Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, the artist known as Bad Bunny, said he is “excited” to headline this year’s Super Bowl Halftime show, but he had a special message for critics.
The NFL announced that the 31-year-old star will be the headlining act for the championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in February, setting off a wave of criticism over choosing the Puerto Rican native.
Bad Bunny jabbed the critics during his monologue at the opening of the 51st season of “Saturday Night Live,” telling them they have “four months to learn” Spanish.
Bad Bunny’s monologue! pic.twitter.com/pjS0Ejckcg
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025
“I’m really excited to be doing the Super Bowl, I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy,” he said before delivering his message in Spanish.
“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” he said, according to translations. “It’s more than a win for myself; it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
“If you didn’t understand what I just said,” he told non-Spanish-speaking viewers, “you have four months to learn.”
A short video teasing the halftime performance announcement showed the artist sitting on a goalpost wearing what CBS News described as “a Puerto Rican straw hat, which is a nod to Puerto Rican mid-century farmers.”
In a statement after he was named the headlining act, Bad Bunny said, “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself.”
“It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL,” he added.
MAGA-hating Bad Bunny’s defiant message after NFL Super Bowl honor https://t.co/uwcGLTpq7a via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) September 29, 2025
He announced he would not be touring the U.S. because he was concerned about federal ICE agents being present outside of venues where he would play.
“I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States,” the Grammy-winner wrote in a post on X, after a decision to skip a U.S. stop on his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour.
His latest defiant message on SNL earned cheers from his fans but did nothing to win over critics.
Nah, I think I’ll just turn the channel during halftime.
— AA.Raphael (@Ephesians2_428) October 6, 2025
How arrogant.
— Ultra MAGA Deplorable Deb (@DebraMMason1) October 5, 2025
I’m going to headline at a performance in another country and shame them for speaking their native tongue instead of mine.
— Aria Breve (@AriaBreve) October 5, 2025
@nfl about to learn the language of silence pic.twitter.com/neE68RtIx3
— Guaranteed Success-66 (@gsusgod) October 5, 2025
He doesn’t like America & the Pres of the U.S. he will perform for the money but he won’t perform in English, so Americans will have to learn Spanish if they want to know what he’s singing about. The NFL is expanding worldwide & they don’t care about the fans in America.
— THE INVISIBLE MAN (@saldon1201) October 5, 2025
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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