Jennifer Lopez has no time for the backlash surrounding Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance.
Lopez, 56, was asked about the controversy during a Monday, October 6, interview on the Today show and said she was so excited for the Grammy winner’s set. “I think he’s about to blow everybody’s mind,” Lopez gushed. “It’s an introduction to some people.”
She went on to say she hadn’t even heard there was any backlash until host Craig Melvin told her about it.
“I swear I don’t know,” she said. “Why? But why? I don’t understand that. He’s one of the top artists in the world right now, probably the top.”
When Melvin, 46, explained that some critics believe a different artist should headline the show, Lopez said she thinks Bad Bunny, 31, is perfect for the gig.
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“It could be a lot of different people. That’s the thing,” she told Melvin. “I’m super excited for people to see him. I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised, because his music transcends language. It’s amazing what he’s done. He’s done something that a lot of people have never done in their life.”
Lopez also had nothing but positive words to say about her own Super Bowl halftime show performance with Bad Bunny, which took place in 2020.
“Me, Shakira, Bad Bunny, J Balvin — and we had an amazing time,” she recalled. “It was a really cultural moment.”
After rumors circulated that Adele or Taylor Swift might headline the 2026 halftime show, Bad Bunny (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) was confirmed as the event’s performer in September. The announcement was met with backlash from conservative commentators unhappy about everything from the fact that Bad Bunny sings in Spanish to his decision not to tour in the United States because of his fear that ICE will raid his concert venues.
President Donald Trump weighed in on Monday as well, claiming he has “never heard of” Bad Bunny during an interview with Newsmax.
“I don’t know who he is, I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s, like, crazy,” said Trump, 79. “They blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
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Bad Bunny himself clapped back at his critics while hosting Saturday Night Live on Saturday, October 4.
“I’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it — even Fox News,” he joked during his monologue.
The variety show then played a montage featuring news coverage that was edited to say, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.”
The “Nuevayol” artist went on to say that “people all around the world who love my music” are excited about the performance before adding in Spanish, “Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors. It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
Super Bowl LX is set for February 8, 2026.
