Republicans Oppose Bad Bunny As Super Bowl Pick—And Democrats Love It

Topline

Support for Spanish-performing rapper Bad Bunny as the headliner of the halftime show at Super Bowl LX is distinctly partisan, a new Quinnipiac University poll showed Monday, with overwhelming support from Democrats and sharp disapproval from Republicans.

Bad Bunny performs onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 17, 2025.

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Key Facts

Roughly half of Americans approve of the NFL’s decision to have Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican artist, perform the Super Bowl halftime show this season, the poll found, but who that support comes from is starkly split by political party, race and age.

Democrats overwhelmingly approve of the choice (74%) while Republicans disapprove (63%).

More Black and Hispanic adults approve of the decision (61% and 65%, respectively) than white adults, only 41% of which are on board.

Older people are also more skeptical of the decision, with only 36% of adults 65 years and older approving compared to 64% of people aged 18 to 34.

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Key Background

Bad Bunny, who held the record for Spotify’s most-streamed artist for three-straight years and whose “Un Verano Sin Ti” was the first Spanish-language album to ever be nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, was announced in late September as the Super Bowl halftime performer. Since then, conservative leaders and supporters have spoken against the move and Democrats have largely praised it, a political divide reflected in Quinnipiac’s poll. President Donald Trump called the choice “absolutely ridiculous,” and a Trump administration official confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would be at the game to apprehend “people who are in this country illegally.” Bad Bunny previously said his latest world tour wouldn’t include any stops in the continental United States over concerns ICE agents would raid the concert venues. California Democratic Gov.Gavin Newsom’s official press office trolled the conservative reaction to the Bad Bunny news on X and Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation oversees the Super Bowl booking, said in a statement that what Bad Bunny has “done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”

Chief Critics

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Bad Bunny was a “terrible decision” for a Super Bowl performer and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., used the choice of a Spanish-performing artist to support her proposal to make English the official language of the United States (the country currently has no official language). Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton called Bad Bunny a “demonic Marxist” and called for him to be replaced with country musician Jason Aldean, who made headlines several years ago for his song “Try That in a Small Town,” which some critics accused of promoting vigilantism and gun violence against outsiders. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called Bad Bunny a “second-rate musician” and called for a “great American performer” to headline instead. Puerto Rico, the musician’s homeland, is part of the United States. Turning Point USA, the conservative campus activist organization founded by Charlie Kirk, announced it would host its own protest performance during the Super Bowl called the “All American Halftime Show,” though performers have not been announced.

Crucial Quote

‘It’s carefully thought through,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last week, confirming the show wouldn’t be changing despite backlash. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”