Some conservative critics are calling for rapper Bad Bunny to be deported following his star-studded Super Bowl halftime performance—an ill-fated Hail Mary that won’t reach the end zone.
On Sunday, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio took over Levi’s Stadium during Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California. The rapper better known as Bad Bunny tore through his Spanish-language catalog of hits alongside stars such as Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. But the performance, projected to be the most-watched halftime show in history, riled some conservative viewers, including elected officials in Florida.
“Deport Bad Bunny immediately,” Anthony Sabatini wrote on X late on Sunday.
Sabatini, an attorney and a county commissioner in Florida’s Lake County, served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022. He’s also a former city commissioner in Eustis, Florida.
“Genuine question, how do you deport an American?” one X user replied.
Social media users quickly added additional context to Sabatini’s viral post, which has garnered more than 1 million views.
“Bad Bunny was born in Puerto Rico, which is part of the U.S.,” a community note said. “All persons born in Puerto Rico and subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. (i.e. not having diplomatic immunity) are natural-born citizens of the U.S. He has no other country of origin to which to deport him.”
Sabatini later wrote on X that he liked halftime shows that “aren’t in Spanish” and doubled down when another user suggested Bad Bunny’s ancestors had been in the United States longer than the county commissioner’s.
“We will de-naturalize all anti-American communist trash, like him—and you,” Sabatini replied. “Just give us time.”
The sentiment caught fire among conservative circles late on Sunday, fueled by President Donald Trump’s criticism of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance. The president wrote on Truth Social: “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America.”
On X, a user posted a photo of the Puerto Rican rapper in high heels and a dress, writing in the caption, “Like this tweet if you think we should deport Bad Bunny back to Mexico.”
Another critic said he “muted” Bad Bunny’s show and listened instead to Turning Point USA’s “All-American” halftime show featuring Kid Rock. Bad Bunny has been a frequent target for some conservatives since he was announced last year as the NFL’s headliner. The blowback increased earlier this month following the star’s huge night at the Grammys, where he won album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, marking the first time a Spanish-language project took the top prize.
Another user on X with almost 40,000 followers took their resentment toward the “King of Latin Trap” even further.
“This bad bunny performance is making me think we need to deport all of them… not just the illegal aliens,” the user wrote.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher John Rocker also shared his unsolicited review of Bad Bunny’s performance, suggesting that the show featuring Puerto Rico’s sugar cane fields and rural farmers should lead to increased immigration enforcement by the Trump administration.
“The only way to respond to the Bad Bunny Half Time Show is to: 1/ Hire more ICE Agents 2/Deport more illegals 3/Send the military into liberal cities,” Rocker wrote on X.
Rocker, who played six MLB seasons, made headlines in 1999 when asked whether he would ever play in New York. The reliever said he wouldn’t because of the possibility of riding the subway alongside a “kid with purple hair” or next to “some queer with AIDS.”
Rocker’s post on X had been viewed more than 65,000 times as of early Monday.
“I hope this urges people to vote at midterms,” one reply said.
Other critics noted that Bad Bunny sung his hits in Spanish, echoing Trump’s comment that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”
More than 50 million Americans speak Spanish as their primary or secondary language.
“Make all public signage ENGLISH ONLY,” another X post said.
Some supporters of Bad Bunny—who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, just outside San Juan—said the condemnation of Sunday’s show wasn’t about music.
“It’s not about not speaking English,” one commenter wrote, alleging that the anti-Bad Bunny brigade was being led by white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
“Have to read between the lines,” the X user continued.
Bad Bunny, for his part, introduced himself to the crowd in Spanish before his much-hyped show.
“My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I’m here today at Super Bowl LX, it’s because I never ever stopped believing in myself, and you should also believe in yourself,” he said. “You’re worth more than you think.”
