Will Bad Bunny call out ICE at the Super Bowl?
Fresh off his historic Album of the Year win at the 2026 Grammys for DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny is set to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Feb. 8 — a performance poised to become yet another culture-shifting moment on the world's biggest stage.
At the Grammys, the Puerto Rican superstar didn't shy away from politics, directly calling out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with a pointed "ICE out" during his acceptance speech for Música Urbana Album. Now, as he prepares for one of the most-watched performances in the world, the question remains: Will Bad Bunny bring that same unapologetic message to the Super Bowl?
Bad Bunny's history of speaking out against ICE
If Benito does take on ICE at the Super Bowl, it wouldn’t be the first time. In a September 2025 interview with i-D magazine, he said concerns over potential ICE raids and the safety of his Latino and Puerto Rican fans were a key reason he excluded the United States from his 2025–2026 DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour.
"People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world," he said. "But there was the issue that … ICE could be outside (my concert venue). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about."
Instead, the artist staged a historic 31-date residency in Puerto Rico — one intentionally designed to prioritize local fans, keep ticket prices accessible, and inject more than $400 million into the island's economy. The decision underscored not only his connection to the island but also his ongoing concern for the communities most affected by immigration enforcement.
That awareness surfaced again during the Grammys telecast, when host Trevor Noah joked, "If things keep getting worse in America, can I come live with you in Puerto Rico?" Bad Bunny gently corrected him: "Puerto Rico is part of America." The moment landed lightly, but its implications were a reminder of Puerto Rico's complicated political status and the way Latinx communities are often treated as both central to and peripheral within American life.
His criticism of ICE has been consistent. Last June, Bad Bunny shared a video on his Instagram Story condemning federal agents operating in Puerto Rico, urging them to stop harassing people who were simply trying to work. With ICE operations intensifying under the Trump administration, his past comments suggest this activism is not a fleeting statement but a throughline in his career.
And as a Puerto Rican artist whose music openly celebrates the island, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Super Bowl stage became yet another place where he chooses to make that message heard.
Has Bad Bunny ever criticized President Trump?
While Bad Bunny has rarely named Donald Trump outright, his criticism of the former president — and the policies of his administration — has been clear. In 2024, the artist endorsed Kamala Harris for U.S. president, citing frustration with the Trump administration’s handling of Hurricane Maria and its devastating impact on Puerto Rico. He made the public endorsement in the wake of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist remarks about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, where the island was referred to as a "floating island of garbage."
His commentary has also surfaced through his music. On this past Fourth of July, Bad Bunny released the music video for "NUEVAYoL," a salsa tribute to the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York.
The visual features the singer perched atop the Statue of Liberty, who wears a Puerto Rican flag across her forehead like a bandanna. In the final moments, a Trump-like voice plays over a radio broadcast, issuing an imagined apology to immigrants. "This country is nothing without the immigrants," the voice says, naming Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, and Cubans in an unmistakable rebuke of Trump-era immigration rhetoric.
Tensions escalated further after the NFL announced Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer. U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem publicly criticized the decision, saying ICE agents would be "all over" the Super Bowl and suggesting the event should be reserved for "law-abiding Americans who love this country."
The following night, Bad Bunny addressed the backlash during his Saturday Night Live monologue. Speaking first in English, then in Spanish, he framed the moment as a collective victory for Latino communities in the United States, emphasizing their labor and cultural impact. "Our footprints and our contribution in this country," he said, "no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it." He closed with a pointed aside in English: "And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn."
Trump himself responded dismissively when asked about Bad Bunny in October, telling NewsMax he had "never heard of him" and questioning why the NFL selected him as the halftime performer. Just last month, he told the New York Post that he would not attend Super Bowl LX, citing Bad Bunny and opening act Green Day as reasons. "I'm anti-them," Trump said, "I think it's a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible."
We'll have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to see if Benito responds.
So, will Bad Bunny mention ICE or Trump at the Super Bowl?
Whether or not Bad Bunny directly addresses politics at Super Bowl LX, the act of bringing Puerto Rican culture and its history to the world's biggest stage is itself a statement. For Bad Bunny, music and identity have always been inseparable, and this halftime show will surely be no exception.