Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show blends dancing, culture and politics

Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl halftime show this Sunday and has promised a dance-focused performance; his recent Grammy remarks and history of commenting on immigration have added a political dimension to the event.

Four days before the Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium, Bad Bunny is set to perform the halftime show and has kept details sparse. He told reporters he wants viewers to practise their dance moves and avoided giving spoilers, promising a fun, dance-filled set. The artist's recent Grammy remarks about immigration and his broader record of commenting on Puerto Rico and U.S. policy have made his appearance politically resonant. NFL officials and experts have weighed in on how politics might appear on a tightly managed Super Bowl stage. Key facts: - Bad Bunny said viewers should focus on dancing and declined to reveal show specifics at a pre-Super Bowl news conference. - At the Grammys he opened his acceptance speech with a remark opposing ICE and his album was reported as the first Spanish-language album to win album of the year. - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league expects the platform to bring people together and that Bad Bunny understands the role of the stage. - Benjamin Tausig, a scholar of protest music, said halftime shows are tightly scripted so political statements are likely to be implicit rather than explicit, citing Kendrick Lamar's 2025 set as an example. - NFL officials said ICE would not be one of the federal agencies responsible for game-day security, though some local residents reported ongoing concerns. - Right-wing group Turning Point USA announced a rival "All-American Half-time Show" featuring Kid Rock, and commentators have debated the choice to feature a mostly Spanish-language set. Summary: Bad Bunny's halftime performance is framed as an energetic, dance-focused show with broader cultural significance because of his language choices and past remarks on immigration and Puerto Rico. Whether the set will include overt political messaging is undetermined at this time, and observers expect any statements on the Super Bowl stage would be more subtle than those made at an awards show.