Recent news of the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show has sparked considerable controversy in America. While fans and supporters are ecstatic, some people are not so happy with the idea of having a Spanish-speaking artist, Bad Bunny, representing America.

31-year-old singer and rapper Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, or more commonly known as Bad Bunny, had just finished a remarkable 3-month residency in his homeland, Puerto Rico, when he announced that he would be the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Performance. During his time in Puerto Rico, he celebrated his roots and his new album Debí Tirar Más Fotos through 31 consecutive concerts that helped to bring over $400 million into Puerto Rico’s economy. Through this residency, he was able to unite people from all over the world through his music.

“My friend from Spain got me into his music because when she was a foreign exchange student, we started bonding over him,” junior Reise Marhofer said. 

Recently, Bad Bunny has been promoting his upcoming performances in various ways. One of them was hosting Saturday Night Live on Oct 4. Here, he talked about his world tour starting on Nov 21 and the Super Bowl halftime show. His opening monologue included a heartfelt message in Spanish to the Latinos in the world who helped open doors for him as well as the entire Latino community. During this, he also addressed the rest of America and encouraged those who didn’t already know Spanish to learn before his Super Bowl performance. 

“I really liked what Bad Bunny said on Saturday Night Live, where he did the whole little speech in Spanish, and then he said if you don’t know what I said, you have four months to learn. As a Spanish teacher and someone who speaks Spanish… that warmed my heart to hear,” Spanish teacher Mr. Brian Riordan said. 

As word spread, public opinion grew divided, and many people expressed disapproval of Bad Bunny’s appearance in this year’s Super Bowl show. They disapproved for several reasons, one being that he is a Spanish-speaking artist and, therefore, all his music is in Spanish. This led some people to believe that he is not “a true American Artist”. However, those who are familiar with Bad Bunny know that he was born and raised in Puerto Rico, which is an American territory. 

“If your argument is that he’s not American, first of all, that’s wrong because he’s from Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is part of the United States,” Mr. Riordan said. “Shakira performed, Shakira is from Colombia, and there was no backlash.”

As a result, this raises the question of why previous halftime performers like Shakira, Coldplay, The Weeknd, and J. Balvin didn’t receive similar criticism for not being considered “American artists.” The Super Bowl has featured performers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Colombia, and many other countries during halftime, yet an artist from a true American territory is the one receiving backlash.  

“I understand the views of other people, but at the same time, I think he’s just as welcome to perform as any other artist,” Marhofer said. 

It’s challenging to determine what qualifies as an “American” artist, since America was once known for its diversity. In the U.S, there are between 350 and 430 different languages spoken and countless cultures practiced, so the answer is not that simple. Music is the same way. 

“I mean, if you just look at the genres of music that are performed by American people, you have rock and roll, country, rap, hip hop, and jazz; there are just so many. To say that there’s one American artist is just foolish in my mind,” Mr. Riordan said. 

For this reason, with all the events taking place in the world right now, people can no longer fully enjoy the good parts of life, such as music. Even the best things can become clouded by politics, ignorance, bias, and societal pressures. 

“Why does everything have to be political? It’s just music,” senior Kali Karber said.

As a result, instead of bringing us together, it appears that music and many other factors are tearing our country apart. This divide will only get worse until it completely separates our nation and those apart from it. 

“I think we’re just getting more and more separated from everybody, and I don’t like that,” Marhofer said. 

However, it wasn’t always like this, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be this way. Sometimes, people are so stuck in their own ways of life that they don’t realize not everyone lives the same way they do. This, in turn, proves the point that everyone is different, and that’s not a bad thing. It should be viewed as an opportunity to learn more about people and their cultures. Not understanding someone’s language or culture doesn’t mean that it or the people who practice it are bad. It could be a wonderful part of people’s lives for those who are willing to learn more about it. 

“Just give it a chance,” Mr. Riordan said, “you only have to try it once. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to listen to it again… but don’t put a value judgment on something you don’t understand. These borders that get put up are just social constructs; they’re not real. We just use them to justify our lack of understanding of other people.”

Increasing our nation’s open-mindedness and cultural understanding might help reunite and heal the divide within our country. Recognizing and learning about different cultures, views, and beliefs can help people find common ground. 

At the end of the day, people are people and music is music. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, and those who take a chance or try something new will only be improving their quality of life. Some might even take a chance by, for example, watching the 2026 Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Show.