Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny delivered a historic performance for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, with vignettes that brought Puerto Rican culture to the forefront along with a house party, cameos and even a full blown wedding, with Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio serving as the couple’s witness.
“My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I’m here today at Super Bowl 60 it’s because I never, ever stopped believing in myself and you should also believe in yourself, you’re worth more than you think,” the singer announced in Spanish during the performance.
The halftime show, performed entirely in Spanish, also drew criticism, with President Donald Trump calling it “one of the worst ever.” It also comes amid the background of Trump’s wide-scale immigration crackdown.
“The show is just a slap in the face to our country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The show came midway through Super Bowl LX, during a highly anticipated rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.Defense dominated the game, with the Seahawks winning 29-13.
Bad Bunny, joined by many famous faces, took the stage during the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
How did the Bad Bunny halftime show start?
The football field at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California was transformed into a set meant to look like Puerto Ric’s sugarcane fields, surrounded by jíbaros in pavas (rural farmers in traditional straw hats), viejitos playing dominos (an affectionate term for older men) and a piragua stand (shaved ice) — undeniable symbols of Puerto Rico.
He started with his huge reggaeton-and-then-some hits, “Tití Me Preguntó” moving into “Yo Perreo Sola,” as he reemerged on top of the casita (“little house”) from his Puerto Rican residency. Then he crashed through the roof — Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” played for a moment, clearly an acknowledgement and celebration of the Puerto Rican artists who laid the path for his career to go global.
Celebrity cameos at Bad Bunny’s halftime show
Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Young Miko, Ronald Acuña Jr., Alix Earle and Dave Grutman were guests at his pari de marquesina (“house party.”).
And, Lady Gaga performed a salsa version of her hit song “Die With a Smile.”
Ricky Martin, one of Puerto Rico’s greatest crossover artists, was also there and performed Bad Bunny’s “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” (“What Happened to Hawaii”), a rallying cry for Puerto Rico’s cultural autonomy in an era of neocolonialization. Martin sat in a plastic chair in front of a plantain tree; a scene that mirrored the cover of Bad Bunny’s 2025 album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
Behind Martin, jíbaros in pavas climbed power poles that exploded, symbolic of Puerto Rico’s frequent blackouts and failing power grid. It queued up a moving performance of 2022 song “El Apagón” (“The Blackout”), in reference to Hurricane Maria, its aftermath and the continued anger and frustration over persistent, chronic power outages.
As he sang one of his most political songs, Bad Bunny held a Puerto Rico flag in red, white and baby blue — reflective of the Puerto Rican independence movement.
Was the wedding real?
The artistic performance also included a wedding — but it wasn’t reenacted. It was real.
About five minutes into the 13-minute extravaganza, the latter part of a wedding ceremony was shown, with a smiling officiant declaring the couple married, and the husband and wife, both wearing white, shared a kiss as dancers and musicians surrounded them and smiled.
After the show, his representative confirmed that the couple had actually been married during the show. The unnamed husband and wife had invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, but he said they should instead be part of his halftime show.
The artist served as a witness and signed their marriage certificate. There was a real cake too.
What was on the football Bad Bunny carried in halftime show?
Throughout the performance, Bad Bunny carried a football and wore an all-white football jersey with the number 64 and his real last name, Ocasio.
He ended his performance by revealing a message written on the football, which he spiked.
“Together we are America,” the message read.
He also spoke in English at the end of the set, when he said, “God Bless America,” and then named countries in the Americas: “Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil” and so on, including the United States and Canada — a reminder that while it is common to use “America” as a synonym for the U.S. in the U.S., it is the name used across two continents.
“And my motherland, mi patria, Puerto Rico, seguimos aquí.” In English, “My homeland, Puerto Rico, we are still here.”
Behind him, a screen read “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” in English text, a direct reference to one of his recent speeches at the 2026 Grammys.
He ended with “DtMF” as he walked out of the stadium, joined by musicians with güiros (a percussive instrument made of a hollow gourd) and panderetas (tambourines, a symbol of plena.)
Has Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl before?
One of the most-streamed artists for years, Bad Bunny previously appeared during the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV in 2020 alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. He sang in Spanish alongside two artists whose bilingual hits helped usher in a crossover era for Latin music in the ’00s.
Consider Bad Bunny’s 2026 halftime performance the cherry on top of a huge moment for the 31-year-old global superstar, who just 10 years ago was working at an Econo supermarket in Puerto Rico.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nbcchicago.com ’
