House Speaker Mike Johnson Criticizes Bad Bunny for Super Bowl Halftime, Suggests 82-Year-Old Lee Greenwood

Political backlash mounts as Bad Bunny prepares to headline the 2026 Super Bowl, while conservatives propose alternative performers to appeal to broader audiences.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has voiced strong disapproval over the announcement that Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, suggesting instead that Grammy-winning country singer Lee Greenwood take the stage.

“I didn’t even know who Bad Bunny was,” Johnson told Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez outside the House chambers. “But it sounds like a terrible decision, in my view, from what I’m hearing.” When asked why he considered the choice inappropriate, Johnson remarked, “It sounds like he’s not someone who appeals to a broader audience.”

Johnson offered his alternative, citing Greenwood, an 82-year-old country artist with longstanding ties to the Trump administration. “There are so many eyes on the Super Bowl, a lot of young, impressionable children. In my view, you would have Lee Greenwood, or role models, doing that. Not somebody like this,” he said. Greenwood notably performed at President Trump’s 2025 inauguration and at various campaign events.

The criticism mirrors that of former President Donald Trump, who also admitted to unfamiliarity with Bad Bunny and called the choice “crazy” and “absolutely ridiculous” on NewsMax’s Greg Kelly Reports. Other conservative voices, including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and commentator Tomi Lahren, have criticized the selection on various grounds, from concerns over performance content to questioning Bad Bunny’s nationality, despite him being a U.S. citizen by birth in Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has largely shrugged off the criticism, celebrating his milestone performance. In a September 29 Apple Music interview, he expressed excitement for representing his culture: “I’m really excited for my friends, my family, Puerto Rico, all the Latino people around the world. I’m excited about my culture. I’m excited about everything — not just for me.”

The artist also referenced the controversy during his recent Saturday Night Live hosting gig, joking, “I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy about it. Even Fox News.” The broadcast featured edited clips humorously portraying commentators praising Bad Bunny, and he delivered a speech addressing Latinos and Latinas across the world, concluding with a playful challenge: “And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”

Dubbed the “King of Latin Trap,” Bad Bunny commands an enormous global following, boasting over 107 billion streams on Spotify and 49.5 million Instagram followers. He has had more than 100 songs chart on the Hot 100 in the U.S., with his last four albums debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. album chart.

As the Super Bowl approaches, Bad Bunny’s performance has already ignited cultural and political debate, highlighting the intersection of entertainment, representation, and generational divides in America’s biggest televised spectacle.