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Topline
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be patrolling at Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show next year, according to Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski, who said the NFL’s choice to tap the Puerto Rican rapper for its Super Bowl headliner was “shameful.”
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)
FilmMagic
Key Facts
Lewandowski told right-wing podcast Benny Johnson there is “nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally, not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” posing a warning to those living in the U.S. illegally that ICE will “apprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you.”
Lewandowski said the NFL is “so shameful” for picking Bad Bunny as its Super Bowl halftime performer, characterizing the rapper, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, as “somebody who seems to hate America.”
The Trump adviser suggested a different act could have been chosen for the halftime show, telling Johnson there are other entertainers “who could be playing at that show that would be bringing people together and not separating them.”
“I don’t care if it’s a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else,” Lewandowski added, saying, “We’re going to do enforcement everywhere.”
Johnson blasted Bad Bunny this week in a tweet calling him a “massive Trump hater” and an “anti-ICE activist” who has “no songs in English.”
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Why Is There Backlash Over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Selection?
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 “f——- ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.” Bad Bunny has also called ICE agents “motherf—ers” and “sons of bitches” in an Instagram post from June. One of the rapper’s songs, “NUEVAYol,” pokes fun at the president, featuring a Trump-like voice that says “this country is nothing without the immigrants.” Bad Bunny came to the defense of his homeland last year after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. The rapper later posted a video celebrating Puerto Rican culture, captioning the video “garbage” and saying Puerto Ricans have been “fighting since day one of our existence, we are the definition of heart and resistance.”
Big Number
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.
Key Background
Not much is known about what Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance will entail. However, the rapper said in a statement the show is “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.” Bad Bunny’s selection as halftime performer is likely informed by his massive popularity. The rapper has three Grammy Awards under his belt and was Spotify’s most-streamed artist from 2020 to 2022, ranking in the top three of most-streamed artists every year since then. Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his most recent album, is currently No. 1 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.
Further Reading
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Sparks Right-Wing Backlash Over Rapper’s Anti-ICE Activism (Forbes)
