Bad Bunny sparked controversy after being photographed sitting during “God Bless America” at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, October 7, 2025. The image showed the Puerto Rican superstar remaining seated while others around him stood with their hands over their hearts. The moment quickly went viral, coinciding with a heated debate over his upcoming performance at Super Bowl LX. Detractors, however, see his actions as disrespectful.
“He hasn’t had his Visa pulled?”
He hasn’t had his Visa pulled?
— Ruth Jones (@NotThatMrsJones) October 9, 2025
Bad Bunny Sparks Online Backlash Ahead of 2026 Super Bowl
The backlash intensified online, with one fan writing about his visa being pulled, a claim reflecting growing political tensions around the artist.
Another user asked, “Something is wrong with that. Here we go again NFL losing out to college again. Why is he in the US? Did you hear what he said on Saturday night live? Look it up, please”
One says, “Boycott the @NFL @nflcommish”
Another chimed, “The NFL looks really really bad in this.”
While a fan furiously asked, “Can we deport him from everything?”
The comments came amid ongoing calls to boycott the NFL, with hashtags targeting Commissioner Roger Goodell trending overnight.
The 31-year-old Grammy winner, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is set to headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It will mark the event’s 60th edition on February 8 next year. According to reports, his entire performance will be in Spanish, an artistic choice that some conservative critics, including Trump allies Corey Lewandowski and Kristi Noem, have labeled “un-American.”
Bad Bunny’s political stance has long clashed with right-wing U.S. figures. In September, he told i-D magazine that he avoided scheduling U.S. concerts because of fears ICE agents might target immigrant fans. He also posted videos of alleged ICE operations in Puerto Rico, denouncing officers as “motherf–kers” and accusing them of harassing locals. His comments reignited debate over his patriotism at a time when the NFL is under pressure to maintain cultural balance in its halftime programming.
With Super Bowl LX expected to attract over 115 million global viewers, the debate over culture, patriotism, and performance politics shows no signs of slowing down.
