The internet is asking who won the battle of the Super Bowl halftime shows, Bad Bunny or Kid Rock.
The 2026 Super Bowl wasn’t just a showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots on the field – it became a full-blown cultural battleground off it.
For the first time in Super Bowl history, viewers had a choice between two competing halftime shows: the NFL’s official performance featuring Bad Bunny and Turning Point USA‘s alternative ‘All-American Halftime Show’ headlined by Kid Rock.
As the dust settles on this unprecedented entertainment split, one question remains: who actually won?
The numbers game
When it comes to raw viewership, the disparity is stark.
Bad Bunny’s official NFL halftime show commanded the massive television audience that comes with the Super Bowl broadcast on NBC – a platform that routinely draws over 100 million viewers.
Meanwhile, Turning Point USA’s alternative show streamed live on YouTube and various social media platforms, attracting approximately four million viewers according to reports.
While four million viewers is certainly nothing to scoff at for a streaming event, it pales in comparison to the reach of the official broadcast.
The numbers suggest that despite the controversy and conservative backlash against Bad Bunny’s selection, the vast majority of Super Bowl viewers stuck with the traditional halftime show rather than switching over to watch Kid Rock and company.
The Trump factor
Perhaps the most telling indicator of which show truly captured America’s attention came from an unexpected source: President Donald Trump himself.
Despite being a vocal supporter of Kid Rock and heavily criticizing the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny as halftime performer, Trump’s own behavior on Super Bowl Sunday revealed which show he actually watched.
The President took to Truth Social with a lengthy rant calling Bad Bunny’s performance ‘absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!’ and ‘an affront to the Greatness of America.’
But here’s the kicker – you can’t critique what you didn’t watch.
“Even Trump admitted that he didn’t watch the alternative country music hucklebuck show and instead opted to watch the Bad Bunny experience, which was MUCH better, obviously,” joked one social media user.
Another pointed out on X (formerly Twitter): “Trump had a long rant about the Bad Bunny show proving that he watched it.”
Trump’s decision to skip his own allies’ alternative show in favor of watching, and then complaining about, Bad Bunny’s performance speaks volumes.
If even the President, who publicly declared himself ‘anti-them’ in reference to the NFL’s halftime performers, couldn’t be bothered to tune into the TPUSA alternative, what does that say about its appeal?
The money question
When it comes to financial compensation, the answer might surprise you – or at least, it’s not as straightforward as a viral Facebook post suggested.
Bad Bunny, like virtually all Super Bowl halftime performers, received no significant payment for his performance.
Beyond a small union-mandated fee of a few hundred dollars (typically absorbed into production costs), the NFL doesn’t pay headliners.
The real compensation comes in the form of exposure, performing for over 100 million viewers on one of the world’s biggest stages.
As for Kid Rock, a viral post from the satirical Facebook page ‘America’s Last Line of Defense’ claimed that Kid Rock earned $250,000 for his TPUSA performance and planned to donate it to doxxed ICE agents.
The post also stated that Erika Kirk pledged an additional $250,000 on behalf of TPUSA in Charlie Kirk‘s name. However, it’s crucial to note that America’s Last Line of Defense is a well-known satire site, meaning these financial claims are likely fabricated.
One commenter on the post perhaps put it best: “That’s petty cash for Bad Bunny.”
Indeed, while Kid Rock may or may not have received payment for his alternative show, Bad Bunny’s global superstar status and position as Spotify’s most-streamed artist in three of the past five years suggests he doesn’t need Super Bowl money to maintain his lifestyle.
The performance reception
Ironically, both performances faced similar criticisms from their respective audiences – just from opposite sides of the political spectrum.
Bad Bunny’s critics complained that his entirely Spanish-language performance was difficult to connect with and didn’t feel like a ‘traditional’ Super Bowl show. Many viewers said they couldn’t understand the lyrics and switched over to the TPUSA alternative as a result.
Meanwhile, Kid Rock’s performance drew widespread mockery for appearing to be lip-synced and remarkably short.
“Did Kid Rock just badly lip sync through his song?” viewers asked.
Others noted he performed for barely a minute before the broadcast awkwardly cut away. Even some supporters admitted: “Maybe I’m old, but I loved his second performance more than the lip sync.”
The verdict
By nearly every measurable metric – viewership numbers, cultural impact, and even the attention of his biggest detractor – Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show emerged victorious over Kid Rock’s alternative.
While the TPUSA show served its purpose as a conservative counter-programming statement, it failed to capture mainstream attention or present a genuinely competitive alternative to the NFL’s official offering.
The fact that President Trump himself watched Bad Bunny’s performance instead of supporting his ally’s alternative show perhaps best encapsulates the outcome of this cultural battle.
In the battle of the halftime shows, Bad Bunny didn’t just win – he dominated, proving that controversy and culture war rhetoric can only get you so far when the music actually has to play.
