The NFL says there will not be a change in performer for the halftime show at Super Bowl 60, but that isn’t going to stop the calls for change.
The NFL and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, which is producing the show, announced in September that three-time Grammy winner Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 8. The Puerto Rican rapper is a global superstar expected to draw a wave of first-time football viewers.
However, in the U.S., Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has faced criticism for his past remarks opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. In response, a Change.org petition calling for him to be replaced by country music legend George Strait gained more than 100,000 signatures on Nov. 3.
Petition Argues George Strait Appeals to Broader Audience
“Kar Shell,” the creator of the petition, contends that Super Bowl performances have increasingly featured modern pop and international artists.
“While this approach certainly broadens the audience, it’s pivotal to remember the roots that have made American music what it is today,” the petition states.
Strait, the “King of Country,” the petition reads, “embodies the heart and soul of American music.”
GettyNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 19: George Strait performs onstage during the Medallion Ceremony for the Class of 2025 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on October 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
“His ability to transcend generations with his timeless songs resonates with a diverse demographic, welcoming both long-time fans and newcomers. …
“The Super Bowl halftime show should unite our country, honor American culture, and remain family-friendly, not be turned into a political stunt. Bad Bunny represents none of these values; his drag performances and style are the opposite of what families expect on football’s biggest stage.”
What Has Bad Bunny Said About the Super Bowl?
Bad Bunny, 31, hosted “Saturday Night Live” just a few days after the show was announced. “I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, and I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy,” he said.
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 07: Bad Bunny attends the game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
He then added the following in Spanish:
“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” he said. “It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
He also said in a statement: “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.”
What Has Bad Bunny Said About Donald Trump?
Bad Bunny’s remarks against Trump begin in 2017 during the widely scrutinized response to Hurricane Maria. At a benefit concert held after the hurricane, the singer wore a shirt that read “¿Eres Twitero o Presidente?” (“Are you a Tweeter or a President?”), criticizing Trump’s inadequate disaster relief for Puerto Rico.
More recently, as Trump’s administration ramped up immigration raids and expanded the powers of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Bad Bunny became increasingly outspoken about the real-world effects on his fans and community. In a September 2025 interview, he discussed his choice to exclude U.S. stops from his world tour.
“There was the issue of, like, f****** ICE could be outside (my concert),” Bad Bunny told i-D magazine. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Bad Bunny’s 2025 song and music video “Nuevayol” ends with a radio broadcast featuring a voice impersonating Trump, declaring: “I made a mistake. I want to apologize to the immigrants in America…This country is nothing without the immigrants. This country is nothing without Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, Cubans.”
NFL Not Changing Course Despite Backlash
In an October 6 interview with Newsmax, Trump dismissed Bad Bunny’s cultural influence, saying: “I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it, it’s like crazy…I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
GettyWASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 2: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes a Marine as he arrives at the White House on November 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump spent the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) promoted her bill to designate English as the official language of the United States after Bad Bunny jokingly remarked that his critics had four months to learn Spanish before his performance.
“Bad Bunny says America has 4 months to learn Spanish before his perverse unwanted performance at the Super Bowl halftime. It would be a good time to pass my bill to make English the official language of America. And the NFL needs to stop having demonic sexual performances,” Greene posted on X.
However, when questioned about the backlash during a news conference, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded: “The NFL is not considering dropping Bad Bunny. It’s carefully thought through. I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”
Goodell has acknowledged that the decision on who will perform at the Super Bowl is up to Roc Nation, and ultimately Jay-Z. The music mogul seemed to infer that the critics actually have deep positive feelings for Bad Bunny.
“They love him,” Jay-Z said in a video captured by TMZ while signing memorabilia in New York. “Don’t let them fool you.”
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