Bad Bunny's Super Bowl hidden messages, cameos, symbolism, and ratings

Bad Bunny gave us one of the most exciting, thought-provoking, entertaining, and daring performances in the history of the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Like many artists who came before him, Bad Bunny had messages hidden in plain sight, with the artist using language, context, jokes, and visual cues to communicate what he was really saying.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, 31, from Puerto Rico, has now officially solidified himself as one of the greatest U.S. artists of all time — a title that many music fans still hesitated to give him, despite his global reach and popularity. After this extraordinary Halftime Show, such labels feel undeniable.

The Bad Bunny songs featured on this Super Bowl Halftime Show, listed below, made great use of the artist's discography while still focusing and celebrating his Album of the Year-winning LP Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The lineup of songs included:

1. "Tití Me Preguntó"
2. "Yo Perreo Sola"
3. "Safaera"
4. "Party"
5. "Voy a Llevarte Pa' PR"
6. "EoO" (prefaced by a medley of classic reggaeton songs)
7. "Mónaco"
8. "Die with a Smile" (performed by Lady Gaga)
9. "Baile Inolvidable"
10. "Nuevayol"
11. "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" (performed by Ricky Martin)
12. "El Apagón"
13. "Café con Ron" (collaboration with Los Pleneros de La Cresta)
14. "DTMF"

Between fun bops, emotional lyrics, and an unrivaled passion for his craft and birthplace, Bad Bunny gave it his all on the biggest stage for music in the world.

Having experienced so much backlash from conservatives who felt outraged over the fact that Bad Bunny, an artist with a Spanish-language discography, was chosen to headline the 2026 Super Bowl, fans wondered how far he would go in terms of political commentary. Benito didn't disappoint.

While early Super Bowl ratings estimated that 135.4 million viewers saw Bad Bunny's Halftime Show (per Newsweek), the press is still waiting for updated numbers from Nielsen. If the actual number is anywhere near that initial report, however, Bad Bunny will have officially broken the all-time ratings record for a Super Bowl — becoming the most-watched Halftime Show performance of all time.

Read our comprehensive breakdown of references, cameos, Easter eggs, context, lyrics, and messages from Bad Bunny's performance as headliner of the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

A young man kicks off Bad Bunny's Halftime Show with a popular saying.

The very first frame that audiences see on Bad Bunny's Halftime Show is a young man exclaiming, "Qué rico es ser latino. Hoy se bebe!"

This is a popular saying in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, and it translates to "How great it is to be Latino. Tonight, we're drinking!" in English.

The 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show title sequence.

Viewers fly above sugarcane fields as the title sequence for this Halftime Show pops up on the screen. Translating to English, the title sequence is pretty straightforward: "Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio presents… The Super Bowl Halftime Show."

400 years after it was colonized by Spain, Puerto Rico's economy relied entirely on the production and sale of sugarcane. "Cutting sugar cane is, by any measure, brutal work performed by hand in the scorching sun," a landing page for the PBS series Finding Your Roots explains. "For centuries, enslaved Africans supplied the labor, but after slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico in 1873, it became the domain of the island’s working class."

A report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website notes that Puerto Rico "grew 12.5 million tons of sugarcane on more than 40,000 acres" at its peak in 1952, nearly 80 years after slavery was abolished.

When considering recent pop culture moments, this opening title sequence soaring above sugarcane fields comes off a bit like the first Wicked movie's opening sequence. Famously, the stories of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz include a tornado that brings Dorothy Gale to Oz and murders the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba in Wicked).

The first sighting of Bad Bunny is the number 64 on his back. Here's what it means.

Numbers on jerseys often come from an athlete's mystical relationship with a number, or a number that they like, or other (usually positive) reasons. Not for Bad Bunny, though, who is first seen on the Super Bowl with his back turned to the camera, showcasing the heartbreaking number 64 on his back.

Hurricane Maria, a category four hurricane that hit Puerto Rico on September 2017, caused nothing but death and destruction to the island and its residents. However, the issue was met with little to no interest by President Donald Trump at the time, who "threw paper towels at" Puerto Ricans during his infamous visit to the island, as reported at the time by The Advocate.

Initial data from the government of Puerto Rico reported that only 64 people had died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria. Much like what's happening in 2026, residents were told to believe in a reality that didn't make any sense, prompting several protests to protest against that wildly incorrect death toll. The New York Times eventually reported on a new government statement that finally acknowledged the death of more than 1,400 people (at least).

Almost an entire year after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, CBS News reported on the official death count that has been verified as the accurate total: 2,975 people died in Puerto Rico from damages caused by the hurricane.

