{"id":127798,"date":"2026-02-09T18:07:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T18:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/127798\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T18:07:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T18:07:27","slug":"bad-bunny-brings-tonita-to-the-super-bowl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/127798\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Bunny brings To\u00f1ita to the Super Bowl"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Celebrating <\/p>\n

BROOKLYN – Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl halftime show bridged Puerto Rico and New York, weaving shared history, identity, and culture into a performance seen by millions.<\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

For many viewers, that connection came into focus during a brief but powerful moment when Mar\u00eda Antonia Cay, better known as To\u00f1ita<\/a>, appeared behind a bar, pouring Bad Bunny a shot.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Bad Bunny performs during the Super Bowl LX halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Photo by Santiago Mejia\/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

The bar was not a set piece.<\/p>\n

Why you should care:<\/p>\n

It was a nod to To\u00f1ita\u2019s Caribbean Social Club, the longtime Williamsburg institution that Cay has owned and operated for more than 50 years and one of New York City\u2019s last remaining Puerto Rican social clubs.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Bad Bunny performs onstage during the Apple Music Super Bowl\u00a0LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ishika Samant\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

The cameo carried particular meaning for Puerto Ricans in New York, where To\u00f1ita\u2019s has long served as a gathering place, cultural anchor, and safe haven.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To\u00f1ita’s in Brooklyn <\/p>\n

Dig deeper:<\/p>\n

FOX 5 NY profiled the popular social club in 2024 for its 50th anniversary.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

There, the club\u2019s walls could be seen lined with photos, Puerto Rican flags, and decades of community history.<\/p>\n

“Every Puerto Rican throughout the diaspora and even in Puerto Rico has come here,” Jacqueline Acosta told FOX 5 NY.<\/p>\n

Who is Maria Antonia \u2018To\u00f1ita\u2019 Cay? <\/p>\n

Cay, who is originally from Juncos, Puerto Rico, arrived in New York City in 1956 at just 16 years old.<\/a><\/p>\n

Like many Puerto Ricans who migrated to the city after World War II, she came seeking work and opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She initially worked as a babysitter in the Bronx before settling in Williamsburg\u2019s south side in the 1960s, an area then known as Los Sures, a Puerto Rican enclave shaped by factory labor at places like the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Domino Sugar refinery.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Bad Bunny performs during the Super Bowl LX halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (Photo by Santiago Mejia\/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

She worked as a seamstress while building roots in the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1974, Cay purchased the Grand Street building that now houses To\u00f1ita\u2019s, modeling the space after Puerto Rico\u2019s “Chinchorros” \u2014 makeshift bars where families and friends gather to eat, drink, and dance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

50 years of To\u00f1ita \"\" <\/p>\n

Puerto Rican fans gather in a bar to see Bad Bunny perform during the Super Bowl halftime show in New York, on February 8, 2026. (Photo by kena betancur \/ AFP via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

The club originally opened as a members-only space for a local baseball team before evolving into a broader community hub.<\/p>\n

“She gives food away, she cooks every single day for these people, so they can have a warm plate of food,” said her daughter, Silvia Rosado.<\/p>\n

“This is not about money for Mami, it\u2019s about a sense of community,” Rosado added.<\/p>\n

That philosophy has remained unchanged even as Williamsburg has undergone decades of gentrification.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Gentrification <\/p>\n

Cay has repeatedly turned down offers worth millions of dollars to sell the property.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Bad Bunny, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Stephani Sosa and Alix Earle at Super Bowl LX held at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk\/Billboard via Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Supporters have rallied around the club, arguing it represents a broader fight to preserve Puerto Rican and Nuyorican culture in New York City.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s cultural significance has also drawn international attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the years, it has welcomed artists including Bad Bunny, Maluma, and Madonna, and served as the backdrop for a Rolling Stone photo shoot.<\/p>\n

For many watching the Super Bowl, seeing To\u00f1ita behind that bar wasn\u2019t just a cameo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was a reminder that To\u00f1ita\u2019s Caribbean Social Club is more than a bar \u2014 it\u2019s a living piece of Puerto Rican and Brooklyn history, briefly brought to the world\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Santa Clara, CA – February 8: Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga performs the halftime show. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks played in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran\/The Boston Globe via Getty I <\/p>\n

Big picture view:<\/p>\n

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio, recently won album of the year at the 2026 Grammy Awards for Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos, becoming the first Spanish-language album to take home the top prize.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“What I\u2019m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a previous statement.<\/a> “It\u2019s for 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.”<\/p>\n

The Source: This article is based on information from the Super Bowl halftime broadcast, Women’s Activism NYC and previous reporting by FOX 5 NY.<\/p>\n

Entertainment<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BROOKLYN – Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl halftime show bridged Puerto Rico and New York, weaving shared history, identity,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127799,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,157,9,24,12,63],"class_list":["post-127798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-entertainment","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}