Bad Bunny had prominence during the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show and won the hearts of hundreds of millions of viewers across the country (and the world) while doing so.
According to a press release from Tuesday, February 10 NBC Sports, The performance’s total social media consumption, which includes fans, owned platforms, broadcast partners, influencers and more, set a record four billion views after the first 24 hours, representing a 137% year-over-year increase.
In terms of overall viewing in the U.S., Bad Bunny, 31, averaged 128.2 million viewers from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. ET, just down from Kendrick Lamar’s record audience figures of 133.5 million by 2025. According to the outlet, which cited Ripple Analytics, global audience numbers will be available early next week.
During the performance on Sunday, February 8, Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) took the opportunity to honor his Puerto Rican heritage and began the show on a sugar cane field set.
The rapper took to a front porch, where he was joined by several celebrities, including Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba i Alix Earle.
Bad Bunny also surprised the viewers when Ricky Martin i Lady Gaga appeared as surprise guests, before concluding his series with the message: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
The words, which appeared on the scoreboard in the stadium, were a nod to Bad Bunny’s acceptance speech at the 2026 Grammy Awards. (Bad Bunny took home the album of the year trophy for his I should have taken more pictures album at the time.)
Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the game, where the Seattle Seahawks eventually beat the New England Patriots by a final score of 29-13, in September 2025.
“What I’m feeling is beyond myself,” he said in a statement at the time. “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. Go tell your grandma, we’ll be the SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW.”
Bad Bunny had family on his mind when he took the field for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. The rapper, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, wore a custom cream T-shirt for his performance, with “Ocasio” on the back and the number 64. “Bad Bunny paid tribute to his uncle who played football (…)
The ad received some criticism from fans, NFL players and political figures, but was supported by the NFL commissioner. Roger Goodellwho defended the election in October 2025.
“He’s one of the leading and most popular artists in the world,” Goodell, 66, told reporters during a news conference at the time. “That’s what we’re trying to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value, and it’s carefully thought out.”
Goodell explained that the league has struggled in the past with some of its decisions for performers.
“I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some pushback and criticism,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people watching.”
Goodell stated that the NFL was “confident” that Bad Bunny would put on a “great” show, adding, “He understands the platform he’s on and I think it’s going to be exciting and a bonding moment.”
Bad Bunny, meanwhile, insisted that English speakers will enjoy his performance despite earlier joking that they had “four months” to learn Spanish.
“They you don’t even need to learn Spanish” he said Thursday, February 5, during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show press conference. “They better learn to dance. There is no better dance than the one that comes from the heart. That’s all they have to worry about.”
He added: “I just want people to have fun.”