The NFL’s decision to put Bad Bunny on the Super Bowl halftime stage is less about entertainment and more about politics — and it’s a slap in the face to millions of Americans who want unity, not cultural provocation. The Puerto Rican star’s selection for the February halftime show has predictably inflamed the culture wars, because he’s made no secret of using his platform to attack conservative values and U.S. immigration enforcement.
Bad Bunny has publicly criticized ICE and even said he avoided touring the mainland United States because of fears his fans could face immigration enforcement, a stance that national conservatives see as expressly political and, frankly, reckless for an event billed as a national celebration. Americans can disagree with his politics, but it’s fair to ask why the most-watched broadcast of the year should spotlight an artist who has weaponized his fame against law enforcement and the rule of law.
What’s especially galling is how the media and the NFL pretend this is just about diversity while sneering at majority concerns about language, family values, and national pride. Commentators on the right have rightly pointed out that a Super Bowl performance devoid of English and steeped in partisan symbolism isn’t neutral — it’s an editorial. The league’s partnership with prominent industry figures to produce these shows has turned halftime into a political stage instead of a unifying, apolitical spectacle.
Conservative outrage is not merely about taste; it’s about message and consequence. Bad Bunny’s very public support for left-wing candidates and his mocking of Republican immigration policies make him a political actor at a moment when many Americans are tired of being lectured to by celebrity elites. If the NFL wants to avoid alienating half the country, it should stop elevating figures who treat American institutions like punching bags.
The reaction has already gone beyond social media complaints — it’s become a cultural flashpoint, with boycott hashtags and talk of pushing back against the NFL’s choices. That reaction didn’t emerge from nowhere; it’s the predictable result of decades of corporations and entertainers prioritizing woke signaling over broad, common-sense appeal. Americans who still believe in patriotism, law and order, and protecting our cultural commons shouldn’t be mocked for wanting entertainment that respects those values.
It’s time for conservatives to stop treating the culture as if it’s a lost cause and start making clear what we value: respect for the flag, safe public spaces, and unifying national moments that honor American traditions. If the NFL insists on turning the Super Bowl into political theater, millions of fans will respond the only way they can — with their wallets and their attention. That’s not cancel culture; that’s accountability.
