Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance explained
USA TODAY’s Rebecca Morin breaks down Bad Bunny’s halftime performance and five Easter eggs you may have missed.
- Republican lawmakers are calling for a formal investigation into Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
- MP Andy Ogles described the performance as “an act of pure vulgarity” and claimed it contained illegal content intended for public aviation.
- The performance was one of the most-watched halftime shows in history and was conducted almost entirely in Spanish.
- Other Republican politicians, including former President Donald Trump, also criticized the show as inappropriate.
A Republican lawmaker is calling for a formal investigation into Bad Bunny’s historic Super Bowl LX halftime performance, citing inappropriate content.
On February 9, Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles sent a letter to fellow Republican Representative Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, demanding that the NFL and media company NBCUniversal investigate what he claimed was “prior knowledge, consideration, and approval” of the music superstar’s performance.
In a social media post, Ogles described the 13-minute show as “a show of pure vulgarity” that featured “explicit gay sex acts, women provocatively gyrating, and Bad Bunny shamelessly grabbing his crotch while dry-humping.”
“If that’s not outrageous enough,” the congressman went on to denounce Bad Bunny’s Spanish lyrics as “openly glorifying sodomy and countless other unspeakable depravities.” Ogles added that it was illegal to display “these flagrant indecent acts” on public airways.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show was performed almost entirely in Spanish for the first time and drew more than 128 million viewers, making it the second most-watched halftime show of all time, behind Kendrick Lamar’s performance in 2025.
The NFL and NBC did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment on the Ogles’ request for an investigation.
Ogles: “American culture cannot be ridiculed without consequences.”
In a two-page letter to the Energy and Commerce Committee, which regulates broadcasting and oversees the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Ogles specifically mentioned the Bad Bunny songs “Safaela” and “Yo Pereo Sola.”
Ogles claimed that their sexual content “is readily apparent, even across language barriers.”
“This language barrier did not mitigate the explicit nature of the material,” Ogles wrote. “Rather, it has strengthened the obligation on broadcasters to use reasonable efforts in reviewing, translating and evaluating content before broadcast…
“Broadcasting a performance dominated by sexually explicit lyrical themes and provocative choreography during one of the year’s most widely viewed family broadcasts calls into question whether NBCUniversal has fulfilled its responsibilities under these long-standing standards,” Ogles continued.
However, in the actual performance, Bad Bunny reportedly refrained from singing the most explicit lyrics of these songs. Still, Ogles continued the discussion on social media platforms.
“These flagrant indecent acts are illegal to broadcast on public airways,” Ogles said. “American culture will not be ridiculed or corrupted without consequences.”
Other politicians protest Bad Bunny’s halftime performance
Ogles wasn’t the only Republican outraged by Bad Bunny’s performance. Florida Congressman Randy Fine, February 9th post on X, He claimed the program was “illegal.”
“If he had said these lyrics or any other offensive, pornographic, vulgar language in English live on air, the broadcast would have been canceled and he would have been subject to a hefty fine,” Fine wrote. “Puerto Ricans are Americans and we all live by the same rules.”
Fine said he would contact FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and call for “drastic action” against the NFL, NBC and Bad Bunny himself.
Additionally, Missouri Republican Congressman Mark Alford said on Real America’s Voice on February 10 that House Republicans were “investigating” Bad Bunny’s halftime show.
Alford said this performance could be “much worse than Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction,” referring to the controversial 2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show featuring Jackson and Justin Timberlake that coined the terms “wardrobe malfunction” and “nipplegate.”
Alford declined to elaborate further on the potential investigation into Bad Bunny.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump also criticized Bad Bunny’s halftime show, calling it “absolutely awful” and “an insult to the greatness of America” in a February 8 post on Truth Social.
“No one can understand a word this man is saying. That dance is disgusting, especially to young kids watching from across America and around the world,” Trump wrote. “This ‘show’ is nothing more than a ‘slap in the face’ to our country.”
