Logan Paul defended Bad Bunny after his brother Jake made a ‘racist’ comment about the Super Bowl halftime show.
Bad Bunny’s historic Super Bowl LX halftime show has become one of the most polarizing performances in the event’s history, sparking fierce debate across social media and even dividing one of entertainment’s most famous brother duos.
The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday night, but it was the entertainment at halftime that dominated conversation long after the final whistle.
Bad Bunny makes history
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, became the first artist to deliver a Super Bowl halftime show entirely in Spanish.
The Puerto Rican superstar, who has topped Spotify’s most-streamed artist list in three of the past five years, had less than 15 minutes to deliver his biggest hits on one of the most-watched stages in American television.
The 14-minute performance was widely described as a love letter to his native Puerto Rico. The set featured guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, along with cameos from Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G, and Jessica Alba.
The Grammy Award winner performed a medley of his biggest hits, including ‘Tití Me Preguntó,’ ‘MONACO,’ and ‘BAILE INoLVIDABLE.’
The elaborate set design transported viewers through a Latin-inspired landscape, with backdrops ranging from sugarcane fields to a nail salon to a neighborhood bar, bringing a vibrant slice of Puerto Rican culture to the California stadium.
While the performance was primarily in Spanish, Bad Bunny made two powerful statements in English during the show.
One message appeared on a billboard reading: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Another was written on a football he held during the set, which read: “Together, We Are America.”
A performance packed with meaning
The symbolism wasn’t lost on viewers. In one touching moment that many found to be among the most poignant of the night, Bad Bunny briefly bent down to hand a Grammy to a small boy standing in front of a TV during his performance in the sugarcane fields.
While child actor Lincoln Fox later confirmed on Instagram that he had been playing Bad Bunny’s younger self, many viewers speculated the gesture was a direct political statement referencing Liam Ramos, the five-year-old boy who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with his father in January while walking home from school in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.
The performance marked Bad Bunny’s first time performing in the US since releasing last year’s Grammy Award-winning album ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos).’
At the 2026 Grammy Awards just days earlier, he had used his acceptance speech to speak out against ICE, saying: “We are not savage. We are not animals, we are not aliens, we are humans, and we are Americans.”
He added: “The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”
Trump and conservative backlash
The performance immediately drew criticism from President Donald Trump, who did not attend the Super Bowl. Trump, who had previously said the game was ‘too far away’ for him to attend, quickly took to his Truth Social platform to denounce the show as ‘absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!’
He added that the performance was ‘an affront to the Greatness of America.’
Some political commentators suggested Trump’s decision not to attend may also have been influenced by concerns over how he would be received in the stadium, particularly after Vice President JD Vance was recently met with loud boos while attending the Winter Olympics.
Many viewers expressed frustration with the language barrier, with some going as far as branding it the ‘worst halftime performance’ in Super Bowl history.
Social media lit up with complaints from those who said they struggled to connect with the performance because it was in Spanish.
“Bad Bunny was terrible. Couldn’t understand one word. Not even the performance was good. Two out of 10. Probably the worst halftime show of all time,” one viewer wrote.
Others framed the Spanish-language performance as political. “The NFL having a Super Bowl halftime show where their performer sings entirely in Spanish and waves other nation’s flags is 100% a political statement,” one post read.
However, fans were quick to point out what they saw as double standards in the backlash.
“You know what’s funny about this Bad Bunny ‘outrage’? We’ve had several ACTUAL non-American performers in the history of the halftime show – The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Rihanna, The Weeknd, U2 – and there wasn’t an issue. Folks just out here yapping,” one user noted.
The alternative show
As criticism of Bad Bunny’s performance spread online, millions of viewers switched to Turning Point USA’s rival ‘All-American Halftime Show,’ which streamed online during the game.
Kid Rock headlined the conservative-backed alternative concert alongside Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.
The 30-minute broadcast ran a few minutes into the third quarter of the Super Bowl and was streamed live by more than 4 million viewers on YouTube.
