Topline
Conservative campus activist organization Turning Point USA announced it would host an alternate halftime show during the Super Bowl, after Bad Bunny’s selection as performer for the official halftime show riled conservatives.
The conservative group has released few details about the upcoming performance timed to coincide with Super Bowl LX.
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Key Facts
In a social media announcement, TPUSA announced it would host “The All American Halftime Show” on Feb. 8, 2026—the same date as Super Bowl LX.
The announcement also teases “Performers and event details coming soon.”
TPUSA was founded by assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on a Utah college campus in September and mourned at an arena-filling memorial service at the home stadium of the Arizona Cardinals.
An online form asks potential viewers which genres they would like to hear at the show, leading with the choice “Anything in English”—a shot directly at Bad Bunny, who performs in Spanish.
Other choices include “Americana,” “classic rock,” “country,” “hip hop,” “pop” and “worship.”
Key Background
When Bad Bunny was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl halftime show, the pick was swiftly met with backlash from conservative influencers and content creators. Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is a frequent critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and has recently refused to play shows in the continental United States over concerns that his concerts would be targeted by immigration authorities. Corey Lewandowski, a Homeland Security adviser in the Trump administration, told right wing podcaster Benny Johnson days after the announcement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would “do enforcement everywhere,” including potentially at the Super Bowl. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later told the podcaster ICE would be “all over” the Super Bowl. Bad Bunny, who is a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico, has so far mocked the backlash, telling the audience at Saturday Night Live’s season premiere they had “four months to learn” Spanish before the big game.
Crucial Quote
On Monday, Trump questioned the NFL for picking Bad Bunny as the headliner. “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it—it’s, like, crazy,” he told Newsmax in an interview.
How Popular Is Bad Bunny?
Bad Bunny is averaging 79 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and was the app’s most-streamed artist for three years in a row from 2020 through 2022. His most recent album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” released in January, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. His 2022 album “Un Verano Sin Ti” became Spotify’s most-streamed album of all time. Bad Bunny made a guest appearance during Jennifer Lopez’s Super Bowl halftime show in 2020.
Tangent
Rumors began circulating that TPUSA would host a counterprogramming halftime show last week, after a group of conservative commentators discussed the halftime show on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” the podcast the TPUSA founder hosted until his death. The rumors largely circulated on one possible headliner—late 90s post-grunge hitmakers Creed, which has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years. “The response is simple here—bring on Creed. We need Creed, we need Scott Stapp, we need them flying down from the rafters, the greatest halftime show that has ever taken place,” conservative activist Jack Posobiec said on the podcast, referencing the band’s now-legendary bizarre performance during the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game in 2001 at the peak of its popularity. In a Sept. 29 post on X, Posobiec commented “sure would be a shame if @TPUSA hosted a counter-Superbowl halftime show with Creed.” The band, which has been touring in 2025, has not commented on a possible performance.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/10/09/turning-point-usa-announces-all-american-halftime-show-as-bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-counterprogramming/
