There’s a twist in the debate over the All-American Halftime Show — and it’s one that many people are pointing out online.
While organizers frame their show as a “100% American” alternative to the official Super Bowl performance, critics note an ironic detail: Bad Bunny, the very artist being targeted, is an American too.
Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth — they carry U.S. passports, vote in party primaries, serve in the military, and contribute to American culture just as much as anyone born in Texas, Ohio, or Tennessee.
That’s why some observers say the messaging of the All-American Halftime Show feels misleading at best and exclusionary at worst. The debate isn’t really about who’s “American” — it’s about who gets to be accepted as American.
And that’s where the conversation gets bigger:
- What does “American music” actually mean in 2025?
- Does language change whether an artist counts as part of American culture?
- How do you build unity when the marketing of a show is rooted in picking sides?
Instead of uniting viewers around music, critics argue the “100% American” branding risks drawing a line between Americans who fit a particular cultural mold — and Americans who don’t.
The irony? Bad Bunny has topped U.S. charts, broken U.S. streaming records, sold out U.S. stadiums, and influenced U.S. pop culture for a decade.
If that isn’t American impact, what is?
