NFL Confidently Stands By Bad Bunny Amid Criticism For Super Bowl Halftime Show: ‘It’s Going To Be A United Moment’

With the ongoing uproar over Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, the NFL has one clear response - Bad Bunny will take the stage, come what may.

Over the years, Super Bowl headliner announcements have often sparked controversy, but none quite compare to the frenzy that followed the announcement of the Puerto Rican artist's selection earlier in September. The announcement drew sharp reactions even from Donald Trump and several other conservatives.

For the first time since the backlash began, the football organization has spoken out in defense of the artist. 

During a press conference at the NFL's fall meeting on October 22, Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the growing criticism over the selection, making it clear that regardless, Bad Bunny would take the league’s biggest stage come 2026.

“It's carefully thought through,” Goodell defended the decision, adding that the controversies were expected.

“I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism,” he said. “It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching.”

While reaffirming the pick, Goodell revealed that they “are confident” the Grammy-winning artist would deliver an outstanding performance. “He understands the platform that he's on,” Goodell said, per Entertainment Weekly. “And I think it's going to be exciting and a united moment.”

The NFL’s response comes two days after critics made a bold move to make sure the “Monaco” singer is removed from the upcoming show with a petition. 

Over 50,000 signatures have been collected on a Change.org petition demanding that the football association axe the 31-year-old singer, arguing that he doesn't represent traditional American values.

Rather than Bad Bunny, the supporters are pushing for country legend George Strait to take his place, claiming he better reflects “the heart and soul of American music,” and appeals to all generations, as The Blast reported.

The request further claimed that the halftime show should be an avenue to celebrate American heritage and not be turned into a political stunt. 

Alongside the petition, The Blast previously reported that Charlie Kirk's nonprofit organization, Turning Point USA (TPUSA), is planning to organize a rival event on the same day as the Super Bowl, seemingly in protest of Bad Bunny’s selection. 

TPUSA tagged the event “The All-American Halftime Show,” and would focus on and pay tribute to faith, family, and freedom. 

Details on the organization’s website showed that they asked fans to vote on which songs they'd like to hear. Taking a jab at the “I Like It” collaborator’s style of singing in Spanish, a top reference on the options list stated “Anything in English.”

As the criticism continued to pour in, Trump joined in sharing his disapproval of the three-time Grammy winner  on the big stage when he made a guest appearance on NewsMax's “Greg Kelly Reports.”

According to The Blast, host Kelly asked the president to share his thoughts as she began by pointing out to Trump that the singer has spoken out against ICE and often labels things he disagrees with as “racist.”

Trump responded by saying he didn't know who Bad Bunny was and had never heard of him. The U.S. leader then took the opportunity to slam the show’s organizers, calling its decision “absolutely ridiculous.”

Fueling further debate over whether the singer should perform on football's biggest night, Bad Bunny drew more attention after he appeared to remain seated during a rendition of “God Bless America” at a recent baseball game.

As The Blast reported, a circulating clip showed the artist sitting with friends in the stands during a matchup between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

While the crowd stood to sing the patriotic tune, particularly during the line “stand beside her and guide her,” Bad Bunny was seen remaining seated. MAGA supporters have since condemned his actions, calling them unpatriotic and disrespectful.