Here's Why Certain People Say Bad Bunny Hates America

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, who is better known to the world as Bad Bunny, performed at the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Feb. 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Ever since the Grammy Award-winning artist was announced as the halftime show performer, uninformed Trump supporters objected as they claimed the Puerto Rican musican wasn't American — despite Puerto Rico being a part of the United States.

The MAGA set also claimed that Bad Bunny hates America and used their incorrect claim to object to his performance. They even went as far as to plan another halftime Super Bowl show, The All-American Halftime Show, an alternative hosted by Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and Kid Rock was billed as the headliner. So, why do people say Bad Bunny hates America?

Some people, primarily Trump supporters, claim that Bad Bunny hates America because he spoke out against ICE and the country's immigration policies. According to Mother Jones, the MAGA set has gone as far as to say that, despite him being an American citizen, Bad Bunny is un-American because of his objection to ICE.

The recording artist also skipped tour stops in the U.S. due to the treatment of Hispanic people in the country over Trump's immigration policies, according to Newsweek. The singer addressed the controversy while appearing on Saturday Night Live last October.

"You might not know this, but I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show," he joked. "And I'm very happy. I'm very happy. And I think everyone is happy about it, even, even Fox News."

The musician then said a phrase in Spanish before joking, "And if you didn't understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."

Bad Bunny made history at the 2026 Grammy Awards when his album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" (I Should Have Taken More Photos) won Album of the Year. It is the first Spanish-language album to win the award, and he dedicated it to "All the people who had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dreams.”

During his Super Bowl performance, which was nearly entirely in Spanish, the singer named at least 20 nations in North, Central, and South America before showing a football that had the text "Together we are America" written on it. He also said "God Bless America" during the halftime show.

The show also included cameos by Jessica Alba, Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, and Karol G, as well as performances by singer Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga. At the end of the performance, the words "The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love" flashed on the Jumbotron, a comment the artist made during his acceptance speech at the Grammys.

After the performance, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to bash the singer.

"The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence," he wrote. "Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World."

"This 'Show' is just a 'slap in the face' to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD ... MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

According to CBS News, following his performance, Bad Bunny holds Spotify's Top 50 U.S. top six spots.