Bad Bunny introduces viewers to the colorful and diverse world of Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny starts walking through the scenery and introduces viewers to the culture and aesthetics of Puerto Rico. For instance, he stops by a stand selling cold coconut water; by a group of seniors playing dominó (dominoes); by two girls doing their nails; and by a stand selling piragua (a dangerously delicious Puerto Rican shaved ice dessert).

These choices reflect not only Puerto Rico, but Bad Bunny himself. Dominó is his favorite sport, for instance, and he loves to get intricate and artist manicures — to the point of dragging a nail salon in Spain for refusing him service in 2018 for being a man wanting to get his nails done, which he then commented on through the gender-flip "Caro" music video.

A taco stand is seemingly named after Pancho Villa.

X user @maobarraza writes (translated into English):

"Did you notice the name of the tacos? Villa's tacos. Pancho Villa has been the only person who has ever invaded the United States with his División del Norte. Bad Bunny's halftime show was loaded with symbolism. Big respect, Benito."

Bad Bunny dodges two shirtless boxers, but starts getting dizzy.

Relatable content!

Bad Bunny keeps walking in this world-building exposition to Puerto Rico that he's created for the Halftime Show, and the sense that this is a claustrophobic, maze-like setting starts to dawn on viewers. That's a lot of turning left, turning right, and moving forward, with the camera centering on Bad Bunny but slightly shaking to communicate how the protagonist of this story is feeling.

We know and love our readers… So here's the tea on those two handsome boxers.

Boxer?! We hardly know her!

It's only a matter of time until the gays start searching for more information about the good-looking boxers (who, yes, are real-life boxers — not actors pretending to be boxers). So let's make that easier for you.

The boxer wearing shorts with the colors of the Mexican flag and appearing on Bad Bunny's left in the photo above is "El General" Emiliano Vargas. You can follow him on Instagram at @emilianofvargas.

The other boxer standing to Bad Bunny's right in the photo is Xander Zayas, who's also from Puerto Rico (like Bad Bunny) and a professional boxer (like Emiliano Vargas). You can follow him on Instagram at @xander.zayas.

La Casita (Super Bowl edition!) is filled with celebrities.

As Bad Bunny finds his way out out of the sugarcane fields maze, viewers are introduced to La Casita, which was a famous setting for his concerts within the Puerto Rico residency.

The celebrities dancing and partying in La Casita (Super Bowl 2026 edition) include Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Young Miko, Karol G, and Jessica Alba.

And just like that, Bad Bunny emerges on the rooftop of La Casita.

A party between Latinos that involves a few random guests, a rooftop, and lots of dancing?! Groundbreaking.

Bad Bunny emerges from the rooftop of La Casita, and the crowd goes wild.

Bad Bunny recreates the 'dwerking' meme.

There is plenty of choreo, twerking, and dwerking in the rooftop segment of the Halftime Show.

To the delight of fans who thirst over Bad Bunny, he recreates the famous "dwerking" meme that came out of his residency in Puerto Rico.

The rooftop collapses, causing Bad Bunny to fall inside La Casita. He just gets up and keeps it moving.

This Super Bowl Halftime Show is packed with references, symbolism, and nuances. In this case, Bad Bunny falls inside La Casita as a result of the roof collapsing.

The musician is shown falling to the floor inside the house… But instead of feeling hurt or asking for help, Bad Bunny just gets up, brushes off some dust, and keeps it pumping with a smile.

This moment is metaphorically about the resilience of Latinos to keep going and never giving up, no matter the consequences. But this is also commentary on the infrastructure of Puerto Rico (and many other countries around the world) that is actually crumbling — whether caused by Hurricane Maria or just a lack of regular maintenance.

A medley of reggaeton anthems play as an intro to 'EoO' by Bad Bunny.

Bad Bunny exits La Casita through the front door. But, instead of greeting the various celebrities on the front porch, he keeps walking toward something else.

This scene shifts focus from Bad Bunny to his ensemble of dancers, and the song "EoO" is introduced by a medley of reggaeton classics such as "Pa Que Se Lo Gozen" by Tego Calderón, "Dale Don Dale" by Don Omar, "Noche de Travesuras" by Hector El Father, and "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee.

The dancers are all horny, including these two gays by the car.

Viewers then realize that Bad Bunny walked straight into a crowd of performers who are dancing very intensely and taking horny on main to the maximum degree.

Girls grinding on boys grinding on boys grinding on girls grinding on girls is the vibe. As seen in the image above, these two get an A+ for understanding the assignment.

From one rooftop to another.

The scene of Bad Bunny on the rooftop of a car is stunning, with viewers seeing dancers surrounding him from every side. In many ways, it doesn't feel like Benito is the center of this narrative at all, nor a leader to this group. Rather, the singer comes off as a visual narrator whose body language and movements are commanding the dancers to dance harder, get freakier, and have fun.

