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I wanted to put this out there before the Super Bowl kicks off, because I already know what’s coming. We’ve seen this movie before. The onslaught has already started.
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Bad Bunny is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, and you can practically set your watch by the reaction. There is going to be a flood of criticism from the same predictable corners. Bigoted, small-minded outrage dressed up as concern for “American culture.” Complaints about how this doesn’t represent “real America.” Complaints about how the music isn’t recognizable enough, isn’t in English, isn’t a Leonard Skynyrd cover band, an AC/DC reunion tour, or some nostalgia act that makes certain people feel comfortable.
And it will be loud. Very loud.
What’s funny is that the people who actually enjoy the halftime show usually don’t spend much time complaining online. They’re watching the game. Eating. Drinking. Hanging out with friends and family. The outrage almost always comes from a minority that is extremely good at being BIG MAD.
Which makes me get Groundhog’s Day vibes every year. This “outrage” happens every damn year.
For example…
Past Super Bowls
Every time the Super Bowl halftime show strays from a narrow, cookie-cutter idea of what America is supposed to look or sound like, the backlash follows immediately. And every time, it’s framed as something new or shocking, even though it never is.
Take recent memory.
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In 2025, Super Bowl 59 featured Kendrick Lamar. This was right in the middle of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, which was already a perfectly primed social media frenzy. Before Kendrick even stepped on stage, you already knew the criticisms were coming. People called it “ghetto.” “Low-life trash.” Language that surprised absolutely no one, because we’ve heard it before.
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In 2023, Super Bowl 57 featured Rihanna. Pregnant. Returning to the stage after years away, after building a massive business empire, starting a family, and choosing to perform while visibly pregnant. The criticisms came fast. It was boring. She didn’t move enough. She gained weight. She can’t dance anymore. And of course, the familiar refrain that it was the “worst halftime show ever,” supposedly geared toward “a very specific demographic.” Everyone knew exactly what that meant.
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Which is especially ironic when you remember that hip hop and R&B are among the most listened-to genres globally. This was not niche music. She had some have the biggest songs of 21st century so far. But in actuality, it was just music performed by a black woman on the biggest stage in the country. People got triggered.
Then there was 2022. Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg. Eminem. Mary J. Blige. Kendrick Lamar. An all-time lineup. Legends. Artists whose music defined entire generations. For a lot of people in their 30’s & 40’s, that show was pure nostalgia. From The Chronic to Doggy Style to Slim Shady to Mary J., it was a reminder of riding around in the backseat of your friends cars with their 12” Rockford Fosgate subwoofers giving you a back massage and getting you a little sick tbh.
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And yet, the backlash was immediate. Charlie Kirk called it “sexual anarchy.” Others said it shouldn’t have been televised. Some dismissed it as nostalgia bait. Others said we should have had Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, or Lee Greenwood instead. Again, the context was obvious. Nobody was confused about what was being said.
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Why Bad Bunny Is Going to Win Anyway
Which brings us to Bad Bunny.
My prediction is simple. The same cycle will repeat, but with a different ending. The criticism will be loud. Immigration rhetoric will creep in. Border control talking points. “Send them back” dog whistles. Complaints about Spanish lyrics. Complaints about not understanding the words.
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And then the show will happen.
Bad Bunny’s music is going to hit.
Because that’s the thing about music. You don’t need to understand every word to know when something slaps. When it pops, it pops. Rhythm, energy, and emotion travel just fine without translation. A Banger is a Banger!
After the halftime show, Bad Bunny’s stock is going to go up. He’s going to gain new fans. People who never thought they’d defend his music or Latino culture publicly will suddenly find themselves doing exactly that. Not because they planned to, but because they enjoyed what they saw.
The Noise Versus Reality
What I think most Americans actually want is pretty simple. They want to watch the game. Snack. Drink a beer or two, or four. Enjoy a shared cultural moment. The Super Bowl is one of the last true mass-participation events in this country. Over 100 million people watching at the same time.
You are never going to please everyone in a group that large. Criticism is guaranteed. But the idea that the loudest voices represent the majority is a lie.
Most people are fine. Most people are curious. Most people are open to something new.
Which is why I think this halftime show is going to land better than the critics in the bubble say.
Cutting Through the Manufactured Outrage
Of course, there will be attempts to capitalize on the backlash. Turning Point USA has already decided to broadcast its own so-called Super Bowl halftime show. Marketing brilliance fueled by outrage. Featuring performers clinging to relevance by wrapping themselves in artificial, hypocritical, farcical, moral purity.
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The irony is hard to miss, especially when you remember the lyrical history of some of the people being elevated as moral counterweights. It’s even harder to miss given the Epstein files.
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But that’s the point. None of this is really about music. It’s about identity, fear, and who gets to define what “American” means.
What I Hope People Take Away
So here’s my ask.
Cut through the noise. Use this as a moment to embrace cultural difference instead of fearing it. If you haven’t listened to Bad Bunny before, maybe give it a shot. You don’t have to love it. You don’t have to make it your personality. You just have to be open.
America has never been one sound, one language, or one culture. That diversity is not a bug. It’s the feature. It’s a strength.
You’re going to see ugly comments online. You’re going to see moral outrage and so-called purity tests. Just remember that those voices represent a small percentage of people who are very good at being LOUD.
Most Americans don’t give a shit. Most Americans are welcoming. Most Americans are perfectly capable of enjoying something new without losing their sense of identity.
This Super Bowl is going to remind us of that.
And that is what I want you to take away.
Stay Angry.
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