Bad Bunny Met With Uvalde School Shooting Victims

Since he first broke out in 2016, Bad Bunny has proven to be about as bad as the Easter Bunny. The Puerto Rican-born star has used his global platform to encourage fans to vote, loudly voice his support for the LGBTQ community, rap about racism, attend protests and establish the Good Bunny Foundation, which has donated to a number of humanitarian efforts.

In a few years, he went from washing dishes for a living to performing with J.Lo at the Super Bowl, wielding massive influence in between, especially in Puerto Rico, where his cosigning of the #RickyRenuncia movement resulted in the resignation of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in 2019.

The trap/rapper/persistent singer of the single sound of “ay” has been lauded for using his stage presence to bend gender norms and show himself as an ally whether by kissing a male dancer at the VMAs (as he did in the past few weeks) or raising awareness for victims of transphobic violence. His activism is particularly remarkable considering his following hails largely from cultures embedded in deeply machista tradition (unlike that of Harry Styles). It's also imperfect. The musician has been criticized for promoting women’s rights while objectifying them through lyrics. Ricky Martin has called him a "queer icon." GQ called him "The World's Newest Superhero."

But his fandom remains unparalleled. Bad Bunny has continued riding the top of every chart, becoming the most-streamed artist for the last two years  and selling out arenas, as he did at his recent World’s Hottest Tour stop at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

He also used his time in Texas to meet with victims of the May 24 shootings at Robb Elementary in Uvalde.

On Sunday, a nonprofit called The Correa Family Organization, which aids victims of cancer and natural disasters, posted photos of the artist with Mayah Zamora, a 10-year-old survivor of the shooting who spent over two months at a San Antonio hospital recovering from gunshot wounds that required more than 20 surgeries.

The photos show Bad Bunny signing a T-shirt and posing with Zamora backstage at AT&T, where he played on Friday, Sept. 9.
According to the nonprofit, Bad Bunny also partnered with the organization to build a fully refurbished home for Zamora’s family.

Just a few days earlier, the artist invited the families of the Uvalde shooting victims to attend his San Antonio show in VIP suites.

Steven Garcia and Jennifer Lugo, the parents of 9-year-old Robb Elementary shooting victim Ellie Garcia, posted on Facebook about their experience at the show, which they said included dinner and “gifts.”

“Thank you Mr Bunny, Bad Bunny for bringing us out we are all beyond excited to see you tonight,” Garcia wrote.

The artist hasn’t always used his influence to champion noble causes, and at times has propagated the worst of societal ills: In 2020, Bad Bunny dropped a collaboration with Crocs. Just when you thought the clunky, plastic, fashion cancer of a shoe couldn’t get any uglier, Bad Bunny’s designs covered the holes on the slip-on clogs with the kind of glow-in-the-dark stars you stuck on your bedroom ceiling in the ‘90s.

So far, the reggaeton artist has not started any Texas-specific movements like #TedResign or #GregResign, and the two politicians should really hope he doesn't. The Crocs sold out in minutes.