Bad Bunny Reacts to His Historic Feat at the Super Bowl: "Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW"

Latino superstar Bad Bunny has reacted publicly to the news that he will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Puerto Rican artist will make history as the first performer to lead the show entirely in Spanish.

"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself," Bad Bunny said in a statement after the announcement published by Billboard.

"It's 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. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW del Super Bowl." (Go and tell grandma that we will be the HALFTIME SHOW of the Super Bowl.)

This will not be his first time on the halftime stage. In 2020, Bad Bunny appeared as a guest during Shakira and Jennifer Lopez's co-headlined performance in Miami. He is also not the first Latino to participate. Gloria Estefan performed in 1992 and 1999, while Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias joined the show in 2000. Lopez and Shakira became the first Latinas to co-lead in 2020.

However, it's the first time a Latino artist with only Spanish-language music will headline the world's most-watched musical event. It's also worth noting that Bad Bunny had revealed that behind his decision of not touring in the U.S. next year was his desire to protect his fans from the immigration raids of ICE.

There were many reasons why I didn't put the U.S. on the schedule, and none of them were about hate. I've performed there plenty of times," the 31-year-old told I-D magazine . "The issue was, ICE could be outside the venues. We talked about it, and we were very worried about it."

The NFL emphasized Bad Bunny's global reach in its announcement.

"Bad Bunny represents the global energy and cultural vibrancy that define today's music scene," said Jon Barker, senior vice president of global event production for the NFL. "As one of the most influential and streamed artists in the world, his unique ability to bridge genres, languages and audiences makes him an exciting and natural choice to take the Super Bowl halftime stage."

Jay-Z, who works with the NFL through Roc Nation on halftime production, highlighted his role beyond music. "What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring," he said. "We are honored to have him on the world's biggest stage."

Bad Bunny seemed to be making clear from the get-go that his halftime show was going to be a Latino/Puerto Rican show, wearing the classic Puerto Rican pava hat and flip flops in the announcement video.

Latinos represent more than 65 million people in the United States, about 19.5 percent of the national population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Puerto Ricans living on the mainland total nearly 6 million, making them the second-largest Latino group. Bad Bunny previously said he avoided touring the United States in order to protect his fans from immigration enforcement by ICE. Before the halftime announcement, he hinted at a U.S. date on social media, writing that after talking with his team, he believed he would add "one date in the United States."