Review: Bad Bunny Brings Latin Pride to the Super Bowl Stage

Bad Bunny let the music do the talking, turning the Super Bowl LX halftime show into a full-on celebration that made the entire stadium — and viewers at home — dance and reflect.

The Puerto Rican star made history once again as the first solo Latin artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, delivering a performance in Spanish that felt confident, joyful, and intentional.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — known worldwide as Bad Bunny — once said, “Cada logro de Bad Bunny es un logro de todos los Latinos que me apoyan día a día.” The phrase means that every one of his achievements belongs to the Latinos who support him. That idea sat at the core of his Super Bowl performance. This didn’t feel like a personal victory; it felt collective.

Bad Bunny’s presence, representing Puerto Rico on one of the biggest stages in the world, served as a reminder of the island’s influence on wider American culture and economics. And in a moment when immigration crackdowns in the U.S. have intensified, seeing an artist admired by immigrant communities take center stage felt like a warm recognition — a reminder that their voices are heard, even without saying it explicitly.

Apple Music promoted the show with the tagline “The World Will Dance,” and they weren’t wrong. The entire 13-minute performance unfolded as a celebration filled with cultural and political nuances woven explicitly into the visuals and music.

At around 8:19 p.m., the show started with a young man saying, “Qué rico es ser Latino,” followed by a screen that read, “Espectáculo del medio tiempo del Super Tazón.” From there, Bad Bunny took over as the main storyteller of the performance, wearing a white football jersey with “Ocasio” on the back.

The staging told a familiar story. It started in a sugar cane field, moved into a living room (a nod to his casita shows in Puerto Rico), then into a wedding scene — complete with small, deeply Latin details, like kids sleeping on chairs while the party carries on. By the end, everything exploded into one big communal celebration. Qué rico es ser Latino.

Among the many cultural references seen during the performance, two stood out: one being workers hanging from light poles during “El Apagón,” and later the moment when Benito held the light-blue Puerto Rican flag — a color historically associated with sovereignty and independence movements dating back to 1868.

He closed the performance by naming countries across the American continent and declaring, “Seguimos aquí.” We’re still here.

The Guests

This wasn’t Bad Bunny’s first time on the Super Bowl halftime stage. He previously appeared during Shakira and J.Lo’s 2020 performance alongside J Balvin. This time, he returned as the headliner and invited guests of his own.

Pop giant Lady Gaga joined him for a surprise crossover moment, while Ricky Martin brought legacy and Puerto Rican pride full circle. The guest appearances added range without pulling focus from the cultural core of the show. There were also many cameos in the form of wedding guests, dancers and extras, including Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Young Miko, Cardi B, Karol G and Miami personalities David Grutman and Alix Earle, among others.

In 13 minutes, Bad Bunny managed to teach a cultural and historical lesson about Puerto Rico and the immigrant story — and by passing his recently awarded Grammy to a little boy, he offered hope that the American Dream is not dead.

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Setlist

“Tití Me Preguntó”
“Yo Perreo Sola”
“Safaera”
“Voy a Llevarte Pa’ PR”
“Monaco”
“Die With a Smile” (feat. Lady Gaga)
“Baile Inolvidable”
“NUEVAYoL”
“Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” (feat. Ricky Martin)
“El Apagón”
“Café Con Ron”
“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”