Oct. 9, 2025

Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl and a MAGA meltdown

Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl and a MAGA meltdown
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Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl and a MAGA meltdown

Bad Bunny will be the next Super Bowl halftime show headliner. MAGA is upset.

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Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny is having a phenomenal year. His seventh album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” came out in January and spent weeks at the top of the charts. He sold out a musical residency in Puerto Rico. And now, he’s set to headline one of the biggest stages for a musical artist: the Super Bowl halftime show. But that performance has ignited a political firestorm on the right. MAGA influencers are criticizing the choice because Bad Bunny, born Benito Ocasio Martinez Ocasio, sings in Spanish, and because he expressed fears this year that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could pursue fans at his shows.

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with national politics reporter Sabrina Rodriguez about this right-wing backlash and how it fits into ongoing culture war battles.

Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sam Bair.

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