There's a quality of Bad Bunny coming off as a conductor, and the dancers themselves are the instruments responding to his cues with movements rather than sound.

A real wedding happens during Bad Bunny's Halftime Show.

As reported by @PopCrave, this is indeed a very real wedding that takes place in the middle of Benito Bowl.

"The wedding during Bad Bunny’s #SuperBowlLX Halftime Show was real, his rep confirms," the caption reads. "The couple had invited Bad Bunny to their wedding, and in turn he allowed them to get married during his show."

As of this writing, the X post has earned 4.6 million views and 370,000 likes.

Lady Gaga is a guest singer on Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Bad Bunny has been spotted wearing Lady Gaga merch several times over the years and "has always been a Little Monster," as reported by Vulture. While many viewers were confused about Mother Monster (or, in this case, Madre Monster) being a guest performer on "Benito Bowl," diehard Little Monsters already knew this about the Halftime Show headliner.

In 2020, Bad Bunny discussed how a gay cousin of his, who does drag, introduced him to the magical mayhem of Gaga's discography. "I may not be gay, but I'm a human who cares," Bad Bunny told Rolling Stone.

That cousin ultimately influenced Bad Bunny to fall in love with Gaga's music. "He would come to my house so I could make his mixes. He explained the choreography to me. They were all Lady Gaga songs," the Puerto Rican superstar recalled.

Madre Monster delivers a salsa version of 'Die With a Smile.'

She doesn't speak Spanish, but she can if you'd like.

Lady Gaga is the queen supreme of alter egos, with notable examples like Jo Calderone, Yüyi the Mermaid, Morgana Devacelli, Mary Jane Holland, and Mistress of Mayhem, to name a few. And, well, we're kind of living for Madre Monster at the moment.

She may be Italian, and come from New York City, and have a man in Nebraska, and sleep inside an egg/vessel, and even come to Earth straight from Chromatica… However, during Benito Bowl, Gaga's "Die With a Smile" is salsa, and you better call her Madre.

Stanning Lady Gaga helped Bad Bunny understand, respect, and support drag culture.

While helping his cousin create drag mixes for live performances and falling in love with Gaga's discography along the way, Bad Bunny also started to understand, respect, and embrace drag as a fierce art form.

(For context, this Rolling Stone interview by Suzy Exposito was published in May 2020, two months after Bad Bunny released the "Yo Perreo Sola" music video in which the reggaetonero himself is seen in drag.)

It didn't take much for Bad Bunny to understanding drag as a similar creative expression as wrestling. "Each [wrestler] has their way of being, and it's respected. They have long hair, they can paint their face, [but] they're strong and powerful beings," he told Rolling Stone.

You better clock that tea, Benito!

Even off-camera, Bad Bunny couldn't stop himself from dancing while Gaga performed.

Another adorable behind-the-scenes moment caught by fans was Bad Bunny being unable to stop living for Lady Gaga's performance of "Die With a Smile."

As seen in the clip above, Bad Bunny was getting his life during Gaga's performance even as he was fully off-camera and had to change costumes as quickly as possible.

Toñita has a special guest cameo on the Super Bowl, and everyone loses their minds.

The next exciting cameo comes from none other than Toñita, the owner of Brooklyn's Caribbean Social Club, which is "one of the last surviving Puerto Rican social clubs" in New York City, @sarahyanezr writes. The Cut reports, "Singing 'NUEVAYoL,' he nodded to the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York City, with their barber shops and bodegas and, of course, Toñita.

Bad Bunny is served a drink by Toñita, and everyone is thrilled to see this icon at the Super Bowl.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has even invited Toñita to join his inaugural committee.

She's an icon, she's a legend, and she is the moment, OK?

Protect Toñita at all costs!

Bad Bunny greets a little boy (referred to as 'Young Benito') — hands him a Grammy Award.

The next scene shows a family in their living room watching the Grammy Awards. Bad Bunny approaches them, and a little boy comes in his direction. That little boy is referred to as Little Benito, and Bad Bunny hands him a Grammy Award.

The young actor has been identified as Lincoln Fox, who has an official Instagram account and shared the following statement about playing "Young Benito" at the Super Bowl:

"An emotional, unforgettable day being cast as the young Benito — a symbolic moment where the future hands the past a Grammy. A reminder that dreams come true and that it’s never too early to dream big. Sending love to Liam Ramos. We all deserve peace and love in America, a country built by and home to so many hard-working immigrants."

Lincoln Fox says he'll 'remember this day forever,' and everyone is crying all over again.

Another post from Lincoln Fox is shared with a caption that reads, "I'll remember this day forever! It was my truest honor."

A star is born!

Ricky Martin performs 'Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii.'

