House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t happy about Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show — and he has an unlikely suggestion for who should replace him.
“I didn’t even know who Bad Bunny was,” the Republican leader told Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez when asked about the controversy outside the House chambers. “But it sounds like a terrible decision, in my view, from what I’m hearing.”
Pressed about what makes Bad Bunny a bad choice in his eyes, Johnson added, “It sounds like he’s not someone who appeals to a broader audience.”
The politician then offered some creative feedback to halftime show producers Roc Nation, suggesting an alternative option to fill Bad Bunny’s place. “There are so many eyes on the Super Bowl,” Johnson said. “A lot of young, impressionable children. And, in my view, you would have Lee Greenwood, or role models, doing that. Not somebody like this.”
Representatives for Bad Bunny did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.
Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty
A Grammy-winning country artist, 82-year-old Greenwood has proven himself a friend to the Trump administration by performing at the president’s 2025 inauguration and at various rallies on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny has been a subject of right-wing ire even before he was announced as the pick for the 2026 Super Bowl. The Puerto Rican singer has been catching flak from conservatives for sharing that he declined to bring his latest tour to the U.S. out of fear that ICE would target concertgoers.
With his recent comments, Johnson joins the chorus of right-wing commentators and politicians who have expressed outrage over the halftime show pick. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump, like Johnson, insisted he doesn’t know who Bad Bunny is and also believes he’s a terrible choice to headline the halftime show.
“I’ve never heard of him. I don’t know who he is,” Trump said Monday on NewsMax’s Greg Kelly Reports. “I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy… I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Others weighing in include Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who voiced concern about “demonic sexual performances” at the Super Bowl, and Tomi Lahren, who incorrectly suggested that the triple Grammy winner is “not an American artist.” Bad Bunny was born in Puerto Rico and has thus been a U.S. citizen since birth.
Thus far, Bad Bunny has shrugged off the criticism, celebrating his upcoming performance for the major career milestone that it is.
During a Sep. 29 interview with Apple Music, the artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, said, “I’m really excited for my friends, my family, Puerto Rico, all the Latino people around the world. I’m excited about my culture. I’m excited about everything — not just for me. You know what I’m saying? It feels really good.”
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He also quipped about the halftime show while hosting Saturday Night Live last weekend, telling the crowd, “I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News.”
The show then played a series of clips from various network discussions, edited together to make them say, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.”
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He went on to deliver a speech, partially in Spanish, speaking directly to “Latinos and Latinas across the world, and here, in the United States.” At the end, he told viewers, “And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
Dubbed the “King of Latin Trap,” Bad Bunny is currently one of the biggest musical artists on the planet with more than 107 billion streams on Spotify and 49.5 million followers on Instagram. As a rapper, singer and producer, he has had more than 100 songs chart on the Hot 100 in the U.S. and his last four albums have all debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. album chart.
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