After making a cameo throughout Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s 2020 halftime present in Miami, Unhealthy Bunny will return to the Tremendous Bowl stage subsequent 12 months — this time, because the headlining act.
The 2026 Tremendous Bowl LX will happen Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The Puerto Rican hitmaker’s efficiency is anticipated to be the primary absolutely Spanish-language efficiency on the stage, and he’s the primary Latino man to headline.
The announcement got here after Unhealthy Bunny, full identify Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, mentioned he wouldn’t tour his newest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” to the continental U.S. because of the ongoing risk of ICE arresting his concertgoers. “There was the issue of — like, f— ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he instructed i-D journal.
As a substitute, the Grammy-winning artist’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí (I Don’t Need to Depart Right here) residency — which befell on the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan — introduced an estimated $733 million to Puerto Rico as 600,000-plus vacationers got here to the island for his live performance.
As an unincorporated territory of the USA, Puerto Rico nonetheless has an ICE presence. In June 2025, Benito posted footage on his Instagram tales of an ICE raid in progress in Carolina, showcasing brokers arresting alleged undocumented immigrants.
But since asserting his Tremendous Bowl halftime present, the singer hasn’t voiced issues about ICE. His submit on X, which strays from his earlier remarks on avoiding the States as a stance in opposition to ICE, reads: “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
As Santa Clara County is a sanctuary jurisdiction, Lina Baroudi, an immigration legal professional in San Jose, believes native legislation enforcement is unlikely to cooperate with ICE. “Federal agents can operate independently. Sanctuary laws don’t prevent them from entering public spaces or executing federal warrants,” she says.
Between January and July within the Bay Space, ICE made 2,640 arrests— a 123% improve in contrast with 2024. “By June 2025, around 60% of ICE daily arrests in California were of people without criminal charges or convictions,” Baroudi says. The company has traditionally had an elevated presence in cities internet hosting the Tremendous Bowl. ICE will possible be prohibited from working contained in the stadium, however ICE can function in public areas such because the parking zone, the place followers might collect to listen to the efficiency.
Amid an uptick in violent ICE arrests, mass deportations, folks dying in ICE custody and the Supreme Courtroom’s approval of profiling folks for talking Spanish, it’s of deep cultural significance that Unhealthy Bunny will carry out on the Tremendous Bowl. Nonetheless, some followers are speculating that his agency stance in opposition to performing within the U.S. as a result of ICE was performative, now that he has accepted the Tremendous Bowl gig.
And but, given the Trump administration’s hostility towards immigrants and Spanish audio system within the U.S., it feels particularly poignant that the nation’s greatest sporting occasion of the 12 months will showcase a efficiency sung totally in Spanish.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Unhealthy Bunny mentioned in an announcement. “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. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
It’s price noting that Unhealthy Bunny’s look on the Tremendous Bowl poses an enormous industrial benefit for the NFL. Second to the USA, the biggest resale of Tremendous Bowl tickets on StubHub had been bought by followers in Mexico. There are 39 million Latine followers of the league within the U.S., making them probably the most quickly rising fan base. Latine viewership of the Tremendous Bowl rose 51% from 2021 to 2024.
The NFL has made a concerted effort through the years to globalize American soccer, with a particular concentrate on constructing a fan base in Latin America; it not too long ago enlisted Colombian pop star Karol G to carry out at a halftime present in Brazil. On condition that the Latine shopping for energy within the U.S. is estimated at $3.6 trillion, tapping Unhealthy Bunny because the headliner is a strategic transfer towards the league’s worldwide enlargement.
The worldwide famous person’s efficiency will possible increase rankings as nicely. Unhealthy Bunny broke Amazon Music’s livestream file final week with the most-watched single artist efficiency on the platform. Upon its launch in January, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” topped the Billboard 200 and maintained Unhealthy Bunny’s place as considered one of Spotify’s most-streamed artists in three of the previous 5 years.
12 months after 12 months, since 2022, artists have damaged the file for the very best viewership throughout a Tremendous Bowl halftime present. Throughout the 2025 Tremendous Bowl, Kendrick Lamar drew the biggest viewers ever, with 133.5 million folks tuning in for his efficiency, surpassing the precise sport’s viewership.
Whereas the Unhealthy Bunny halftime present has the potential to interrupt viewership information, usher in new audiences and educate viewers on the Puerto Rico he loves — it additionally poses a possible safety threat for his Latine followers in attendance, who deserve solidarity and elevated institutional help.
