Bad Bunny will headline at the halftime show for Super Bowl 60, and the selection of the Grammy Award-winning artist has ignited controversy.
Here's a breakdown of why the Puerto Rican superstar was chosen by the NFL, and why he's found himself at the center of the culture war.
For more on the halftime show, check out our analysis of the Super Bowl halftime show odds.
Why was Bad Bunny chosen to headline the Super Bowl halftime show?
Last September, the NFL announced that Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap artist Bad Bunny would be the first Latino and Spanish-speaking artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show as a solo act.
His selection was due in large part to cross-cultural appeal and an effort to attract a younger demographic of fans. The league has been aggressively targeting the Latino fanbase for years, recognizing it as a key driver for global growth of the sport.
But beyond the angle of trying to appeal to a Spanish-speaking audience, Bad Bunny is simply one of the biggest musical artists in the world today.
The 31-year-old has appeared in a slew of Hollywood movies, has 89 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and took home three awards at the Grammys last week, including Album of the Year for "Debí Tirar Más Fotos."
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Why has the selection been controversial?
The selection of Bad Bunny took place only a few weeks after he said that he wouldn't tour in the United States out of concern that ICE would raid the concert venues.
The Puerto Rican had previously used his platform to criticize President Donald Trump for his mass deportation policies and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The backlash from Trump and conservatives wasn't surprising.
Trump described the selection of Bad Bunny as “absolutely ridiculous,” with other conservative voices like Benny Johnson, Kristi Noem, and Mike Johnson also criticizing the Latino superstar.
That led to a surge in Bad Bunny detractors on social media, with many unhappy that he sings entirely in Spanish. Some even described him as "not American" despite Puerto Rico being a United States territory, and multiple non-Americans historically headlining the Super Bowl halftime show.
The firestorm of controversy has only heated up since, as ICE agents have clashed with protestors in recent months.
How has the NFL and MAGA responded to the controversy?
The NFL stood by its decision to book Bad Bunny despite the criticism from the Trump administration.
The league partners with Jay-Z and his entertainment company, Roc Nation, to select the Super Bowl halftime performers. Commissioner Roger Goodell said that "Jay-Z understands the platform" and that he wouldn't challenge his decision.
In response, Turning Point USA, founded by recently-assassinated conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, announced an alternative All-American Halftime Show featuring Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.
It will air on Turning Point USA's YouTube, X, and Rumble channels, as well as on conservative networks like OAN.
A YouGov America survey released Friday found that 35% of respondents prefer Bad Bunny’s show compared to 28% who said they were more interested in the Kid Rock-headlined event. That said, even if 20% of viewers change channels at halftime, Super Bowl advertisers will be less than pleased.
For his part, Bad Bunny has suggested his performance would be more about unity and healing than spreading division.
"I know that the world is gonna be happy this Sunday, and they're gonna have fun, and they're gonna dance and they're gonna have a good time," he said at a press conference on Thursday.
Whether his performance will help break barriers and bring America together, or lead to more conflict in the culture war, we won't know until he steps on the stage tonight.
