Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show: A Puerto Rican Cultural Showcase That Sparked Political Backlash

To kick off his Super Bowl halftime show, Bad Bunny transformed the football field into a sugarcane field, paying homage to Puerto Rico's main cash crop when it became a U.S. territory at the end of the 19th century. While the island eventually transitioned away from agricultural society in the 1950s as tax incentives were introduced to encourage manufacturing, jíbaros sporting pava's were still very much active, and remain iconic to this day.

Jíbaros commonly wore all white, just as Bad Bunny did throughout his entire performance. White, after all, helped to beat the Caribbean heat.

Promoting its coco frio, the stall in the sugarcane field invoked a similar feeling to the Caribbean roadside stands selling refreshing coconut water in the fruit itself, none of the boxed stuff you would normally find at the grocery store.

Other stops in the sugarcane field included a game of dominoes, a nail salon, a cash only gold and silver stall, and unsurprisingly a taco stand.

Bad Bunny made a stop along the way for piraguas, each syrup bottle featuring a different Latin American flag, a recurring theme throughout the performance in an effort to acknowledge the commonalities among countries in the Americas. The boxers that followed after, Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas, were examples of this as they each wore the flag of Puerto Rico and Mexico on their respective shorts. Puerto Rico and Mexico have a heated rivalry in boxing that goes back decades, and both have boasted multiple world champions.

Dancing outside the pink casita were a range of celebrities with ties to different countries in Latin America, such as singers Karol G from Colombia, Cardi B from the Dominican Republic, and Young Miko from Puerto Rico; actors Pedro Pascal from Chile and Jessica Alba from Mexico; and baseball player Ronald Acuña Jr. from Venezuela. Influencer Alix Eare and Bad Bunny's business partner Dave Grutman were also present.

A projection of the sapo concho that's become synonymous with Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico was also included, as well as an appearance from Nicaraguan conductor Giancarlo Guerrero.

One of the most talked about segments of the performance was the very real wedding that was officiated, where the vows were immediately followed by a surprise performance from Lady Gaga herself. Clad in a light blue dress, she sported a large flor de maga, the national flower of Puerto Rico

A less official symbol of Puerto Rico? The sleeping child on the chairs on the outskirts of the wedding. It's a common sight at most Latin American gatherings where kids fall asleep on makeshift beds while their parents dance the night away.

Serving a shot right after the wedding was Toñita, the owner of Brooklyn's Caribbean Social Club, one of the last few Puerto Rican social clubs in New York City. She received a shoutout in his song "NUEVAYoL". On the siding, made to look like a liquor brand, is the word "Conejo", fitting for El Conejo Malo, literally "Bad Bunny".

Ricky Martin, another Puerto Rican legend, sang Bad Bunny's "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" on a white plastic chair in front of a plantain tree. Not only are the chairs a common sight at gatherings, but the setting also recreates the cover of Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos", the album that had taken home several Grammys.

Bad Bunny and three other jíbaros scaled sparking power poles for his song "El Apagón". The performance is a reference to Hurricane Maria and its catastrophic aftermath that left much of the island in darkness.

The Puerto Rican flag that was waved around during the performance featured a much lighter shade of blue than the current flag, which is no accident. It's the original Puerto Rican flag, a symbol that is closely associated with the independence movement. When the U.S. took over the island, the blue was darkened to mirror the U.S. flag.

Towards the end of his performance, Bad Bunny proclaimed, "God bless America", before reciting the countries that comprised North and South America as their representative flags streamed behind him. It was a final nod to Pan-Americanism and the idea that America includes far more than just the United States.

From the moment Bad Bunny was announced as the Super Bowl halftime show performer, the discourse was unavoidable. The political undertones surrounding the show were impossible to ignore as many people began questioning why a Spanish speaking artist was given one of the most American stages in entertainment.

Some Republicans in Congress are escalating their criticism of Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl halftime performance, calling for formal investigations into the NFL and NBC, the broadcasters of the game.

In a post on Twitter, Representative Andy Ogles for Tennessee unveiled a letter he sent to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requesting a "formal congressional inquiry" into what "prior knowledge" and "deliberate approval" the NFL and NBC had. In his own separate post, Representative Randy Fine for Florida shared a note that he had submitted to the Federal Communications Commission urging for a "full investigation" into the two organizations after calling for "dramatic action, including fines and broadcast license reviews."

"The woke garbage we witnessed on Super Bowl Sunday needs to be INVESTIGATED and put to an END," Fine wrote in his post.

In their posts and letters, both House Republicans claimed that the show was "illegal" and specifically took issue with what was said as a display of provocative content and lyrics.

"The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show was pure smut, brazenly aired on national television for every American family to witness," Ogles stated, going on to argue that such "flagrant, indecent acts are illegal to be displayed on public airways."

Fine particularly pointed to the content and language in Bad Bunny's music, claiming that had he sung them in English, "the broadcast would have been pulled down and the fines would have been enormous."

Bad Bunny spoke very few English words throughout his performance on Super Bowl Sunday, cementing the first time a Super Bowl halftime show was sung almost exclusively in Spanish. It was also seen largely by some as a celebration of Latin American culture, most notably featuring flags from different countries in the Americas with the words, "The only thing more powerful than hate is love," displayed at one point. At one point, he even held a football that read , "Together, we are America".

Separately, in an appearance on "Real America's Voice," Representative Mark Alford for Missouri noted that the performance is being investigated and stated that the GOP may have to talk to FCC Chair Brendan Carr.

"This could be much worse than the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction," he added, referring to a moment from the 2004 Super Bowl that resulted in the FCC fining CBS, the broadcaster that year, although it was later overturned.

Federal law prohibits "obscene programming as well as, during particular hours, "indecent or profane" content from being broadcast on networks. But the FCC notes that "determining what obscene, indecent and profane mean can be difficult depending on who you talk to."

To be considered indecent speech, the FCC says content must meet two criteria. Those include describing or depicting "sexual or excretory organs or activities" and "be patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium."

The same rules do not apply in the same way to subscription services.

The Puerto Rican artist went into the show already facing backlash from Republicans in Washington, including President Donald Trump, over his selection as the performer for the performance.

Bad Bunny has been critical of the Trump administration and is a firm defender of his home, Puerto Rico. During his Grammy Awards acceptance speech, he declared "ICE out" in reference to Trump's immigration crackdown.

"We are not savage, we are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans," the artist stated.

Many Democrats praised Bad Bunny's performance, with Senator Ruben Gallego declaring it "beautiful" and the "most Latino thing I have ever seen on TV."

Trump slammed the performance afterward, declaring it "an affront to the Greatness of America" and complaining "nobody understands a word this guy is saying."