Topline
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Bad Bunny hosted the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” where he mocked the backlash to his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance during his monologue and jokingly called on Americans to learn Spanish before his show.
The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter addressed the audience in Spanish and called his upcoming performance an “accomplishment.”
Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
Key Facts
“I’m very happy and I think everybody’s happy about it, even Fox News,” the artist said, followed by a clip of Fox News hosts and guests cut together to appear like they were reciting the line “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.”
Speaking in Spanish, Bad Bunny then called his upcoming performance an “accomplishment” not only for himself, but for all Latinos, adding “our contribution to this country will never be able to be removed or erased by anybody.”
Bad Bunny’s music is almost exclusively in Spanish, and at the end of his remarks in Spanish he joked with the audience about the upcoming show—”if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
Key Background
Bad Bunny was named last Sunday as the Super Bowl halftime show headliner in an announcement that was immediately met with backlash from conservative critics online, who took aim at his Spanish lyrics and past criticism of Trump’s immigration policies. The artist just finished a 30 show sold-out residency in his native Puerto Rico—but he notably refused to play venues in the mainland U.S. due to concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeting his fans. Days after the announcement, key figures in the Department of Homeland Security said the agency would patrol at the Super Bowl. Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski said ICE would do “enforcement” at any venue, noting “I don’t care if it’s a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed these comments Friday, claiming ICE would be “all over” the Super Bowl.
Big Number
$250 million. That’s how much Bad Bunny’s three-month residency in Puerto Rico made for the local economy, The New York Times reported, citing data from Moody’s Analytics. An estimated 600,000 fans attended the concerts, according to the agency.
Surprising Fact
Despite the intense backlash from some conservatives, this won’t be the first time Bad Bunny has played to the audience at the Super Bowl. Jennifer Lopez brought him out as a guest performer during her halftime show performance at Super Bowl LIV in 2020, alongside fellow Latin superstars Shakira and J Balvin.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/10/05/bad-bunny-mocks-backlash-to-super-bowl-halftime-show-in-snl-monologue-everybodys-happy/
