Is Bad Bunny a U.S. Citizen? Super Bowl Backlash Sparks Confusion
Bad Bunny, the 31-year-old Puerto Rican superstar headlining today’s (February 8) 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, has faced a wave of online backlash, including questions about whether he’s a U.S. citizen amid backlash and criticism from some conservative commentators.
Keep reading to find out more…
Here’s the facts: YES, Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen.
He was born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. People born in Puerto Rico are American citizens under U.S. law, thanks to the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917.
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and residents have U.S. passports and have U.S. citizenship rights. However, citizens cannot vote in presidential elections and do not have full voting representation in Congress, which sometimes causes confusion about their status.
Despite his citizenship, Bad Bunny’s halftime show performance has caused debate and commentary regarding immigration, language and American identity.
People who oppose him being the halftime show performer have criticized whether he is “American enough,” and expressed anger for the fact that he will be performing in Spanish, even resulting in counter-programming: right-wing organization Turning Point USA‘s All American Halftime Show.
There has also been backlash from anonymous NFL players who think he isn’t American.
In reality, the discourse about Bad Bunny represents ongoing tensions in America surrounding immigration status, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calls for “ICE OUT” including from the artist himself, racism, and cultural representation in mainstream media.
“I have felt rejection in the U.S., maybe in some places because of being Latino. I’ve felt rejected in a world where there’s a lot of rich people and you could have 100 million in your bank account, and to them, you’re [looked down on] for being Latino. I can’t speak over the experiences of other artists. It’s obvious that racism, colorism exists in all parts of the world, in all industries,” he said in 2023.
President Donald Trump is one of the critics.