Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has shared his take on the debate surrounding Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, agreeing with former President Donald Trump’s criticism about the language used but still calling the performance a success. On his show, Smith said that while he enjoyed the show, he understood why some viewers felt excluded because the set was performed almost entirely in Spanish.
The conversation began after Trump posted a strong critique on his Truth Social platform. He called the Bad Bunny halftime show “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER” and described it as a “slap in the face” to the country. Trump stated that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying” and criticized the dancing as unsuitable for children.
Smith, known for his direct opinions, responded to this during his February 10 broadcast. He made it clear that his review was not about being anti-Trump but about giving a fair opinion.
“That ain’t me, I don’t give a damn. I’m fair-minded, down the middle,” Smith said. “I think it was a damn good show. I think the vibe was fly.”
However, Smith also explained that he saw validity in one specific part of Trump’s complaint. He agreed that performing almost an entire show in Spanish in the United States meant millions of viewers could not understand the lyrics.
“Here’s my only reticence: You’re in the United States of America and you perform damn-near an entire performance in Spanish … If you didn’t understand Spanish, you were lost,” Smith stated. He added that Trump made a “legitimate point” about the language barrier.
Smith suggested it “would have been nice if some of the songs were in English” but repeated that he still thought it was a good show.
Breaking Down the Halftime Show Controversy
The Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8, 2026, headlined by Puerto Rican global star Bad Bunny, was historic. It was the first time the main act performed entirely in Spanish. The 14-minute show was a vibrant celebration of Latin American and specifically Puerto Rican culture.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, made several deliberate choices to honor his heritage. The set included dancers in traditional pava straw hats, scenes of sugar cane fields, and street vendors selling piraguas (shaved ice) and coco frio (fresh coconut water). A key set piece was “La Casita,” a small house representing the community garage parties, or marquesinas, common in Puerto Rico.
The show featured surprise guests like Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa version of her song, and Puerto Rican icon Ricky Martin. It ended with a powerful message of unity. A video board displayed the words, “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate Is Love,” and Bad Bunny marched with flags from across the Americas.
Despite these celebratory elements, the show faced immediate backlash from some conservative figures, with Trump’s comments leading the charge.
Mixed Reactions from Conservatives and the Public
The criticism from Trump and others created a split reaction, even among conservatives. Some prominent figures defended the performance or questioned the political wisdom of attacking it.
Former Trump White House staffer Harrison Fields responded on social media by highlighting his own Puerto Rican family’s American citizenship and their support for Trump. Conservative commentator Emily Austin also praised the show online, writing, “Bad Bunny and a USA flag? YES PLEASE,” and noted that she lost followers for supporting it.
The divide showed the complicated politics of the moment. Some Republican strategists warned that criticizing a beloved Latino figure could further damage the party’s standing with Hispanic voters, a demographic where polls show support is declining.
“If the Republicans don’t stop the hemorrhaging with young, male Latinos thirty [years old] and younger, they’re cooked,” said Republican strategist Mike Madrid. “This shows that they’re not even aware of the size of the problem that they have.”
Other criticism took a different angle. Republican Congressman Andy Ogles called for a congressional investigation into the NFL and NBC, alleging the show contained “sexually explicit lyrical themes and suggestive choreography”. He described the performance as “pure smut” in a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The NFL’s Global Business Strategy
In his analysis, Stephen A. Smith looked beyond the culture war debate to explain the NFL’s likely reasoning for choosing Bad Bunny. He framed it as a smart business decision aimed at global expansion.
Smith pointed out that the NFL has been actively working to grow its brand internationally, with games in Mexico, Brazil, and across Europe. He cited NFL reports estimating over 39 million Latino fans in the United States, with Mexico and Brazil among the league’s largest international fan bases.
“The NFL is basically trying to expand its brand beyond the corridors of America. That’s what they’re trying to do,” Smith explained. He suggested that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and music mogul Jay-Z, who advises the league on entertainment, saw Bad Bunny as the right choice for this goal.
Smith argued that the league’s calculation was straightforward: core American fans are already loyal and will keep watching the games, so the halftime show can be used to attract a new, global audience. This strategy could lead to much larger media rights deals in the future.
He also called out what he saw as hypocrisy, noting that Trump himself has extensive business interests overseas. The underlying message from Smith was that the controversy over language missed the bigger point of the NFL’s commercial ambitions.
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The Powerful Cultural Messages in Bad Bunny’s Performance
For many viewers, the debate over language overshadowed the rich cultural and political details Bad Bunny included in his show. Each segment was packed with meaning related to Puerto Rican identity and history.
One of the most discussed symbols was the football jersey Bad Bunny wore, bearing the number 64. His representatives later confirmed this was a tribute to his late uncle, Cutito, who wore that number and whom Bad Bunny had dreamed of taking to a Super Bowl. Other theories suggested it referenced the controversial initial death toll from Hurricane Maria or his historic album chart success.
The performance also paid homage to reggaeton’s roots. Bad Bunny sampled classics from pioneers like Daddy Yankee (“Gasolina”) and Tego Calderón, telling the audience, “You’re listening to music from Puerto Rico. From the barrios and the projects”.
Ricky Martin’s performance held deep significance. He sang “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” a song that uses Hawaii’s history as a warning about cultural erosion and loss of sovereignty for Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny also carried a Puerto Rican flag with a light blue triangle, a version often associated with independence, and performed next to exploding power lines—a direct reference to the island’s chronic electricity problems.
By handing a Grammy award to a young boy on stage, Bad Bunny highlighted his own recent, historic achievement of being the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year with a Spanish-language album. The show was, in essence, a full display of Puerto Rican pride on the world’s biggest stage.
The official viewership numbers for the halftime show are still pending, but it is speculated to have been one of the most-watched ever. Regardless of the political debate, Bad Bunny’s performance made history and ignited a global conversation about language, culture, and who gets to represent America.
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