This year, the Super Bowl halftime performer is confirmed to be Puerto Rican rapper and superstar Bad Bunny at Super Bowl LX 2026, Feb. 8 in Santa Clara. He will be taking on the biggest stage shortly after an opening act from Green Day. The NFL stands by its decision to grow the international and Latino audience of the Super Bowl.
Both Green Day and Bad Bunny have proved to be influential and politically open through their music and speech. Bad Bunny spoke out on his opinions regarding ICE multiple times, including during his Grammys speech. The artist has been openly critical of the Trump administration’s vow to remove millions of people from the U.S. via mass deportation programs. Green Day has changed some lyrics of their songs to very political ones, such as these lyrics at Coachella: “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda, now everybody do the propaganda.” And at the AMA’s 2016, “no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA.”
Zoe Schatko ‘26, a halftime show enthusiast, shared that her favorite ever halftime show was Eminem and Snoop Dog, which will be hard to beat. Although they were her favorites, she is excited to see how Bad Bunny performs and she is leaning toward a high overall rating, considering the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will also be a fun watch.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be Bad Bunny,” Schatko said. “I am very excited to hear his songs.”
Although Ruby Lenhard ‘26 shares that she personally doesn’t listen to Bad Bunny and she would have preferred a different halftime show act, she is excited for the Super Bowl as a whole and to see his performance.
“I really wanted to see SZA because she is one of my favorites,” Lenhard said. “I am super excited for the game either way.”
Malia Thole ‘26 feels the NFL selected the ideal halftime performer, who will hopefully offer a thrilling experience for fans worldwide.
“The pairing of Green Day and Bad Bunny reflects the NFL’s efforts to reach wider audiences across the globe,” Thole said. “Bad Bunny was Spotify’s Top Global Artist in 2025, which I think is a clear sign that by introducing him into the Super Bowl, he will attract new audiences from all over the world.”
Although Bad Bunny’s lyrics are in Spanish, his music is able to be entertaining for English speakers as well. As an AP Spanish student, Thole is thrilled to be able to understand most of it.
“ I was excited to hear that Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show,” Thole said. “I was inspired to listen to some of his music and I found that I could learn from it and grow my skills in speaking the language.”
Thole believes that the two performers were chosen with the intention of attracting as many viewers as possible; she adds that she is eager to see what Bad Bunny has to offer and see him on the big stage.
“The NFL is balancing legacy acts with global contemporary artists by having Green Day perform, a band that originated in California in the ‘80s; they will be playing right in their hometown,” Thole said. “The NFL is also having Bad Bunny perform, who is a major contemporary artist who only recently rose to fame. This balance will allow for fans of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy the show.”
