While the U.S. House continues to be adjourned in the midst of an increasingly tense government shutdown, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson took time out this week to weigh in on next year’s Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny. Following in the footsteps of Donald Trump, Johnson threw cold water on the NFL’s decision to tap arguably the biggest male pop star on the planet by calling the booking a “terrible decision,” telling a reporter on Tuesday (Oct. 7) that he “didn’t even know who Bad Bunny was.”
“Well it sounds like he’s not someone who appeals to a broader audience,” said Johnson of Benito, 31, who holds records for being the first Latin artist to have 100 career Billboard Hot 100 songs, as well as having the first all-Spanish album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart (2020’s El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo) and has tied Taylor Swift for having the most No. 1s on the Billboard Global 200 of any solo artist. In addition, Bunny has the record for the most-streamed album of all time on Spotify with his 2022 LP Un Verano Sin Ti and is consistently one of the service’s most-streamed global artists, holding the top spot for three consecutive years from 2020-2022 while racking up 80 million monthly Spotify listeners over the course of his career.
In addition, Bad Bunny’s historic, 31-date No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency at Puerto Rico’s Coliseo broke all previous sales records for the venue and the livestream of his final residency show became the single most-watched livestream in the history of Amazon Music.
“There’s so many eyes on the Super Bowl, a lot of young, impressionable children,” Johnson continued, before proposing what he said was a more unifying, appropriate choice for the most-watched musical performance of the year, a “role model” like 82-year-old 1980s country singer Lee Greenwood. “Not somebody like this.”
Greenwood, beloved by Trump for his signature 1984 anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.,” hasn’t released a new album since 2003’s Stronger Than Time. The country star performed “God Bless the U.S.A.” at the 2024 Republican National Convention and more recently at the Sept. 21 memorial for Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk.
Though Bad Bunny hosted Saturday Night Live last weekend and is one of the most recognizable faces in modern pop, Trump similarly claimed to have no knowledge of him, telling conservative outlet NewsMax last week that he also “never heard of him. I don’t know who he is,” while referring to the singer incorrectly as “Bad Bunny Rabbit.”
Trump called the pick “crazy,” and then took aim at Roc Nation and Jay-Z, who choose the halftime performer. “And then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment,” Trump said. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Johnson and Trump have joined the chorus of right-wing commentators who’ve questioned the choice, with Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, dubbing the pick “shameful” and claiming that Benito “seems to hate America so much,” despite the fact that the singer’s homeland, Puerto Rico, is a U.S. territory. Lewandowski also warned that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be on the ground at the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 8. Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem doubled-down on those comments, confirming that ICE agents would be “all over” the Super Bowl.
The right has also complained that Benito — who has been openly critical of the Trump administration’s ICE raids in his native Puerto Rico — will sing primarily in Spanish, a topic he playfully broached during his SNL hosting stint over the weekend. “I’m doing the Super Bowl Halftime Show and I’m very happy. I think everyone is happy about it — even Fox News,” he joked in his monologue. He then shared a message in Spanish about the importance of representing his community at the big game, switching back to English to offer some helpful advice: “If you didn’t understand know what I just said, you have four months to learn!”
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