House Speaker Mike Johnson Criticizes Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Performance, expresses Preference for Lee Greenwood
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced disapproval of the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl LVIII halftime performer, suggesting more traditional, patriotic figures like Lee Greenwood would be more appropriate for the widely-watched event. Johnson’s comments, made Tuesday, reflect a broader conservative backlash against the Puerto Rican artist’s booking.
“And there are so many eyes on the Super Bowl – a lot of young, impressionable children,” Johnson said. “And, in my view, you would have Lee Greenwood, or role models, doing that. Not somebody like this.”
The criticism comes as Bad Bunny has faced scrutiny from some conservatives,not only for his music but also for his political stances. Some have objected to the fact that he sings exclusively in Spanish, while others have highlighted his decision to postpone a U.S.tour due to concerns about potential ICE raids targeting his fans. Following the announcement of Bad Bunny’s halftime show, Trump management officials indicated ICE would be present at the Super Bowl “in force.”
Former President Donald Trump echoed Johnson’s sentiments on Monday,stating he was unfamiliar with Bad Bunny but deemed the performance “crazy” and “absolutely ridiculous.” ”I’ve never heard of him. I don’t no who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it,” trump told a NewsMax host.
Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously indicated plans to deploy agents to the Super Bowl to identify undocumented migrants after the booking was announced. Noem stated, “Well, they suck and we’ll win, and god will bless us and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won’t be able to sleep at night as they don’t know what they believe.And they’re so weak, we’ll fix it.”
The questions regarding Bad Bunny were posed to Speaker Johnson by Pablo Manríquez of Migrant Insider.
Despite the criticism, Bad Bunny has achieved notable mainstream success in the United States. He has charted over 100 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including the No. 1 single “I Like It.” His last four albums have all debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. album chart, with his most recent album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” reaching No. 1 in February after debuting at No. 2 with 122,000 units and subsequently climbing with 203,500 units the following week.