However, Kid Rock’s performance also faced significant backlash, with many viewers accusing him of lip-syncing and criticizing the show for feeling rushed and awkwardly short.
The event also sparked controversy as old lyrics and clips from Kid Rock’s career resurfaced, including a 2001 song containing references to ‘underage’ girls and a Saturday Night Live appearance where he made inappropriate comments about then-14-year-old Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
A nation divided
The controversy surrounding Bad Bunny’s halftime show reflects broader cultural tensions in America around representation, language, and identity at major national events.
According to the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 77 percent of Americans speak only English at home. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language in the country, used by 13.9 percent of the population.
Overall, more than 430 languages are spoken or signed across the United States, including 177 Indigenous languages native to the US or its territories.
Not everyone agreed with the criticism of Bad Bunny’s performance. Supporters praised the halftime show as a celebration of Latin culture and representation on one of the biggest stages in American sports. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared February 8 ‘Bad Bunny Day,’ while Katy Perry and other celebrities publicly celebrated the performance as a vibrant showcase of the American dream.
“Bad Bunny’s was exactly what we needed,” one fan wrote. “Everyone hating on Bad Bunny doing the Super Bowl halftime show is so weird. If you can’t shake a**, just say that,” another added.
Others criticized the wider political culture around the backlash: “MAGA truly are the biggest snowflakes. They cry over Bad Bunny, they cry over American athletes speaking out, they cry over Disney movies. They are insufferable, sensitive, and perpetually unhappy.”
Jake Paul calls for boycott
Among the most vocal critics of Bad Bunny’s performance was YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, who called for a boycott hours before kickoff, Redditors have shared.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Paul wrote: “Purposefully turning off the halftime show. Let’s rally together and show big corporations they can’t just do whatever they want without consequences (which equals viewership for them). You are their benefit. Realize you have power. Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that.”
The post immediately drew criticism, with many pointing out that Bad Bunny is, in fact, an American citizen. Puerto Ricans have held US citizenship since the 1917 Jones-Shafroth Act, making them natural-born American citizens.
One user went as far as to call Paul’s comments racist, saying: “Fake American? What’s our First Lady? A fake American? Yall so racist, just admit it.”
Another added: “They pick and choose. Whomever trump is against, they are against. They’re a bunch of f****** puppets.”
Others highlighted the hypocrisy of the criticism: “Let’s not pretend that if the Super Bowl was streaming on Netflix you’d be saying this. If Netflix wanted bad bunny to perform on your next fight, you’d be promoting it. You’re bought and sold just like everyone else.”
Logan Paul’s public disagreement
In a surprising turn of events, Jake Paul’s own brother, Logan Paul, publicly called him out for his comments, per Complex.
Taking to X to quote his brother’s post, Logan wrote: “I love my brother but I don’t agree with this. Puerto Ricans are Americans & I’m happy they were given the opportunity to showcase the talent that comes from the island.”
The public disagreement between the brothers added another layer to the already complex conversation surrounding the halftime show, with many praising Logan for standing up for what was right, even when it meant contradicting his sibling.
However, Logan’s public defense of Bad Bunny appeared to contradict his earlier comments. When asked on the red carpet if he was excited for the performance, Logan sternly said ‘No’ and walked away, suggesting his feelings about the show may have been more complicated than his tweet suggested.
Adding another wrinkle to the story, both Paul brothers moved to Puerto Rico in 2021 to take advantage of tax benefits offered by the territory. Logan had previously called Bad Bunny ‘hypocritical’ in 2022, accusing the musician of also ‘taking advantage of the same tax program that he is publicly condemning.’
Jake, who is publicly conservative, has recently been vocal about his political views.
He recently protested against Billie Eilish after her 68th Annual Grammy Awards acceptance speech, where she declared that: “No one is illegal on stolen land.”
Paul took offense to the statement, writing on X: “When Billie Eyelash gets her home broken into it’s not gonna be f-ck ICE I can promise you that.”
