“One of the great artists of the world”: Roger Goodell says Bad Bunny will deliver a unifying halftime show at Super Bowl LX

The Super Bowl is never just about football. Every year, it becomes a global stage where sports, music, and culture meet. This time, that spotlight belongs to Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026.However, this moment carries more weight than past performances. Bad Bunny arrives at a time when entertainment often crosses into politics. While reactions remain mixed, the NFL believes the show will bring fans together. That belief came directly from commissioner Roger Goodell, who addressed the media days before the biggest game of the year.

Roger Goodell explains why Bad Bunny is the right choice for the NFL Halftime Show as Bad Bunny makes history with a Grammy win

The NFL made its position clear on Feb 2, 2026. Speaking to reporters in Santa Clara, Roger Goodell said he expects Bad Bunny to use the halftime stage to unite viewers worldwide.“Bad Bunny demonstrated last night that he is one of the great artists of the world, and that is one of the reasons we chose him,” Goodell said during a Super Bowl media event. “But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and that this platform is used to unite people.”Goodell referred to Bad Bunny’s Grammy Awards appearance on Feb. 1, where he won Album of the Year for the first Spanish-language album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos” to earn the honour. During his acceptance speech, the singer said:“We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans," Bad Bunny said in his Grammy acceptance speech on Feb. 1. "I know it's tough to not hate these days. And I was thinking, sometimes we get contaminated. The hate gets more powerful with more hate.”Soon after, reports confirmed that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance will be entirely in Spanish. It will mark the first time in NFL history that the halftime show features a full Spanish-language set.At the same time, Bad Bunny’s popularity remains unmatched. He has finished as Spotify’s most-streamed artist four times, including in 2025. His music dominates charts across North America, Latin America, and Europe. As a result, the league believes his reach can turn the halftime show into a shared global moment.Still, not everyone supports the choice. When the NFL announced him in November, the right-wing group Turning Point USA announced an alternative “All-American Halftime Show” featuring Kid Rock.Despite the noise, Goodell expressed full confidence in the artist.“I think you’ll have a great performance,” he said.When Super Bowl LX kicks off on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium, millions will tune in for more than the game. For the NFL, Bad Bunny’s halftime show represents a chance to shift the focus from division to connection. Whether fans agree or not, the league believes this moment can still bring the world together, even if only for one night.