Bad Bunny promised “the world will dance” in Apple Music’s pre-Super Bowl halftime show ad, and his fun, detailed, unapologetic, unity-themed performance, alongside Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and more, did not disappoint. He ran through a medley of his own songs, introducing the songs and himself to many of the more than 125 million viewers.
The show was steeped in the traditions of Latin America, specifically his native Puerto Rico, and the elaborate set included a mock sugar cane field, a Puerto Rican vecindad, a barbershop, a liquor store, and the iconic casita, the small house where Bad Bunny hosted celebrity guests during last summer’s concert residency in Puerto Rico (previewed in Variety’s June 2025 Bad Bunny cover story).
On Sunday night, Karol G, Cardi B. Young, Mico Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal were spotted dancing under the roof of the casita, and the performance moved through the field to Becindad, to the casita, to a huge dance floor filled with enthusiastic dancers, and the actual wedding ceremony, his rep confirmed. There were so many Easter eggs and subtle political references in this performance that his fans will be deciphering for weeks.
But unity was an important theme. At the end of the performance, Bad Bunny declared, “God bless America,” naming every country in the United States, including the United States, Canada, and of course his “homeland” of Puerto Rico.
A sign behind him read in giant letters, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” perhaps a direct rebuke to the negative comments he received before he took the stage, many of them racist. Many scenes and elements in the show could be interpreted as a rebuke to the Trump administration and its brutal anti-immigrant policies.
The show included references to his island, politics, and a cream-colored Zara jersey emblazoned with the number 64, a nod to the first reported death toll from Hurricane Maria, but the night was more of a dance party than anything else.
At the center of the performance, Gaga took to the stage to perform a salsa-inspired version of her 2024 hit with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile.” In another tribute to Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny welcomed fellow native Ricky Martin on stage to perform a shortened version of “Lo Que Le Paso A Hawaii,” from Bad Bunny’s latest Grammy-winning album, Debi Tiraru. Look at the photo. ”
In perhaps the most political moment of the performance, Bad Bunny’s Grammy acceptance speech last weekend saw him chanting “Get out of ICE” and raving about racism in English as a young boy (who certainly looked a lot like 5-year-old Liam, who was taken into custody by ICE in Minneapolis last month) on a small television before Bad Bunny handed him the Grammy.
Before the game, a group of demonstrators gathered near Tasman Drive, near the stadium’s east side entrance, holding signs that read “ICE OUT!” Towels and “Abolish ICE Now!” soccer fan posters were floating inside. (ICE agents did not appear at the Super Bowl, despite previous threats from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.)
The singer opened the show with his hit song “Titty Me Pregunto” and immediately had a burst of energy, walking through sugar cane fields, meeting Viejito playing dominoes, Villa’s taco stall, and Tonita, owner of the Caribbean Social Club, who handed the singer a bottle of rum. Then we passed a nail salon, a barber shop, and a boxing match between Puerto Rican boxers Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas.
After a frenzied opening night, A-list Latin stars like Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba and Pedro Pascal performed pereandos under the roof of the field, while Bad Bunny appeared on the rooftop of a Super Bowl reenactment for “Yo Pereo Sola,” once again showing Latin unity. (Alix Earle and other non-Latinx stars also came to the small porch.)
While Bad Bunny sang his hit song “Monaco,” Lady Gaga joined the show on an elevated platform at a wedding recreation in Puerto Rico, appearing as a salsa singer with a Latin twist on “Die with a Smile,” with support from legendary salsa group Los Sobrinos. After the performance, Bad Bunny joined Gaga on stage and had fun dancing to “Baile Inolvidable.” This moment stood out as one of the most powerful moments of the show. The world’s most powerful Latin star, Bad Bunny, shared the stage with universally beloved pop veteran Gaga for an unapologetically Latin reinterpretation of one of the biggest pop songs on the planet – a true union.
“Don’t be afraid to dance, dance, dance,” Bad Bunny said in Spanish, ending the song before collapsing into the crowd of dancers and being captured as “Nueva Yol” began.
After Gaga, emotional moments continued, led by the night’s second musical guest, Ricky Martin. The Puerto Rican star appeared on stage sitting on a plastic chair that mimicked the album cover for “Debi Tirard.” He sang alone, flanked by dancers behind him, in a rendition of electrocution after a blackout, a direct reference to the 11 months it took for power to be restored on the island after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The empty chairs could represent the more than 3,000 lives lost in the hurricane. (Just a few days ago, Martin penned an open letter to Bad Bunny in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia, praising Bad Bunny for making headlines for “bringing his language, his accent, and his stories to stages around the world.”)
The pair then performed Bad Bunny’s 2017 song about the power outage, “El Apagon,” during which Bad Bunny taunted, saying, “Puerto Rico esta bien cabron!” (In short, “Puerto Rico sucks!”).
Martin’s appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show also makes sense thematically. That’s because he became the face of Latin music across the United States in the late 1990s, especially with the smash single “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Although the song was not performed on Sunday, Martin and Bad Bunny joined forces in 2020 for “Cantalo,” which appears on Martin’s EP “Pausa.”
After the performance, flag-waving dancers from across the United States moved into a frenzied rendition of “Café con Ron,” backed by Los Planeros de la Cresta. Bad Bunny then appears with a football and declares, “God bless America,” revealing a message written on the pork skin he was holding. “Together, we are America.”
The show ended with the hit song “DTMF,” the soccer field turned into a dance party, and fireworks were set off.
As widely noted, Sunday’s halftime show was the first Super Bowl performance to be performed primarily in Spanish, but Bad Bunny is the first time in 2020 that he and J. Balvin were guests at Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s headline performances. Gloria Estefan, who performed at the 1992 Miami Sound Machine halftime show, is the only Latina halftime performer to date.
While Bad Bunny’s performance was a passionate and deeply encoded celebration of Latin American culture, it was also a statement that culture is meant to be shared. Love is stronger than hate, together we are America, and everyone is welcome on the dance floor.
