After Puerto Rican singer Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny, sang in Spanish during the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, claims spread online that he had used foul language in his songs.
For example, U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican from Florida, took to X to deem Bad Bunny’s performance “illegal,” calling for the Federal Communications Commission investigate it. His post included screenshots of supposed translated lyrics of one of Bad Bunny’s songs (which we did not include as they were full of expletives). In his post, Fine wrote:
You can’t say the f-word on live TV.
“Bad Bunny”‘s disgusting halftime show was illegal.
Had he said these lyrics — and all of the other disgusting and pornographic filth in English on live TV, the broadcast would have been pulled down and the fines would have been enormous.
Puerto Ricans are Americans and we all live by the same rules.
We are sending @BrendanCarrFCC a letter calling for dramatic action, including fines and broadcast license reviews, against the @NFL, @nbc, and “Bad Bunny.”
Lock them up.
(X user @RepFine)
Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, echoed Fine’s accusation, saying on X (archived) that the “performance’s lyrics openly glorified sodomy and countless other unspeakable depravities.” Meanwhile, Rep. Mark Alford, a Republican from Missouri, told Real America’s Voice (archived) that Bad Bunny’s show “could be much worse than the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction.” (Alford was referring to the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, during which Justin Timberlake removed the right side of Jackson’s bra, revealing her breast.)
Following the controversy over Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, Snopes readers emailed us seeking to confirm whether any of his lyrics were obscene enough to warrant concern.
Snopes examined Bad Bunny’s performance in detail, accounting for Puerto Rico’s variant of Spanish, its slang and the codes of reggaeton (a dance music genre born on the island). While the musician may have pushed the boundaries of acceptable content in his lyrics for a TV performance, it remains up for debate whether he actually crossed them.
We sent our analysis of Bad Bunny’s lyrics to Fine, Ogles and Alford, asking for their reaction. We will update our report should they respond.
Bad Bunny’s ‘bad’ lyrics
Bad Bunny doesn’t shy away from profanity in his music. Of his seven studio albums, only one lacks an “explicit” label. His latest album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” includes the label on 11 of its 17 songs.
The screenshots of the song Fine posted online accurately translated the original lyrics of “Safaera,” a song from Bad Bunny’s album “YHLQMDLG” (short for “yo hago lo que me da la gana” — “I do what I want”).
Even so, the singer toned down much of his language for the Super Bowl audience. A comparison of his live vocals with his original lyrics showed that while he kept the sexual innuendos and references to drugs in certain songs, he omitted more graphic imagery and obscene language.
In some cases, he mumbled, switched out words or simply went silent when a line called for profanity. He also played a medley of his songs, allowing him to cut more explicit sections. Together, these adjustments allowed him to avoid riskier language while still playing his most recognizable verses and choruses.
Based on the NFL’s YouTube video of his performance, we identified multiple instances of Bad Bunny adjusting or avoiding his more risqué lyrics.
Below is our breakdown of his lyrics:
“Tití me Preguntó”
1:04: “Las que ya les metí” — “The ones I already slept with.” “Metérselo” translates as “to put it in him/her.” The closest equivalent in English would be “the ones I already smashed.”
1:38: “Mi bicho es cabrón” — “My [expletive for penis] is [expletive for awesome].” Here, Bad Bunny mumbles, making the phrase difficult to recognize to those who haven’t heard the song before.
“Safaera”
2:18 “Mi bicho anda fugao” — “My [expletive for penis] is on the loose.” Bad Bunny mumbles the word.
2:22 “Agárralo como una bonga” — “Grab it like a bong.” Bad Bunny refers to a device used to smoke marijuana.
2:23 “Una pepa que la pone cachonda” — “A pill that makes her horny.” Here, he doesn’t say “pepa,” or pill.
2:26 “C**** en el Audi no el Honda” — the lyrics for the original song read, “F*** in the Audi, not in the Honda.” Bad Bunny stays quiet to avoid the expletive.
2:27 “Si te lo meto no me llames” — “If I put it in you [if I sleep with you] don’t call me.”
2:33 “Si tu novio no te m*** el c***” — “If your boyfriend doesn’t [sexual act].” Bad Bunny stays quiet.
2:35 “Pa eso que no m***” — “He may as well not [sexual act meaning, in this case, to annoy].” Bad Bunny stays quiet.
“Yo perreo sola”
2:42 “Fuma y se pone bella****” — “She smokes and gets freaky.” Bad Bunny does not say the word for “freaky” in full, only the first two syllables.
“EoO”
4:12 “Sobeteo baby” — “Getting handsy baby.”
4:14 “No te quites baby, en la disco baby” — Bad Bunny sings, “Don’t leave, baby, in the club, baby,” instead of the original lyrics, which could translate to, “In the club, baby, I f*** you, baby”
“NUEVAYoL”
8:50 “El perico es blanco, el Tusi rosita / No te confundas, mejor evita” — “Blow [cocaine] is white, Tusi [mix of drugs also known as pink cocaine] is pink / Don’t get confused, best if you avoid.”
“El Apagón”
10:25 “Puerto Rico está bien ca…, está bien cabrón” — “Puerto Rico is well… is well [expletive for awesome].” Bad Bunny mumbles here, though it remains intelligible.
10:31 “Los hijue… de Bayamón” — “the mother… from Bayamón.” Bad Bunny avoids the expletive by not saying half the word.
10:44 “Este PR” — The original lyric is “P f***ing’ R,” but Bad Bunny removed the expletive for the halftime show.
10:54 “Maldita sea, otro apagón, vamo’ pa los bleacher’ a prender un blunt antes que a Pipo le de un bofe…” — “Damn it, another blackout, let’s go to the bleachers to light up a blunt before I slap Pipo.”
For further reading, Snopes has covered several rumors about Bad Bunny, including the claim he wore a bulletproof vest during the halftime show.