Topline<\/p>\n
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be patrolling at Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl halftime show next year, according to Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski, who said the NFL\u2019s choice to tap the Puerto Rican rapper for its Super Bowl headliner was \u201cshameful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bad Bunny attends the “Caught Stealing” New York Premiere at Regal Union Square on August 26, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by TheStewartofNY\/FilmMagic)<\/p>\n
FilmMagicKey Facts<\/p>\n
Lewandowski told right-wing podcast Benny Johnson there is \u201cnowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally, not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,\u201d posing a warning to those living in the U.S. illegally that ICE will \u201capprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewandowski said the NFL is \u201cso shameful\u201d for picking Bad Bunny as its Super Bowl halftime performer, characterizing the rapper, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, as \u201csomebody who seems to hate America.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Trump adviser suggested a different act could have been chosen for the halftime show, telling Johnson there are other entertainers \u201cwho could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care if it\u2019s a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else,\u201d Lewandowski added, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re going to do enforcement everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson blasted<\/a> Bad Bunny this week in a tweet calling him a \u201cmassive Trump hater\u201d and an \u201canti-ICE activist\u201d who has \u201cno songs in English.\u201d<\/p>\n Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We\u2019re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day\u2019s headlines. Text \u201cAlerts\u201d to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why Is There Backlash Over Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl Selection?<\/p>\n Critics of the rapper have pointed to his criticism of Trump and his administration, as well as his anti-ICE activism. Bad Bunny did not incorporate U.S. stops on his current world tour out of concern for potential ICE raids that could occur during shows, saying \u201cf\u2014\u2014- ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it\u2019s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.\u201d Bad Bunny has also called ICE agents \u201cmotherf\u2014ers\u201d and \u201csons of bitches\u201d in an Instagram post from June. One of the rapper\u2019s songs, \u201cNUEVAYol,\u201d pokes fun at the president, featuring a Trump-like voice that says \u201cthis country is nothing without the immigrants.\u201d Bad Bunny came to the defense of his homeland last year after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a \u201cfloating island of garbage\u201d during Trump\u2019s rally at Madison Square Garden. The rapper later posted a video celebrating Puerto Rican culture, captioning the video \u201cgarbage\u201d and saying Puerto Ricans have been \u201cfighting since day one of our existence, we are the definition of heart and resistance.\u201d<\/p>\n Big Number<\/p>\n 18 million. That is how many streams Bad Bunny received Monday, the day after he was announced as the next Super Bowl halftime performer, representing a 31% surge week-over-week, according to Billboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Not much is known about what Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl performance will entail. However, the rapper said in a statement the show is \u201cfor those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown\u2026 this is for my people, my culture, and our history.\u201d Bad Bunny\u2019s selection as halftime performer is likely informed by his massive popularity. The rapper has three Grammy Awards under his belt and was Spotify\u2019s most-streamed artist from 2020 to 2022, ranking in the top three of most-streamed artists every year since then. Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos, his most recent album, is currently No. 1 on Billboard\u2019s Independent Albums chart. <\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n