Super Bowl 2026: A Real Wedding, Pedro Pascal and Karol G, and More You Missed in Bad Bunny's Halftime Show

Bad Bunny did not simply headline the Super Bowl halftime show. He turned it into a cultural statement that crossed borders, languages, and generations. In the most watched television event in the United States, the Puerto Rican artist used his 13 minutes onstage to deliver a message of unity across the Americas, joined by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, while a real wedding unfolded live in front of millions of viewers.

To be honest, Bad Bunny only showed up in the music. The set list included his hits Titi Me Preguntó, Yo Perreo Sola, Zafaera, Party, Voy a Llevarte Pa`PR, EoO, Mónaco, BAILE INoLVIDABLE, NUEVAYoL, El Apagón, CAFe CON RON y DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOTos. Gaga sang Die with a Smile in salsa version, and Ricky Martin sang LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii.

The rest was Benito, the child, the teenager, the Grammy winner, the fan, the activist. The son who decided to wear in the most important show of his life a jersey like top, where the words "Ocasio 64" were stitched in clear view, a tribute to his mother Lysaurie Ocasio Declet and the year of her birth.

True to his artistic narrative, he celebrated Puerto Rican culture and, by extension, the shared traditions of the Caribbean and Latin America. The stage filled with everyday scenes: sugarcane cutters, manicurists, boxers, gold buyers, men playing dominoes, women talking at a party, children asleep on chairs. It was a portrait of real life, familiar to millions watching at home.

As cameras struggled to keep pace with a production that, according to figures tied to Roc Nation, cost roughly $50 million, the stadium's massive screens displayed Spanish lyrics and closed with a phrase the artist had recently shared at the Grammy Awards: "The only thing stronger than hate is love."

The performance required 9,852 theatrical pyrotechnics, nearly 400 costumed extras, and a lot of ingenuity.

The show was celebratory, but it was not apolitical. Ricky Martin's LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii is a song that addresses colonialism and gentrification.

The set design also incorporated power lines, a subtle but pointed reference to Puerto Rico's ongoing energy crisis, which worsened after Hurricane Maria in 2017. He claimed them while singing El Apagón (The Blackout,) It was the kind of moment that spoke volumes without explanation.

The also brought a women mariachi band Mariachi Las Divas to play the violins in BAILE INoLVIDABLE, and a real taco cart from Los Ángeles: Tacos Villa, which was named in honor of Pancho Villa, the only Mexican who invaded the U.S. with his army.

One of the night's biggest surprises came with the appearance of Lady Gaga, who performed Die With a Smile in a salsa-inspired version, one of the few moments in English during the show. Before she sang, the broadcast revealed a real life wedding taking place live, a detail that added intimacy to the spectacle.

Bad Bunny has previously said Gaga's music saved his life, making the collaboration deeply personal. Even that moment carried a Latino connection. The song was a hit alongside Bruno Mars, whose father was Puerto Rican.

The tribute extended beyond the island. When NUEVAYoL began to play, the stage transformed into a New York street with a bodega and a bar. Bad Bunny shared the scene with Toñita, the iconic owner of a Latino social club in Manhattan where the song's official video was filmed.

The setlist blended salsa, bolero, and reggaeton, with nods his idols:

"Pa Que Se Lo Gozen" de Tego Calderón

"Dale Don Dale" de Don Omar

"Noche de Travesuras" de Hector El Father

"Gasolina" de Daddy Yankee

While Bad Bunny avoided the most explicit lyrics of some of his songs, the energy never dipped. Celebrities including Karol G, Cardi B, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, and Young Miko were visible throughout the performance.

In one of the most emotional moments, Bad Bunny handed his Grammy to a young child and addressed the crowd directly. He introduced himself by name and told children watching never to stop believing in themselves.

From the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Bad Bunny paused the spectacle to do something rarely seen on that stage. He took nearly a full minute to recite the names of every country in the American continent, from Canada to Argentina, including the English-speaking Caribbean islands. Behind him, dancers carried the flags of each nation. The message was unmistakable. America is more than one country.

The flags reinforced the idea of collective identity and quietly challenged those who equate America solely with the United States. Throughout the performance, Bad Bunny layered symbols that resonated deeply with Latino audiences, and the rest of the countries in the Americas, from the Caribbean islands English and French speakers, to the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.

The closing image expanded that personal gesture into something far broader: a football marked with the phrase "Together We Are America." Between those two moments, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio reshaped what a Super Bowl halftime show could be.

Reactions to the show have been divided. Some viewers struggled to grasp its cultural references. For many Latinos, especially immigrants, the message was immediate and unmistakable. Bad Bunny turned the Super Bowl halftime show into a subtle, peaceful, and deeply Latino political statement, delivered without speeches, but rich in symbolism.

As one lyric put it, "Now everyone wants to be Latino, but they are missing the sazón, the rhythm, and the reggaeton."

HERE IS THE FULL PERFORMANCE

Tags

Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga