Long before the world could pronounce his name and sold-out stadiums, Bad Bunny was a supermarket cashier. Now, he’s a superstar. On February 8, 2026 at the Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny made history when he performed the first Super Bowl Halftime Show completely in Spanish. The performance highlighted Puerto Rican culture, all while emphasizing messages of unity and following dreams. It was a performance of many firsts. Benito promised a party, and he delivered!
This dazzling display of Latin music and culture referenced aspects of Puerto Rican life, with surprise appearances from celebrities. On top of that, he hosted a real wedding where Bad Bunny himself signed as witness on the wedding certificate! His performance moved and inspired the audience. Newsweek reported nearly 130 million viewers in the U.S alone, and Duolingo reported a 35% increase in Spanish learners during and after the performance. The world clearly can’t get enough of Bad Bunny—the artist experienced a 470% increase in streams.
The show opened with Bad Bunny walking through sugar cane fields (a feature of Puerto Rican history with deep ties to colonialism) while singing his 2022 hit, “Titi Me Pregunto”. He continued walking past many vignettes of daily aspects of Puerto Rican life: elderly men playing dominoes, a piraguas (shaved ice) cart, and a coco frio stand—classic staples of Puerto Rican communities.
A highlight of the show was a replica of the “casita” Bad Bunny used in his most recent world tour. It is an accurate portrayal of a typical house in Puerto Rico where family and friends spend hours together playing games (like dominoes) and listening to music. Like he did in his world tour, Bad Bunny filled the casita with latin celebrities like Cardi B, Karol G, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, and more.
One of the most moving elements Bad Bunny included in the performance was his reference to the island-wide blackouts that have crippled the island since Hurricane Maria in 2017. These common blackouts are rarely brought to the attention of the greater American public, as they’re often excluded from the news. The fact that these blackouts keep occurring, to the point where generators are standard in almost every household, proves the lack of infrastructure and lack of support the U.S. has provided, leaving Puerto Rico completely vulnerable. By addressing this grievance, Bad Bunny is bringing to light the neglect that Puerto Rico has faced since it became a U.S territory in 1898.
On a lighter note, the performance featured surprise appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, with Gaga singing her hit song “Die With A Smile” with a high-energy salsa twist. During her unexpected performance, she wore a red “Flor de Maga” on her dress—the national flower of Puerto Rico. Martin passionately sang Bad Bunny’s song “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii” (what happened to Hawaii), a ballad warning of the growing dangers of gentrification and cultural loss in Puerto Rico by drawing comparisons to the experiences of Hawaii.
To end the show, Bad Bunny did what no other modern artist has done in America during such a widely viewed event. He broadened the traditional connotation of America to address the diversity of the continents instead of just the United States. In the finale, all of the flags that are part of the Americas were paraded as he passionately stated the only words he spoke in English that night, “God Bless America.”
