Bad Bunny performs iconic Super Bowl show celebrating Latino culture
Grammy Award-winning artist Bad Bunny will perform a groundbreaking Super Bowl 60 halftime show celebrating Puerto Rican and Latin American culture.
Jake Paul had to explain why he called Bad Bunny a “fake American citizen,” but on Monday morning, Feb. 9, he appeared to backtrack on his criticism completely, declaring his “love” for the Super Bowl 60 halftime show performer in a series of social media posts.
Paul, a YouTube star turned boxer, was one of the biggest voices online urging fans to boycott the NFL’s halftime show on Sunday afternoon, less than two hours before the start of the game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
“Halftime, no. Fake American citizens who openly hate America will perform. I can’t stand that,” Paul first wrote on Sunday.
Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio) is a native of Puerto Rico, an American territory, and is an American citizen. Paul’s original tweet eventually received a community note from X correcting him to say that people living in Puerto Rico have been identified as American citizens since 1917.
Jake Paul made his position clear Monday morning after the Super Bowl and Bad Bunny halftime show. The show received significant political attention after the Puerto Rican star voiced public opposition to ICE and the Trump administration’s tactics to crack down on illegal immigration. Paul, a Puerto Rican resident and outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, previously criticized Bad Bunny’s halftime show on Sunday night, calling it “absolutely awful.”
“The problem with my tweet is that the word fake is misunderstood,” Paul wrote on social media on Monday. “He is clearly not a fake citizen who is Puerto Rican and I love Puerto Rico and all Americans who support Puerto Rico. Moreso Bunny is a fake citizen in his values and criticism of our great country.”
Adding further context, Paul said that representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics would evoke “mixed emotions,” bringing up the story of Hunter Hess, the American freestyle skier who drew criticism from President Trump and his supporters. Paul’s fiancée is American speed skater Jutta Lierdam of the Netherlands, who will compete in the race on Monday.
“To be clear, I did not call anyone a ‘fake national’ because they are from Puerto Rico,” Paul wrote. “I live in Puerto Rico and I love Puerto Rico. I have used my platform many times to support Puerto Rico, and I will continue to do so. But when you’re doing your job in public and publicly criticizing ICE, which hates America, I don’t want to talk about it. That’s the same reason I called out Hunter Hess. If you benefit from the country and the platform it gives you, but at the same time you publicly disrespect it, that’s it. I agree that love is stronger than hate. ”
Leading up to Bad Bunny’s performance at halftime of the Seahawks’ 29-13 win over the Patriots, Paul’s initial controversial tweets and subsequent fact-checks garnered widespread attention, with even Paul’s older brother having to publicly take sides with the family in the aftermath of the show.
“I love my brother but I don’t agree with this,” WWE star Logan Paul wrote about his brother’s original post on social media. “Puerto Ricans are Americans, and we are pleased that they are being given the opportunity to showcase their island-born talent.”
By 10 a.m. ET, Jake Paul sounded even more remorseful considering the backlash he received. He changed his profile on X to “Benito’s #1 Fan” and claimed in a new tweet, “I love Bad Bunny, what happened on my Twitter last night???”
