Super Bowl 2026: Bad Bunny sends message to 'be proud of who you are' ahead of historic half-time show

Bad Bunny has vowed to make the world happy and to make the world dance when he makes his historic appearance at the Super Bowl 60 half-time show on Sunday. 

The Puerto Rican sensation will become the first Latino and Spanish-speaking artist to headline the Super Bowl half-time show as a solo act when he takes to the stage at Levi's Stadium, where the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will face off in the NFL's season climax, live on Sky Sports.

His inclusion has prompted a backlash from US President Donald Trump, whose administration's immigration policies have been publicly criticised by the 31-year-old artist.

Bad Bunny was speaking at a press conference in San Francisco on Thursday, drawing an extensive queue of media members that would leave many unable to fit in the room such was the interest in his arrival.

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"I'm excited about this performance," he said. "But at the same time, I feel more excited for other people, not even me. My family, my friends, people I know who have always believed in me. The culture.

"That's what makes this show special to me."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell underlined his support for Bad Bunny this week as he hailed him "one of the greatest artists in the world" following his landmark album-of-the-year award at the Grammys.

His Super Bowl performance comes during a period of heightened tensions across the US amid concerns surrounding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Bad Bunny opened his Grammy-winning speech with the words 'ICE out' last Sunday.

"The world is gonna be happy this Sunday," said Bad Bunny. "The whole country. There's a lot of people that love me around the world, not just the Latino people.

"A lot of people stop me at the street or the airport, Americans in the United States, Mexico, French and say 'I know you're going to do a great performance at the Super Bowl'.

"People that stop me on the street only wish good things to me and I know the world is going to be happy with me on Sunday. It's going to be a huge party, what people can expect with me, that is what I want to bring.

"To be the biggest stage of the world is something that I never thought was possible. You always have to be proud of who you are and feel comfortable being yourself, being proud about your history and where you are from and don't let that limit yourself."

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During an appearance on Saturday Night Live in October he had joked that people had "four months to learn Spanish" in preparation for the Super Bowl. On Thursday, he reassured they need only learn how to move.

"They don't even have to learn Spanish. It's better if they learn to dance," he said. "There's no better dance than the one that can come from the heart, that's the only thing they need to worry about, to have fun and enjoy. And of course, choose your team at the game."

Bad Bunny has been Spotify's most-streamed artist in four of the last six years and arrives as a beacon of the league's commitment to its global audiences.

He spoke of the elevation from his humble Puerto Rican roots to the global stage.

"I wasn't looking for the album of the year at the Grammys or Latin Grammys," he said. "I wasn't looking for performing at the Super Bowl half-time show. I just was looking to connect with my roots, connect with my people more than ever, connect with myself, with my history, with my culture.

"I did it in a very honest way. I only wanted to perform at the [Puerto Rico] residency and that's it. I said 'I don't want to leave here'. I wanted to stay the whole time.

"Then it was like, oh wow. The world really wants me. So I should. And also to show some love to the world, to Latin America. The opportunity to bring that feeling that I put on that album to one of the biggest stages in the world is something I never thought would happen."

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Bad Bunny explained he had been struggling to sleep such has been his focus on Sunday's spectacle, which saw Kendrick Lamar deliver the most-watched Super Bowl half-time show in history in New Orleans last February.

"I've been working on this show, what we're gonna do Sunday, it's a lot," he said. "Thinking about the Super Bowl at 4am, that's what I've been doing. It's been hard to not.

"I'm happy but I'm just processing, taking one day at a time. I just try to take it easy. Wake up, work out, drink my coffee, try not to think too much about it.

"Last night I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about it. I want to think it's 13 minutes of doing what I love, what I like. I know I'm gonna have fun."

Watch the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California this Sunday, with coverage under way at 10pm live on Sky Spots NFL ahead of kick-off at approximately 11.30pm. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.