What we know about the NFL and Trump’s clash over Bad Bunny
The Trump administration has criticized the NFL’s Superbowl performer, Bad Bunny, but this is how it fits into their plan to capture new audiences.
Spotify’s most-streamed superstar of 2025, Bad Bunny, is set to take the field on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, to headline the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
In a statement issued when the NFL announced its choice, the Puerto Rican hitmaker reflected on the honor.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” he said. “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.”
Music’s biggest stage will also feature award-winning artists performing the national anthem, “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Music Super Bowl 2026 halftime show.
Who is playing the Super Bowl halftime show 2026?
Bad Bunny is doing the honors, and it’s not the first time football fans have seen him at the Super Bowl.
He made a guest appearance during Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s co-headlining halftime show in 2020, which earned four Primetime Emmy nominations, winning Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.
What does Bad Bunny sing?
Among the most-streamed artists on the planet, his success has taken Spanish-language rap to the English-speaking masses.
In 2020, “El Último Tour Del Mundo” became the first all-Spanish-language album to top the Billboard 200. Two years later, “Verano Sin Ti” spent 13 weeks at No. 1, was named the best-performing album of the year, and became the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
His next two albums, “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” (2023) and “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” (2025), also topped the Billboard 200.
Bad Bunny topped the Hot 100 as a featured guest on Cardi B’s 11-times-platinum “I Like It” in 2018.
His other hits include “Mia” with Drake (No. 5); “Vete” (No. 33); “La Difícil” (No. 33); “Si Veo a Tu Mamá” (No. 32); “Dakiti” with Jhay Cortez (No. 5); “Yonaguni” (No. 10); “Volví” with Aventura (No. 22); “Moscow Mule” (No. 4); “Tití Me Preguntó” (No. 5); “Después de la Playa” (No. 6); “Me Porto Bonito” with Chencho Corleone (No. 6); “Party” with Rauw Alejandro (No. 14); “Neverita” (No. 31); “Ojitos Lindos” with Bomba Estéreo (No. 26); “Un x100to” with Grupo Frontera (No. 5); “Where She Goes (No. 8); “K-pop” (with Travis Scott and the Weeknd; No. 7); “Mónaco” (No. 5); “Perro Negro” with Feid (No. 20); “Qué Pasaría…” with Rauw Alejandro (No. 34); “El Clúb” (No. 27); “Baile Inolvidable” (No. 3); “Nuevayol” (No. 8); “DTMF” (No 2); and “Eoo” (No. 24).
Twenty-eight Bad Bunny songs have been streamed at least 1 billion times on Spotify.
How to watch the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show
You should probably check out the game while you’re at it, but Bad Bunny’s halftime show will be broadcast live (as will the Super Bowl itself) on NBC.
It will also air on Telemundo and Peacock.
What time does the Super Bowl start?
Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. Arizona time on Sunday, Feb. 8.
What time does the Super Bowl halftime show start?
The first half of the game usually lasts somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 minutes, so sometime after 6 p.m. seems likely for Bad Bunny to take the field.
How long is the halftime show at the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl halftime shows tend to last 12 to 14 minutes.
Is Bad Bunny bringing special guests?
If Bad Bunny does intend to share the world’s biggest stage with special guests, he’s certainly collaborated with his share of marquee talent through the years: Karol G, J Balvin, Becky G, Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, Daddy Yankee, Prince Royce, Cardi B, Nicky Jam, Marc Anthony, Will Smith, Drake, Jennifer Lopez, Diplo, Ricky Martin, Dua Lipa, Rosalia, Rauw Alejandro, Grupo Frontera, Travis Scott and The Weeknd.
There’s been no word on other special guests, though.
Who is singing the national anthem at Super Bowl 2026?
Charlie Puth will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the 2026 Super Bowl.
Puth rose to fame singing covers on YouTube, which earned him a spot on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” His breakthrough single, “Marvin Gaye,” hit No. 21 in 2015. Puth’s other hits include the Top 10 singles “We Don’t Talk Anymore” with Selena Gomez, “Attention” and a Wiz Khalifa collaboration called “See You Again,” which spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2015.
Who is singing ‘America the Beautiful’ at Super Bowl 2026?
Brandi Carlile will sing “America the Beautiful.”
Primarily known as an Americana artist, Carlile has received 11 Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, in addition to being nominated for an Academy Award.
In 2014, she sang the national anthem for the Saints vs. Seahawks NFL playoff game.
Who is singing the Black national anthem at the Super Bowl?
Coco Jones will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem.
Jones signed to Hollywood Records after competing on Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing (2010–’11), which led to being cast in several Disney Channel properties (“So Random!,” “Good Luck Charlie”). Her breakthrough single, “ICU,” went double-platinum, picked up a Grammy for Best R&B Performance and paved the way for a Best New Artist win at the BET Awards.
In 2024, she performed the National Anthem at night one of WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia.
Who is the sign language interpreter at the Super Bowl?
Bad Bunny, Puth, Carlile and Jones will be joined by American Sign Language performers Fred Beam and Julian Ortiz, along with Puerto Rican Sign Language performer Celimar Rivera Cosme.
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at [email protected].
