By Michela Gritti
On the night of Sunday, Feb. 8th, UNCP was in front of the screen, just like another 142.3 billion people all over the world. Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime show achieved record-breaking viewership, becoming the most-watched halftime show in history. His performance, representing Puerto Rican culture, surpassed the previous records set by Kendrik Lamar in 2025 and Rihanna in 2023.
During his 13 minutes performance in Santa Clara, California, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, reshaped what it means to be American during a moment of deep division. Full of political symbolism, powerful imagery and energy, not only he celebrated the island where he was born but also sent a strong and meaningful message of unity across the entire continent.
Throughout the show, Bad Bunny performed several of his biggest hits and ended by listing more that 20 nations in North, Central and South America. Dancers followed by carrying flags from many of those nations. The moment challenged the idea that the word America refers to only one country and instead pointed toward a shared and inclusive continent. With this powerful call for unity, he challenged the notion that you must be form the US to be an American. Before starting his nostalgic song “DtMF,” he spiked a football that read “Together we are America.”
Being the first Latino to headline the Super Bowl halftime show put language and culture front and center and showed why it was important to recognize them on such a big stage.
Singing the song NUEVAYoL, focused on Latino communities in New York and the immigrant experience, the singer gives a Grammy trophy to a child. Many viewers interpreted this gesture as a symbol of support for immigrants, highlighting that one’s success can be everybody’s other.
Other surprise guests added to the themes of unity and inclusion. Lady gaga appeared in the performance, singing her English hit “Die with a Smile”, but with a salsa twist. The world-renowned “King of Latin Pop” also made his appearance on the stage, playing a Puerto Rican cuatro guitar. Martin performed “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” a clear critique against historical American colonialism.
Online, many viewers said they spent weeks learning Spanish lyrics to better enjoy the performance. The way Bad Bunny danced alongside performers of different backgrounds, races, colors or breeds, was a very powerful message of inclusivity, connection and friendship.
Many Latino students of UNCP share the feeling of appreciation towards the meaningfulness of Bad Bunny’s performance. Especially powerful was to see such a meaningful show take place on one of the world’s biggest stages.
“I loved Bad Bunny’s performance,” said Dayana Alchufi a psychology student from Venezuela. “He used this opportunity to give an amazing representation of Latino culture and send a message of love and unity against those who want to separate us.”
Julian Alvarado, a student from El Salvador, saw the performance as something not only astonishing, but also deeply personal.
“Bad Bunny’s halftime show was a 13-minute love letter not just to Puerto Rico, but to everyone who grew up hearing salsa at home on a Sunday morning,” he said. “He did not even have to talk about politics to send a strong message of unity through his music.”
Leticia Pena, a student athlete at UNCP, shared the same sentiment.
“It seemed very powerful to me how Bad Bunny talked about calm and respect without attacking anyone while still sending a clear message,” she said. “Through his music and performance, he showed Latino pride and reminded people that our culture, history, and language are part of what America is.”
The reason why the show reached such a massive numerical figure was the fact of being watched all over the world. Lucia Pirelli, who watched from a small town in northern Italy, said the performance stood out to her as well, regardless of not being directly part of the addressed population.
“Saying Bad Bunny was disruptive is an understatement,” she said. “What he did was an elegant response to everything happening in the world.”
Not all praise came from international students. Keelie Smithers, a Native American student from Raeford, North Carolina, said the message was powerful across many communities.
“What I took from Bad Bunny’s halftime show was belonging and unity through music,” she said. “It celebrated Latin culture in such a beautiful way.”
As Bad Bunny said to close his Super Bowl halftime performance show, Lo único más poderoso del odio es el amor.” In English: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
