Bad Bunny hits back at Super Bowl halftime show backlash after warnings ICE will be 'all over'

Bad Bunny’s iconic response to critics who slammed him for booking the next Super Bowl halftime show is going viral.

The remarks come after Homeland Security warned United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers would be ‘all over’ the Super Bowl.

This month, the 31-year-old, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was unveiled as the deserved successor to Kendrick Lamar’s jaw-dropping Super Bowl LIX show.

Set to take over Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8, 2026, Bad Bunny has hinted that the whole halftime performance could be in Spanish, his native language.

The move comes after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that ICE agents would be present at the Puerto Rican’s show.

“I have the responsibility for making sure everybody who goes to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave, and that’s what America is about,” she said on The Benny Show podcast.

"So yeah, we’ll be all over that place. We’re going to enforce the law."

When asked to comment on the NFL choosing Bad Bunny for the halftime show, Noem said: "Well, they suck."

Bad Bunny addressed backlash to his Super Bowl booking on Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Noem’s statement came after the ‘un x100to’ singer announced he wouldn’t be taking his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour to the US due to the Trump administration’s use of ICE for immigration crackdown.

On Saturday (October 4), Bad Bunny used his hosting slot on the 51st season of Saturday Night Live to shut down further criticism.

He said to cheers: "I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I'm very happy," adding sarcastically: "And I think everyone is very happy about it. Even Fox News."

The monologue then cut to clips of Fox News hosts edited together to say: "Bad Bunny is my favourite musician and he should be the next president."

“I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy,” the Caught Stealing actor continued.

“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors,” he continued in Spanish, as per the New York Times.

“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.”

In English, the three-time Grammy winner added: “If you didn’t understand what I just said. You have four months to learn.”

The Puerto Rican has previously said he won't be bringing his world tour to the United States (Rosalind O'Connor/NBC)

Fans have flocked to social media to have their say on Bad Bunny’s SNL monologue, with one typing: “Duolingo for the Gringos, ya'll got 4 months to learn!!! Nuevaaaaayollllllllllllll....”

A second commented: “Benitobowl in 4 months!”

“I don't understand the uproar. BB is a hugely successful entertainer who is hot at the moment. Many English-speaking artists do concerts in countries that don't speak English. Music is universal. Enjoy the music as you eat your wings. The game will resume shortly. No biggie,” replied someone else.

Another wrote: “Love him even more now.”

Before being named as the next Super Bowl headliner, Bad Bunny revealed to i-D magazine why he’d decided he didn’t want to ‘show up’ in the United States.

“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times. All of [the shows] have been successful,” he claimed.

“But there was the issue of — like, f**king ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

The NFL has been called out for its decision to book Bad Bunny by Corey Lewandowski.

The 52-year-old serves as a key adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and called the American Football bosses' decision ‘shameful’

“[It’s] so shameful that they’ve decided to pick somebody who just seems to hate America so much to represent them at the halftime game,” he explained.

In response, Imani Cheers, an associate professor of digital storytelling at George Washington University, told The Hill: “The Super Bowl has in recent years really become a real cultural moment for the country to come together, and [it] provokes a lot of conversation, whether you’re a football fan or not.

“There’s always going to be critics. Anyone who is upset about Bad Bunny on the MAGA right is upset because they want to be.”