Most of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos album, which just won the 2026 Grammy Award for Album of the Year, centers on Bad Bunny grappling with the fact that he doesn't want Puerto Rico to become "the next Hawaii."

To be clear, he never criticizes Hawaii or its people, but comments — particularly in the song "Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii" (which translates to "What Happened in Hawaii") — on how whitewashed Hawaii became over time due to so much money and gentrification taking place in it.

At the Super Bowl, Ricky Martin is revealed as Bad Bunny's second guest singer for the Halftime Show, and is first seen sitting on the same chair featured on the cover art for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. He is the one who sings "Lo Que Pasó a Hawaii" on the Halftime Show, which feels even more powerful and poignant.

There wouldn't be a Bad Bunny without Ricky Martin.

The interesting juxtaposition between Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin is that the latter didn't have major points of reference that could inspire him (or warn him) to navigate his journey in a different way.

Don't get it twisted: Martin did always stay true to his roots. Even his biggest songs in the U.S. have Spanish lyrics and celebrate being a Latino, unlike many of his peers. Nonetheless, much like the gentrification of Hawaii, it felt like a given that, for Martin to blow up in the U.S. in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he couldn't have taken a stance — as Bad Bunny did — to not engage in English-language music whatsoever.

For Bad Bunny and other Latine artists to even take a stance, pioneers like Martin had to pave the way first. And this wasn't necessarily just about the U.S., and the English language, either. In case you didn't know, Ricky Martin is fluent in five languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Portuguese. His roots as a Latino artist never went away, but it was clear how many additional steps Martin had to take in order for someone like Bad Bunny to win Grammys and do a Halftime Show with an all-Spanish body of work.

There was a world in which a legendary musician like Martin would've declined to appear on the Halftime Show of an artist like Bad Bunny. Martin himself never got that opportunity, and it's totally possible to imagine a scenario (with different people) in which the veteran artist would've politely declined to appear as a featured singer.

The fact that Martin enthusiastically cheered for Bad Bunny's Album of the Year win and went into this Super Bowl to fully support a new generation of Latine stars that he absolutely inspired and literally opened doors for is probably the most remarkable thing about his involvement on Bad Bunny's Halftime Show.

A legendary groundbreaker and pioneer, indeed.

Bad Bunny confronts 'El Apagón' (the blackout).

In 2017, The Washington Post reported that Puerto Rico "was in the dark for 181 days, 6 hours, and 45 minutes" following the devastation of the island by Hurricane Maria and the lack of significant support from Trump's first administration to help an island that is a U.S. territory and was suffering a humanitarian crisis.

In this darker — but absolutely necessary — segment of the Halftime Show, background performers were seen on the utility poles behind Bad Bunny while he rapped to "El Apagón" (which translates to "The Blackout"). Those performers symbolized the various attempts from Puerto Ricans to fix the utility poles themselves in order to bring electricity back to Puerto Rico.

In this performance, however, they repeatedly got electrocuted to the point of falling to the ground, only to get back up and keep trying… again, and again, and again. Much like how Bad Bunny reacted to falling into La Casita while standing on its rooftop.

God bless America.

This final chapter in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show resurfaces an age-old discussion about how the United States refers to itself as "America," even though it is the United States of a greater continent named America — home to several other countries.

"God bless America…" Bad Bunny says, while holding a football. The crowd immediately cheers for that statement as soon as it leaves his mouth, but that figure of speech isn't actually where the point ends. It's where it begins.

Bad Bunny immediately adds, "…be it Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brasil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Cuba, Republica Dominicana, Jamaica, Tila, Antilla, United States, Canadá, y mi patria, Puerto Rico."

To be clear: The debate over the U.S. referring to itself as just "America" isn't as big of a hot topic now as it was when Bad Bunny grew up in Puerto Rico (and this writer grew up in Brazil), making it a safe but still thought-provoking point that highlights a certain sense of superiority that, at the moment, we are all seemingly protesting against.

Going through that list of countries, which are all in America but exist outside of the U.S., was a shocking moment that Bad Bunny was able to pull off during the climax of an otherwise very polite, fun, lighthearted, and easygoing Halftime Show that was packed with discreet political references and call-outs, but never underscored this fiercely.

This final moment was clearly less discreet, but Bad Bunny still delivered it looking straight into the camera, barely blinking, as flags from all of the aforementioned countries were being waved behind him.

"Together, we are America," the football held by Bad Bunny read. A post shared on the official NFL page on Instagram — which shows that football with more clarity — has accumulated 1.3 million likes in just 16 hours.

In the end, Bad Bunny tossed the ball to the ground. A touchdown, indeed, literally and figuratively.

Watch Bad Bunny's full performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show on YouTube.