Facing hatred, Bad Bunny led the Super Bowl with love.
When the superstar said everyone would dance during the Super Bowl halftime show, Latinos around the world immediately knew what that meant: that we’d be watching a collective celebration of Caribbean Latino culture on full display.
Everyone who listened to his Grammy Award-winning Debí Tirar Más Fotos can understand how deeply ingrained his pride for his homeland is. Through symbols such as the Pava hat, the plataneras (plantain trees) and the plastic chairs visible on the album cover, he sends a clear message: This is what Puerto Rico is about.
Through these references, which are also embedded in his lyrics, he describes his culture and upbringing. With that intention, he developed his historic residency in Puerto Rico, and during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, we saw that story condensed into 13 minutes with a 14-song setlist. The references, the messaging and the call for unity were braided into the show, in which he performed most of the songs from Debí Tirar Más Fotos, as well as previous hits “Mónaco,” “Party,” “Safaera,” “Yo Perreo Sola” and “Titi me Preguntó.”
He kicked off the show with “Titi me preguntó” as the crowd watched a celeb-studded Casita — the most iconic piece of his residency and tour — that included Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Cardi B, Young Miko and Jessica Alba. The whole demeanor of a Puerto Rican marquesina, which is the front porch of the houses on the island, is that that’s where the reggaeton and Latin trap house parties take place. So the world saw some of Hollywood’s most popular Latino artists and actors, partying Boricua style.
As the show progressed, more symbols of Puerto Rican culture came up. The most symbolic to Puerto Rican culture was Ricky Martin’s surprise performance of “Lo Que Le Pasó A Hawaii” while sitting on the iconic plastic chairs that are on the cover of the álbum. The song, which speaks about ethnic cleansing and colonization, talks about what is happening to Puerto Rico, as it gets stripped of its culture and identity, just like Hawaii.
Lady Gaga’s salsa rendition of “Die With a Smile” felt like an assertion to the Latino community that salsa is for everyone and that it is now a global genre. Gaga, who shed a few tears during the Grammys when Bad Bunny won album of the year. “I don’t think he needs any [advice] from me. He knows who he is, and that’s the only thing that matters when you step onto that stage. All he has to do is be the beautiful person he already is, and the world will feel his heart,” she previously said to People.
In another powerful moment for the Latino community, a child is watching Bunny on TV with his parents, and the artist comes over and hands him a Grammy. Some have interpreted the move as a tribute from Benito to his inner child, who dreamed of achieving success, but who never thought he would be the star he sees on television.
The finale of the show had a clear message: We are all one. As Benito named every country in the American continent, he expressed that what’s most important is moving with love. President Trump expressed his opinion on Truth Social shortly after, stating, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”
But for Latinos, it felt like the opposite of the president’s opinion. For those of us who grew up in Latino households in the United States, the moment is particularly meaningful. Even in 2026, we are rarely offered a seat at the table. Being acknowledged by a global audience isn’t common, and we’ve been taught that to be heard, we need to be less Latino and more “American.”
Our parents taught us to develop two personalities: the one at home, where “Se habla español,” and the one outside the house, where you speak English with your peers and do what they do to fit in. Up until now, we have seen Latin artists who, to go global, would do the same. An infamous crossover — developing an album in English to tap into the U.S. market — was fundamental to Ricky Martin and Shakira.
Then came Bad Bunny, who decided to never play by those rules and to tell us all that we didn’t have to either. Benito made the world adapt to him, not the other way around, and his performance on the Super Bowl stage was no different. He expects us all to understand where he is coming from and what he wants to say.
As Turning Point USA’s halftime show reflects, many in this country still aren’t ready for that type of celebration, with some preferring to carve out an alternative altogether instead.
Meanwhile, the Latino community, while living a moment of joy and empowerment by the biggest artist in the world, is currently living in fear due to the mass deportation by ICE. To see Benito celebrate the very thing that we actually are gives the people a place of belonging.
“No Me Quiero ir De Aquí” was a visual interpretation of everything “Badbo” — as some call him — had in mind when telling the story of the Puerto Ricans and their sentiment, whether they live on the island or migrated to the U.S.
And that’s what it’s always been about for him. Puerto Rico, Latinos and belonging.