Fox News personalities sharply criticized Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance Sunday night, with some calling it one of the worst shows in NFL history and accusing the league of turning America’s biggest sporting event into a political and cultural statement.
On Fox News’ One Nation, radio host Sid Rosenberg did not hold back, blasting both the game and the halftime show. Rosenberg complained that the performance, delivered entirely in Spanish and featuring foreign flags, was a poor fit for the Super Bowl stage.
“Truly it was a bad football game, and when you couple that with Bad Bunny, who may have been the worst halftime show — not one word of English, not one word of English, one word! — you combine the halftime show and the football game… what a waste of three hours,” Rosenberg said.
Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade echoed the criticism, framing the halftime show as part of a broader cultural clash playing out on one of America’s largest platforms. Kilmeade described the moment as “two very different visions of America” being presented to a massive national audience.
Kilmeade pointed out that Bad Bunny has previously made anti-ICE remarks and openly criticized U.S. immigration enforcement, arguing that the NFL’s decision to feature him was not politically neutral. According to Kilmeade, critics see the performance as more than entertainment, but as a message delivered on America’s biggest stage.
He contrasted the NFL’s halftime show with an alternative event organized by Turning Point USA, which featured patriotic themes and conservative voices. Kilmeade and his co-hosts praised that separate production as a celebration of traditional American values.
“I looked at the pre-game show, they had Green Day, the most anti-American band you can imagine,” Kilmeade said, referencing the band’s album American Idiot. He then questioned why the NFL, which he acknowledged “does a lot right” as the world’s top sports league, would move away from red, white, and blue themes.
“I don’t understand why… they wouldn’t think red, white, and blue,” Kilmeade said, expressing frustration with the league’s creative direction.
Fox & Friends co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones also praised the Turning Point USA halftime alternative, which was headlined by Kid Rock and emphasized patriotic imagery and messaging.
President Donald Trump joined the chorus of criticism, taking to social media to condemn Bad Bunny’s performance in blunt terms. Trump called the halftime show “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” and described it as an “affront to the Greatness of America.”
“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump wrote. He added that the show was a “slap in the face” to the country.
Not everyone agreed with the backlash. Piers Morgan praised the performance and described it as having a “unifying message,” noting that Spanish is the first language for more than 50 million Americans.
Still, for critics on Fox News and beyond, the halftime show became a flashpoint in a larger debate over culture, politics, and what kind of message the NFL chooses to showcase during one of the most-watched events in the world.
