Bad Bunnyit is highly anticipated Super Bowl 60 The halftime show captivated viewers on Sunday, February 8, but not everyone was so excited.
Steven Van Zandtbest known for his role in The Sopranos and its place within Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, took to social media after the Puerto Rican rapper’s performance.
“Expanding to Latino audiences is one thing. Making a show EXCLUSIVELY for Latino audiences? They’re going to hear about this one,” Van Zandt wrote. via X.
He added to it a separate post“Not only do I love Latin music, I DO Latin music. It was one hell of a production, and I’m so happy for its huge success, but I’m sorry, without subtitles it was a bad decision and an insult to the audience. The subtitles would have been ‘countering the divide’, if there wasn’t one for the soul.”
Selection of Bad Bunny as performer for the Super Bowl 60 halftime show demonstrated divisiveness long before taking the stage on Sunday, with the conservative political organization Turning Point USA, which was founded by the deceased Charlie Kirk – organization its own halftime show as alternative programming.
President Donald Trump influenced the choice of the NFL shortly after being announced in September 2025.
Bad Bunny performs at the Apple Music Halftime Show during the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.
Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images“I’ve never heard of him,” Trump, 79, told Newsmax in October 2025. “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing this. It’s crazy.”
He added: “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Trump too Bad Bunny said acting in the middle during an interview with the New York Post in January
“I think it’s a terrible choice,” he said. “All he does is sow hate. Terrible.”
Trump said he wouldn’t attend Super Bowl 60 in person because the flight to Santa Clara wasn’t that long.
“I would go, if you know, it was a little shorter,” he said publication.
Before his performance on Sunday, Bad Bunny explained what the show was like meant to be inclusiveeven for English speakers who may not be familiar with his music.
“They don’t even have to learn Spanish,” the Puerto Rican rapper said Thursday, Feb. 5, during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show press conference. “They better learn to dance. There is no better dance than that which comes from the heart. That’s all they have to worry about.”
He added: “I just want people to have fun.”
During Thursday’s press conference, Bad Bunny also got emotional while talking about his mother, Lysaurie Ocasioand his unwavering support throughout his life.
“She believed in me and I’m not talking about my music career,” he said. “I just talk about everything. She believed in me as a person, as a human being. She believed in my decisions, in my opinions, in my taste, in my choices.”
He continued, “She thought I could be a good person. I think that’s what got me here, you know?”