Neither Carrie nor I had any idea who “Bad Bunny” was before the Super Bowl.
We knew two things. First, Carrie hated the name. Bunnies are supposed to be soft and cuddly, twitchy-nosed creatures constantly foraging for food. A bad bunny? That sounds like an evil Mickey Mouse. The name alone was a non-starter for her.
Second, when the NFL announced Bad Bunny as the halftime performer, a man no less than the president of the United States immediately shot the idea down as “absolutely ridiculous,” adding that he had “never heard of him” and that it was a terrible pick by the NFL.
Wow. This bunny guy must be some horrifically anti-American Leporidae.
On that point, Carrie and I had something in common with Donald Trump: Just who is Bad Bunny?
That question reveals a lot about Carrie, me, Trump, and millions of other aging Americans who have realized that time does, in fact, pass us by. The Benny Goodman generation recoiled at Elvis, the Beatles, and later Devo. Today, many of us simply do not keep up. Bad Bunny raced right past us old tortoises.
Bad Bunny is the most-streamed musical artist in the world, with tens of billions of streams. His music breaks records, tops charts, and has earned multiple Grammys. Widely regarded as one of the defining artists of his generation, he pushed Spanish-language music into the global mainstream, attracting fans regardless of native language. Many of us had no idea.
The NFL did not pick Bad Bunny to make a cultural statement. They picked him for the most pragmatic reason of all: He inclusively draws numbers.
By contrast, the MAGA alternative favorite, Kid Rock, has never won a Grammy, and his last truly big hit, “All Summer Long,” came out in 2008. Eighteen years ago. Not exactly “kid” territory anymore.
So how did the NFL’s bet on the Bunny turn out? Overwhelmingly positive.
But as with nearly everything these days, viewers were polarized. The most polarized were conservative snowflakes who refused to subject their eyes to real world multiculturalism and instead opted for the MAGA-approved Turning Point USA alternative halftime show featuring an artificially homogenized Kid Rock.
Roughly 130 million viewers stayed put for Bad Bunny. About 6 million dutifully flipped the dial away from the abject violence of professional football and turned to soul-soothing Kid Rock instead. Once the multicultural love fest of the real halftime show was over, they flipped back to the regularly scheduled gridiron mayhem and concussions.
As for Bad Bunny’s performance itself, it was clever, colorful, energetic and entertaining. More than that, it felt familiar.
Living in Southern California, Latin culture is simply part of the landscape. Taco trucks, Latin music, Latin friends, and blended families are everyday life. Hispanic heritage is woven into who we are, and for most of us, it feels completely natural. Bad Bunny put it all on vivid display.
Bad Bunny brought that reality to the world’s biggest stage at a time when our federal politics are increasingly bent on demonizing people of color. From memes depicting the Obamas as apes, to phrases like “s—hole countries,” to slurs about “drug dealers and rapists,” we hear little acknowledgment of the work ethic, family cohesion, and community strength present in Latin culture.
Bad Bunny ended his performance by saying, “God bless America.” He then broadened the idea of America itself, naming countries across our hemisphere, emphasizing common bonds rather than borders.
At a time when division is intentional, the show was unapologetically about inclusion. For those of us who would prefer to just get along, it was refreshing.
The snowflake white right, however, was not impressed.
Laura Loomer, an influencer who unbelievably has Donald Trump’s ear, offered this reaction:
“Illegal aliens and Latin hookers twerking at the Super Bowl. Not a single white person or English translation at the Super Bowl. This isn’t white enough for me. Can’t even watch a Super Bowl anymore because immigrants have literally ruined everything.”
“Not white enough.” Such is the hate speech of the “white is right” crowd.
Loomer was wrong on nearly every factual point. Bad Bunny is not an immigrant. He is Puerto Rican, as American as Santa Clarita, and a U.S. citizen his entire life. Lady Gaga appeared and sang bilingually, which makes the “no white people” claim absurd. What Bad Bunny displayed was diverse cultural heritage. What Loomer displayed was raw racism.
Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the United States. Roughly 20% of Americans have Latin heritage. In Southwestern states like New Mexico, Texas and California, that number exceeds 40%.
Kaleidoscopic heritage is what America is. There is no going back, only forward, together.
Yes, I will concede this much: I could have done without the twerking. But in my parents’ day, people were scandalized by Elvis’ gyrating hips. There is no shortage of questionable choreography in Kid Rock shows, either.
In the end, the NFL got it right. They followed the numbers, delivered a message of unity, and may have laid groundwork for future international franchises.
And the final, supposedly horrifying Bad Bunny message?
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Spread all over the scoreboards.
Sounds a lot like Christian love to me. I will take that over race-hate dog-whistle nonsense any day.
Add the Seahawks stomping the Patriots, and Bad Bunny’s show made for a downright celebratory Super Bowl Sunday.
Gary Horton is chairman of the College of the Canyons Foundation board. His “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
