Shakira defends Bad Bunny as Super Bowl halftime performer amid conservative backlash: 'It's about time!' Wesley StenzelOctober 23, 2025 at 11:48 PM 0 Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty; Kevin Mazur/Peacock via Getty Shakira at Paris Fashion Week on July 6, 2023; Bad Bunny performing during 'SNL50: The Homec...
- - Shakira defends Bad Bunny as Super Bowl halftime performer amid conservative backlash: 'It's about time!'
Wesley StenzelOctober 23, 2025 at 11:48 PM
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Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty; Kevin Mazur/Peacock via Getty
Shakira at Paris Fashion Week on July 6, 2023; Bad Bunny performing during 'SNL50: The Homecoming Concert' on Feb. 14, 2025
Shakira is backing Bad Bunny as the next Super Bowl halftime show performer.
The "She Wolf" singer, who headlined the big game performance herself alongside Jennifer Lopez in 2020, expressed her support for the NFL's decision to tap the "DtMF" superstar for the 2026 Super Bowl.
"It's about time!" Shakira told Variety when asked for her thoughts on Bad Bunny's hiring. "I remember when we did ours that even having part of our set in Spanish was a bold move… Acceptance of Spanish-language music as part of the mainstream has come so far from when I started."
The "Hips Don't Lie" singer also suggested that the conservative backlash to Bad Bunny's upcoming set might pave the way for eventual acceptance. "I hope and like to think that all the times my music was met with resistance or puzzlement from the English-speaking world before it was embraced, helped forge the path to where we are now," she said.
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Shakira and Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 Super Bowl
Bad Bunny previously performed during Shakira's set at the 2020 Super Bowl. The two artists sang "I Like It" (Cardi B's song that featured a guest verse from Bad Bunny on the original recording) and Shakira's "Chantaje" before Lopez took the stage.
Elsewhere in the Variety interview, Shakira noted that Bad Bunny's ascension signifies the rise of Spanish-language pop around the world. "I'm so proud that Bad Bunny, who represents not only Latin culture but also how important Spanish language music has become on a global scale and how universal it has become, is getting to perform on the biggest stage in the world," she said. "It's the perfect moment for a performance like this. I can't wait to watch it."
Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime show performer for Super Bowl LX in September.
"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself," the Puerto Rican musician said in a statement at the time. "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."
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Shakira and Bad Bunny performing at the 2020 Super Bowl
The NFL's decision to hire the musician was quickly met with harsh criticism from conservative political figures, including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and even President Donald Trump himself.
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Earlier this week, a petition to replace Bad Bunny with George Strait at the halftime show reached 50,000 signatures on Change.org. Charlie Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, also announced that it will produce an "All American Halftime Show" as an alternative to Bad Bunny's set (despite the fact that Bad Bunny is American, as Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory).
However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended the league's decision to hire Bad Bunny on Wednesday, noting that he's "confident it's going to be a great show" in February.
"I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism," Goodell said at the NFL's fall meeting. "He understands the platform that he's on."
He added, "I think it's going to be exciting and a united moment."
Bad Bunny will take the stage at Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026.
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