The NFL's decision to invite Bad Bunny as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show has ignited a heated political divide among Americans, with Democrats overwhelmingly embracing the Puerto Rican superstar's selection and Republicans firmly opposed. A Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday revealed that 74% of Democrats approve of the NFL's choice, while a mere 10% disapprove. On the other hand, among Republicans, the numbers are almost mirrored: 63% wish the NFL had opted for someone else, while only 16% are fine with the selection, which has been met with disdain by allies of President Donald Trump.
Independents largely support Bad Bunny as the headliner, albeit by a narrower margin than Democrats at 52% to 22%. A significant portion of Americans from all political persuasions remained undecided.
The poll quantifies a culture war controversy that erupted almost immediately after the NFL's announcement. Conservative influencers and members of the Trump administration criticized the decision, arguing that Bad Bunny, a three-time Grammy winner whose full name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, should not be given access to one of the nation's biggest stages due to his exclusive Spanish performances and his critical stance on Trump and his agenda.
The NFL, with a bipartisan fan base, has stood firm in its defense of Bad Bunny, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stating during the NFL's fall meeting last week that the decision was "carefully thought through." "I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism," Goodell said. "It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching."
Bad Bunny himself has embraced the conservative backlash, mocking critics during an appearance on "Saturday Night Live" earlier this month. "I'm very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it, even Fox News," he said in his opening monologue. He then paused as the show displayed a mash-up of short clips featuring Fox News personalities strung together to say, "Bad Bunny is my favorite musician, and he should be the next president."
The artist also addressed SNL's audience in Spanish, saying his selection is an achievement for all Latinos, "proving that no one can remove or erase our mark and contributions to this country." During the 2024 election campaign, Bad Bunny offered his support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, sharing a video of her plans for Puerto Rico on Instagram—just moments after a speaker at Trump's rally in New York City referred to the U.S. territory as a "floating island of garbage."
In July, the singer took aim at Trump's immigration policies in the music video for his song "NuevaYol," featuring a voice that sounds like Trump's apologizing to immigrants. More recently, Trump's allies have been enraged by Bad Bunny's revelation in an interview published last month that part of the reason he was not touring his latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," in the U.S. mainland was concern that his concerts would become a target for Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem said ICE would have a presence at the Super Bowl, telling right-wing commentator Benny Johnson that people should not attend the event unless they are "law-abiding Americans who love this country." House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) this month told reporters that he also disapproved of the NFL's halftime choice
