Bethenny Frankel is defending Bad Bunny after his former co-star Jill Zarin shared his own less-than-positive assessment of the Puerto Rican rapper Super Bowl 2026 performance of the halftime show.
“So my opinion Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl performance is that he’s an artist expressing himself, his music, and his experience as a Puerto Rican in America,” Frankel, 55, shared via TikTok on Monday, February 9. “If it’s a country artist, they express their experience, their music and their culture. If it’s a hip hop artist, I love Notorious BIG and talk about his appearance and what he couldn’t afford when he was eating sardines for dinner.”
According to the above Real Housewives of New York City star, Bad Bunny can express himself any way he wants.
“Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican man in America on the biggest stage in the world, which is very inspiring to people because he’s expressing his experience in his first language,” he explained. “madonna he said it best: Express yourself.
One of the most talked about and widely covered halftime performances in Super Bowl history took place this Sunday, February 8th. “Qué rico es ser Latino,” Bad Bunny declared at the start of the show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. What followed were 13 minutes full of symbolism, history, folklore and flavor — (…)
Frankel’s point comes after his first Real Housewives of New York City to cost Jill Zarin made headlines for his critical view of Bad Bunny’s performance.
“It was the worst halftime show,” Zarin, 62, said in a since-deleted video. via X by a fan “I don’t think it was appropriate to have him in Spanish and frankly … grab his G-zone (groin) … I think it was totally inappropriate. You have all these kids watching the Super Bowl, and it doesn’t need to be grabbed every five seconds because it’s so unsafe. Really.”
Zarin also noted that he doesn’t speak Spanish and “I wish I knew the words he was saying.”
During Monday’s episode of SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, Andy Cohen he was asked about Zarin’s controversial message.
“In terms of Jill, I don’t know,” he shared before referencing her upcoming reality show on a network other than Bravo. “Call E!”
Reviews aside, Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show had plenty of surprises, including unexpected appearances from Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Peter Pascal, Jessica Alba, Karol G, Alix Earle i cardi b
The joyful, high-energy adventure celebrated the island of Puerto Rico, where he was born, and his place in American history.
During the show, the Grammy winner wore clothes created by Zara, a retailer that first launched in Spain in 1975, and jewelry, including a Desert diamond by designer Marvin Douglas.
“Thank you Benito for including me in this powerful, important and meaningful performance,” Lady Gaga, 39, wrote via Instagram on Monday “I’m so humbled to be a part of this moment. It’s even more special because it was with you and your beautiful heart and music. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
She added: “All my love to Benito, Ricky and the whole cast. Thanks to @chloeandchenelle and @luar for my beautiful style and fashion. ❤️ All your talent and love brought this beautiful dress to life.”