House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized the NFL’s decision to name Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.
Speaking to reporters outside the House chambers this week, Johnson said he had never heard of the performer but called the decision “terrible.”
“I didn’t even know who Bad Bunny was. But it sounds like a terrible decision, in my view, from what I’m hearing,” Johnson said.
Highlights
- House Speaker Mike Johnson called NFL's choice of Bad Bunny for 2026 Super Bowl halftime show a "terrible" decision and unknown to him.
- Johnson prefers Lee Greenwood, known for patriotic songs, as a better halftime show role model.
- Bad Bunny is the first male Latin artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show solo and will perform fully in Spanish.
Mike Johnson called naming Bad Bunny the Super Bowl headliner a ‘terrible’ decision
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“It sounds like he’s not someone who appeals to a broader audience. And there are so many eyes on the Super Bowl—for a lot of young and impressionable children.”
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, February 8, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The 31-year-old three-time Grammy winner has spoken against U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and avoided coming to the U.S. for his current music tour due to fears of ICE raids.
Image credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Johnson named an entirely different type of performer when asked for his preference.
“In my view, you would have Lee Greenwood or role models doing that. Not somebody like this,” he said.
Greenwood, 82, is a country singer best known for his patriotic hit ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’
He performed at Trump’s inauguration in January and most recently at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.
Johnson said he’d prefer Lee Greenwood, the singer of ‘God Bless the U.S.A’
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Greenwood told TMZ on Wednesday that he agrees with Johnson and believes he’d be a good fit for the NFL show, especially after years of singing for NFL teams.
Lee suggested the NFL could still bring him on to fire up the crowd before the game kicks off, saying the national anthem or “God Bless the U.S.A.” is always a thrill.
He also wrote on X on Wednesday: “Nothing compares to hearing God Bless the USA echo through a football stadium — thousands of proud Americans standing shoulder to shoulder, singing every word.”
In February, Trump appointed Greenwood to the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Trump also criticized the halftime pick in an October 7 interview on Newsmax’s Greg Kelly Reports.
“I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is,” Trump said. “I don’t know why they’re doing it, it’s crazy, and then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
He had also said on Truth Social on Monday, September 29, after the performance was announced, “Hard to watch the new NFL kickoff. It’s wrong on every level. They should end it, immediately. Bad for the game of football!”
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Soon after Bad Bunny’s performance was announced, Trump’s adviser, Corey Lewandowski, said ICE would be present at the game.
“We will find you, we will apprehend you, we will put you in a detention facility, and we will deport you,” he said.
“So know that is a very real situation under this administration, which is contrary to how it used to be.”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called Bad Bunny’s upcoming performance “perverse” and renewed calls to pass her bill that makes English the official language of the U.S.
Bad Bunny has been outspoken about his views against Trump’s immigration policies
Bad Bunny, the first male Latin artist to headline a halftime show solo, is expected to perform entirely in Spanish, a first for the Super Bowl stage.
Commentator Tomi Lahren claimed, incorrectly, that the Puerto Rican artist is “not an American.”
Appearing on Saturday Night Live last weekend, Bad Bunny spoke partially in Spanish and thanked “Latinos and Latinas across the world, and here, in the United States,” who “opened doors” for him.
He told the audience, “And if you didn't understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement, discussing the NFL performance in September.
“It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history,” he added.