Just days after The Dallas Express reported on the growing backlash to the NFL’s decision to pick Bad Bunny for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, the Puerto Rican rapper took the stage on Saturday Night Live — mocking critics of his Super Bowl selection, Fox News, and telling viewers they have “four months to learn Spanish.”

The choice to book Bad Bunny — real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — has already sparked criticism among fans who view it as another example of the NFL promoting a politicized or “DEI”-driven image. Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to President Donald J. Trump, criticized the move, noting Bad Bunny’s past statements against U.S. immigration enforcement.

Ocasio previously canceled U.S. tour dates this year citing concerns about immigration enforcement at concert venues, despite his American citizenship. He later accepted the Super Bowl booking, saying, “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”

Trump’s team reaffirmed that immigration enforcement would remain active during the Super Bowl.

“There is nowhere you can provide a safe haven to people in this country illegally, not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Lewandowski said during a podcast interview earlier this month.

On October 4, hosting SNL’s Season 51 premiere, Bad Bunny used his opening monologue to mock Fox News with a fake montage of anchors praising him as their “favorite musician” and “next president.” He then switched to Spanish for the rest of his remarks, calling his Super Bowl slot “a win for all Latinos and Latinas in the U.S.”

He concluded his monologue with a jab, saying in Spanish: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”

Bad Bunny appears to be courting controversy with his remarks.

Commentator Robby Starbuck responded on X, writing: “Hey NFL — Bad Bunny purposefully insults the fan base that made you incredibly wealthy. I promise there’s a line and if you push over it, we’ll mobilize the right against you and you won’t recover for a long time. In the past we didn’t know how to do this. Now we do. @NFLCommish.”

TV host Trish Regan criticized the booking, posting: “Bad Bunny is vulgar, political, and way out of bounds for a Super Bowl halftime show. This is what we call family entertainment now?!”

Megyn Kelly also commented via her show’s website, questioning if booking a man “who likes to dress in women’s dresses and who hates the United States so much he won’t come here because he is worried about ICE raids” was “an active middle finger to all of MAGA and the right-wing.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem also commented, calling the NFL ‘weak’ and claiming that immigration officials would be present at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8, 2026.

Bad Bunny’s public record leaves little doubt about his political and social views toward the U.S.

In past interviews, he said he avoided U.S. shows out of fear that “f***ing ICE” might appear, and during a Puerto Rico residency, he condemned immigration raids while cursing at officers.

SNL extended its political humor during “Weekend Update,” with comedian Michael Che joking that ICE would be at the Super Bowl to “catch all those farm workers who can afford tickets.”

For many NFL fans already frustrated by the league’s political messaging — from Beyoncé’s 2016 Black Panther tribute to more recent “anti-police” themes — this controversy feels like a tipping point.

As Lewandowski said, the Super Bowl should unite Americans, not divide them. Still, some fans are calling for a more patriotic and unifying halftime show.

Commentators including Jack Posobiec have promoted Christian rock band Creed as a possible alternative for the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, suggesting a “counter” performance hosted by Turning Point USA, per The Daily Beast. No response from the band known for its 1999 hit “With Arms Wide Open” has been released as of publication.