We Are Happy to Debunk the Viral Image of Bad Bunny Burning the American Flag

When Bad Bunny was announced as the performer for the Super Bowl LX halftime show, some corners of the internet did not take the news well. One woman who calls herself The Redheaded libertarian on X (formerly Twitter) said in a post that Bad Bunny is a "demonic Marxist who has been granted the largest stage with the greatest audience in the middle of a Christian revival." Much of the energy of the MAGA right involved accusations of an anti-American halftime show.

Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States. He is an American citizen. Beyond that, Bad Bunny is also incredibly successful and extremely popular. Jon Barker, SVP of Global Event Production for the NFL, said the singer would deliver an unforgettable performance. Before the big game, an image of Bad Bunny burning the American flag went viral. Was it real or an attempt to fan the flames of hatred?

The day before Super Bowl LX, several accounts on X began sharing a photo of Bad Bunny burning the American flag. Right-wing political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson was one of the more high-profile individuals to drop the image. "Coming soon to a halftime show near you," he wrote, along with a picture of Bad Bunny clad in a dress, wearing makeup, and lighting the flag on fire.

Benny then advertised the alternative Super Bowl halftime show hosted by Turning Point USA, where he previously served as the Chief Creative Officer. That lineup included Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett. According to The Athletic, a little more than 6 million people streamed the TPUSA halftime show. While Nielsen ratings for Bad Bunny's performance haven't been released, there are currently more than 13 million views of his performance on the NFL's YouTube channel.

A community note under Benny's post provides some much-needed information about the photo of the King of Latin Trap. "This image of Bad Bunny burning a U.S. flag is AI-generated or manipulated using SynthID originating from a satire social media account," it said. You can find the archived post here.

You might be wondering why TPUSA felt it was necessary to throw its own Super Bowl halftime show. Spokesman Andrew Kolvet said in a press release that this was an "opportunity for all Americans to enjoy a halftime show with no agenda other than to celebrate faith, family, and freedom."

Leading up to the show, some of Kid Rock's lyrics ended up taking center stage. In his song "Cool Daddy Cool," which you can find on the Osmosis Jones soundtrack, the country rocker sings, "Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see. Some say that’s statutory, but I say it’s mandatory." The event was described as family-friendly by TPUSA, which did not comment on the resurfaced lyrics.