John Oliver Commends NFL‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show Choice Amidst Controversy
John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, publicly praised the NFL’s decision to feature Bad Bunny as the performer for next year’s Super Bowl Halftime show, addressing the recent backlash and political fallout during Sunday night’s episode. The appointment of the Puerto Rico-hailing musician has sparked debate and prompted action from the Department of Homeland security.
The NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny,described by Oliver as “one of the hottest,most commercially triumphant people alive,” has been met with resistance from some political figures. Following the announcement, the Department of Homeland Security revealed plans to deploy ICE agents to the Super Bowl venue, a move later supported by South Dakota governor Kristi Noem. Oliver’s commentary arrives as Bad Bunny himself addressed the controversy during his recent Saturday Night Live monologue,playfully suggesting even Fox News had embraced the choice,with a spliced clip appearing to show the network stating,”Bad Bunny is my favorite musician. He should be the next president.”
Oliver also used his segment to highlight the growing grassroots opposition to ICE’s presence in communities, stating, “If ICE can show up and bother some guys at their roofing job, then bystanders should be able to bother ICE at their state-sanctioned kidnapping job. It is indeed only fair.” He emphasized the importance of resisting what he characterized as the governance’s attempts to intimidate communities through displays of force.
