience at the Super Bowl’s halftime show with the caption “so good.”
In the next slide, he posted quotes from Bad Bunny’s show: “You should believe in yourself, too. You’re worth more than you think. Trust me.”
All the Nashville connections at this year’s Super Bowl performances
A number of Nashvillians hit the stage as a part of Super Bowl 60’s musical programming.
Ahead of the game, Coco Jones, a 28-year-old R&B singer raised in Lebanon, Tennessee, performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem.
Americana legend Brandi Carlile sang “America the Beautiful” with help from Nashville string duo, Sista Strings.
“There’s entirely too much to unpack from tonight,” the duo wrote on Instagram.
“The energy backstage as we walked past not one but two string orchestras with so many gorgeous men and women of color and cheered each other on … We tapped into some pretty powerful hope tonight!”
And during Bad Bunny’s performance, a familiar face appeared on the field.
Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero, who served as the music director of the Nashville Symphony for nearly 20 years, directed a group of musicians at the center of the show.
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist at The Tennessean. You can reach her at [email protected].
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.tennessean.com ’
