When it comes to Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show, I’m conflicted. On one hand, he’s a great musician. On the other, his political views are something I strongly disagree with. Add to that his questionable claims about ICE, and the hypocrisy of him taking the Super Bowl stage becomes hard to ignore.
Let’s break this down. Bad Bunny has claimed he won’t perform in the U.S. mainland because of ICE agents patrolling Latino events and detaining undocumented attendees. He’s been openly critical of Donald Trump and has even hinted at supporting Puerto Rican independence. But here’s the problem: ICE also operates in Puerto Rico. So while he can hold a stance against performing in the mainland, acting as though Puerto Rico is immune to ICE involvement feels disingenuous.
Which brings us to the core of the issue: if Bad Bunny refuses to perform in the mainland due to ICE, why would he accept one of the biggest gigs in the entire United States—the Super Bowl Halftime Show? Whether he’s using the moment to push an anti-Trump or anti-American message is one thing. But to ignore the hypocrisy here is naïve. And if people don’t see it as hypocrisy, then at the very least they should recognize the irony.
Now, to be clear: I don’t mind Bad Bunny performing at the Super Bowl. Like I said, he’s a talented artist. But he’s also full of it, and he’s a prime example of why I don’t take mainstream musicians seriously when it comes to politics.