Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Backlash Hits Boiling Point As Latin Music Sets Record
Latin music’s U.S. ascent is no fluke: an RIAA report via Rolling Stone charts a 12-year growth streak that’s steadily reshaping the industry.
Latin music has been on a quiet tear in the U.S. for more than a decade, and that context makes the NFL tapping Bad Bunny for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show feel less like a curveball and more like the obvious play. The league bet on where the audience is headed, and, judging by the numbers, they read the room.
The numbers behind the pick
The Recording Industry Association of America just logged another win for Latin music. Per the RIAA (as noted by Rolling Stone), the genre pulled in $490.3 million in revenue in the latest tally, up 6% from 2023. That keeps a 12-year growth streak intact. So yeah, not exactly a niche anymore.
So why was there backlash?
When the NFL announced in September that Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show, the reaction split fast. Plenty of people were into it. A vocal chunk was not. The complaints mostly clustered around the same talking points:
- He mostly performs in Spanish, which some fans argued clashes with an 'American' event. Quick reality check: the U.S. does not have an official national language, and the NFL is chasing a global audience anyway.
- His politics. Bad Bunny has been outspoken on identity, immigration issues, Puerto Rican culture, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. That rubbed certain conservative viewers the wrong way and fed the usual 'woke' culture-war framing.
- IndyCar driver Danica Patrick chimed in on X, arguing the choice does not reflect the NFL audience. The gist: wrong fit for the fan base.
What the NFL says it is doing
The league framed the decision as part of a broader push to reflect the diversity of its fans and its international reach. In other words: the show should look and sound like the people watching it, not just the people who watched 20 years ago. With Latin music still surging, that strategy is not getting tossed out because of a noisy day or two on social media.
Where things stand now
The backlash made headlines, but the support has been louder and more sustained. Between the RIAA growth streak and the NFL's long-term branding play, do not expect a course correction. This is a bet the league clearly intends to ride.
Super Bowl LX is set for February 8, 2026, and will stream on Peacock.