The first week of February is going to go down in history for Bad Bunny. The previous Sunday, he took home the Grammy for Best Album, and next Sunday, he’ll be front and center heading up the halftime show for Super Bowl LX. It’s one of the biggest stages in entertainment, but not everybody will be watching, as there is another halftime show being offered as counterprogramming.
The announcement that Bad Bunny would lead the Super Bowl halftime show faced a backlash that eventually culminated in Turning Point USA, the organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, announcing it would be sponsoring alternative halftime performances. The widowed Erika Kirk recently appeared on Fox News to say that she believes her husband would have fully supported the new lineup led by Kid Rock. In her words:
It’s powerful because what Charlie always loved and knew is that he wanted to be in the forefront of the culture war. He would be fist-pumping at this. He would be so stoked. And what better way to honor him than to just get in the middle of this and be able to offer an alternative to families.
Charlie Kirk was an outspoken conservative, and Bad Bunny has a history of speaking out against many conservative policies, such as calling out the recent ICE crackdowns when receiving his Grammy last weekend. It’s not difficult to believe Angela Kirk's stance that her husband would have supported this new show.
Angela Kirk referred to Turning Point's festivities "pro-America,” implying that the Super Bowl halftime show will not be that, despite Bad Bunny being an American citizen, as all Puerto Ricans have been since 1917. She believes there’s a “larger audience” that wants to see her halftime show. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s what the viewership numbers say.
The backlash to Bad Bunny's halftime show, which Adam Sandler supports, began as soon as his name was announced. One politician called the Super Bowl “woke,” and of course the President of the United States weighed in on it, despite claiming he had no idea who Bad Bunny was. A petition was started to replace Bad Bunny with country singer George Strait, but neither he nor the previously touted Lee Greenwood will be involved.
Instead, Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett will be performing. The show will stream on YouTube for free at the same time Bad Bunny is taking over halftime.
Being a massive global superstar, Bad Bunny’s show is destined to be a hit. The Super Bowl isn’t just an American broadcast anymore; it’s watched all over the world. The NFL has said this fact is part of the reason that Bad Bunny was selected for the show. Still, it will be interesting to see what sort of viewership the secondary show receives.
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