It is the most anticipated night for sports in America—the Super Bowl. Even if you don’t enjoy watching football, you will probably be watching on February 9th for one reason or another; the sport, the commercials or the halftime show. Year after year, one popular performer is chosen to entertain more than 70,000 fans in the stadium and the approximated 127 million people watching from home. The artist chosen for the 2026 Super Bowl has just been announced. Puerto-Rican Latin Trap and Spanish Rapper Bad Bunny will be taking over the stage that Sunday night. He will be following in the footsteps of last year’s performer, the first solo rapper to perform at the Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar. Lamar holds the record for the most-watched halftime performance in history with 133.5 million viewers and his music dominated the billboard for months after.
Other artists that were in the running to perform this year’s halftime show were Taylor Swift, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z and Metallica. Although many people anticipated the performer to be the #1 artist on Spotify, Taylor Swift, since she has been closely associated with the NFL because of her relationship with Kansas City Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce, she denied the offer to perform at halftime because they would not let her have ownership of the performance footage.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is not new to the Super Bowl (BBC). He joined Shakira and Jennifer Lopez during their 2020 halftime show performance. He was chosen because over the past five years he has topped Spotify’s most-streamed artist list three times. You may know him from some of his most popular songs; “Tití Me Preguntó,” “DtMF,” or “MIA” (featuring Drake), from his five performances on Saturday Night Live (SNL) or from the Calvin Klein commercial he was in which took the internet by storm in March 2025. He also released his latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos)” earlier this year which made it to number two on the Billboard 200 and the top of the U.S streaming list (BBC). So far in his career he has won three Grammy Awards and he was recently announced to be the leading nominee for this year’s Latin Grammy Awards.
People don’t just enjoy Bad Bunny in America; his music is popular all around the world, especially in his homeland, Puerto Rico. His genre is a creative blend of Latin Trap—a form of Trap music with Latin influences—Reggaeton, a Spanish style of Hip-Hop, and elements of Rock, Pop, and Soul. His music is revolutionary because with his own success he increased the popularity of Latin music, bringing it to a much larger audience. He also does not fit into the lines of a conventional one-genre artist because of the way he is able to collaborate with different styles. He brings pride to his Spanish-American fans all over the country. His success in America is bringing more diversity to mainstream music and highlights the beautiful melting pot America is. In a statement about his being selected for the halftime show, Bad Bunny expressed, “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!” The last sentence translates to: “Go tell your grandma we’re going to be the Super Bowl half-time show” (NBC).
When JCHS seniors were asked their opinions on the selection of Bad Bunny, there were mixed opinions. One senior student confessed, “Okay, well lowkey, I only know “Tití Me Preguntó,” so it’s gonna be kind of boring because I don’t know any of his other songs.” In contrast, another senior boasted about the choice, being Hispanic herself and a big fan of the artist, she raved, “I’m overjoyed. I think it’s a powerful move doing this, because it is a stance. This country is full of people who are Hispanic, and I think it’s very cool that they decided Bad Bunny will do the show. He is a good performer and he will make the show enjoyable.” However, some students don’t have strong opinions about the choice, such as a third senior commenting, “I genuinely don’t know how I feel.”
On October 4th, Bad Bunny hosted Saturday Night Live where he commented on the controversy of him being selected for the very first time saying, “You might not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show.” He continued, “I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News.” Then, he showed an edited video made up of different Fox News clips saying, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician, and he should be the next president” (Today).
Along with more jokes, he also spoke about what an honor it was to be chosen for the show, and how he is proud to represent the Spanish community. He was later featured in many skits that night with the other members of the cast of Saturday Night Live. Either way it’s safe to say this selection is already gaining traction from Americans around the world and students in James Caldwell High School who will be watching the 31-year-old rapper’s performance during the 2026 Super Bowl.
