Unhealthy Bunny Tremendous Bowl present sparks anti-American backlash

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Unhealthy Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show is formally behind us. Mercifully. What started with hype and outrage, after which extra outrage, ended with a present most charitably described as polarizing and complicated for individuals who weren't already Unhealthy Bunny followers. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell promised that Unhealthy Bunny would use the present to unite the world "in a very inventive and enjoyable approach." It seems that he was proper. A lot of the nation, apart from some Democrats like California Gov. Gavin Newsom , was united in its revulsion over a present that was narrowly tailor-made to a distinct segment viewers regardless of being billed as inclusive and respectful of America.

The pre-show hype round Unhealthy Bunny’s invitation to carry out at this yr’s Tremendous Bowl started together with his SNL demand that viewers "be taught Spanish." He walked the dig again on the pre-Tremendous Bowl press convention, however the sentiment ended up being true.

Then there was the web rumor that Unhealthy Bunny would put on a costume throughout his halftime efficiency and honor Hispanic LGBTQ+ figures. That turned out to be a hoax.

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You’ve obtained at hand it to Unhealthy Bunny and his marketing team . Within the weeks main as much as the Tremendous Bowl, they made certain to captivate folks’s consideration, whether or not constructive or not.

Unhealthy Bunny performs throughout halftime of the NFL Tremendous Bowl 60 soccer recreation between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Picture/Morry Gash)

The Tremendous Bowl halftime present was a condensed model of the present he placed on throughout his Puerto Rico residency. As America watched, Unhealthy Bunny started with a stroll by means of a sugar cane area. He handed by a number of scenes typical of Puerto Rico as he opened with "Tití Me Preguntó ("Auntie Requested Me")," comparable to a coconut water stand and a domino desk. As he arrived at a home, viewers had been handled to a mashup of a number of of his different hits earlier than transitioning to a homage to ’90s and ’00s reggaeton and the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it depiction of two dudes grinding.

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Had any of the present been in English, we might’ve heard a principally constructive message from Unhealthy Bunny: "My title is Benito Martinez Ocasio. And if I’m right here as we speak at Tremendous Bowl LX, it’s as a result of I by no means, by no means stopped believing in myself. You also needs to imagine in your self. You’re value greater than you assume. Consider me."

Unhealthy Bunny performs throughout halftime of the NFL Tremendous Bowl 60 soccer recreation between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Picture/Matt Slocum)

We then proceeded to the spotlight of the present: Lady Gaga becoming a member of the salsa band in a model of "Die With a Smile" on a stage constructed to resemble the El Morro fortress in Outdated San Juan—the one second the place maybe a majority of these current at Levi Stadium may sing alongside.

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However wait, there’s extra. This segues into Unhealthy Bunny’s "Baile Inolvidable (Unforgettable Dance)," "Nueva Yol (New York)," and a symbolic handover of his Grammy.

Unhealthy Bunny performs throughout halftime of the NFL Tremendous Bowl 60 soccer recreation between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Picture/Charlie Riedel)

Up till this level, there wasn’t something within the present that may very well be perceived as overtly anti-American. That modified when Ricky Martin started singing the refrain of " Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii (What Occurred to Hawaii)," which interprets to:

They wish to take the rivers and the seashores away from me They wish to take my neighborhood and for Grandma to go away No, don’t let go of the flag and don’t overlook the le lo lai (music) I don’t need them to do with you what occurred to Hawaii

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"What occurred to Hawaii" is that it was admitted into the Union as its fiftieth state. Unhealthy Bunny, who sings beneath the auspices of a file label based by a former Venezuelan intelligence officer, would favor that Puerto Rico separate from the US in an effort to grow to be an impartial nation—an choice that solely 12% of the island’s voters selected in 2024. The file exhibits that Unhealthy Bunny additionally endorsed the pro-independence, Chávez- and Castro-sympathizing candidate for governor of Puerto Rico.

Unhealthy Bunny performs throughout halftime of the NFL Tremendous Bowl 60 soccer recreation between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Picture/Julio Cortez)

The Grammy-winning artist’s halftime show ended with an outline of energy outages, the titular "Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and his Grammy quote, "The one factor extra highly effective than hate is love," flashing on the massive display.

Unhealthy Bunny walked off the sphere with a flag-bearing entourage in tow. His shout of "God Bless America!" actually meant "América, as in the Americas , not the US. A grand finale that was stilted, complicated, and subtly however passively-aggressively anti-American.

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This begs the query: Why even invite Unhealthy Bunny to do the present within the first place? May the NFL make a enterprise argument to deliver him in because the halftime performer? Sure. Because the league expands into Latin America and different markets, Unhealthy Bunny is sensible. They each share Mexico as their biggest overseas market , for instance. It was a no brainer.

Unhealthy Bunny and Woman Gaga stand on the sphere through the Tremendous Bowl LX halftime present between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Picture/Brynn Anderson)

However, this was a transparent vetting failure. The halftime present was fastidiously constructed to mainstream two equally poisonous concepts to viewers in the US: first, the thought of Puerto Rico as a separate nation from the US. Second, the thought of Latino identity as a nation inside a nation, a everlasting immigrant standing separate from the American mainstream.

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Removed from uniting the world "in a very inventive and enjoyable approach," Unhealthy Bunny delivered a extremely divisive present that put identification politics entrance and middle. The ultimate product fell far wanting Goodell’s hype, leaving a bitter style within the mouths of tens of millions of viewers.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks throughout his state of the NFL information convention on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, California, forward of the Tremendous Bowl 60 soccer recreation between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Picture/Matt York)

One shudders to assume what the league may bear in mind for subsequent yr in the event that they insist on forsaking their core viewers in pursuit of world growth.

Jorge Bonilla is a information analyst on the Media Analysis Middle, and hosts a day by day speak present on WAXY 790 AM Radio Libre in Miami. Observe him on X @BonillaJL.