(Mark E. Johnson, Contributor) When Janet Jackson’s breast “accidentally” came flying out on live television during the 2004 Superbowl Halftime Show, the NFL tried to pass it off as an innocent “wardrobe malfunction.”
Sadly, the league has done little to actually raise the standards in its “Big Game” entertainment selections in the two decades since.
According to news reports, this year’s Super Bowl halftime act, a Puerto Rican rapper who likes it when people call him ‘Bad Bunny,’ is planning to wear a dress during the show.
This report comes after months of backlash over Mr. Bunny [real name, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio] being named as the featured act Super Bowl LX.
According to a Wikipedia page in his name, the performer “is considered one of the best Latin rappers of all time” – who knew that was even a thing?
The backlash against Bunny being the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show began the moment he was announced and has not died down since.
An online petition to replace him with legendary country singer and American patriot George Strait has reportedly surpassed 120,000 signatures.
“The Super Bowl halftime show should unite our country, honor American culture, and remain family-friendly, not be turned into a political stunt,” the petition reads. “Bad Bunny represents none of these values; his drag performances and style are the opposite of what families expect on football’s biggest stage.”
Perhaps the performer takes perverse pleasure in being as offensive as possible; a new report claims he plans to wear a dress during his performance.
According to an unnamed stylist participating the creation of the show, Bunny “is 100 percent going to wear a dress.” His intent is to “honor Puerto Rican queer icons and generations of drag, resistance, and cultural rebellion.”
“He loves controversy,” the source said. “He lives to push envelopes.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has already rebuffed weeks of fan outrage, insisting the choice of Bunny was “carefully thought through.”
“I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism,” he quipped.
What’d he say?
Bunny typically ‘raps’ in Spanish, which should somewhat mitigate the impact of his most vile lyrics for Super Bowl viewers.
Google AI has complied the following list of Bunny’s most inappropriate lyrics with AI-generated interpretations:
- “Compré una forty y a cupido se la vacié” (“I bought a gun and shot up Cupid”) — Soy Peor (2017)
This line is a common reference in discussions about the use of metaphors of violence in his music, with some interpreting it as a promotion of toxic masculinity. - “Baby, te lo meto/ Tú eres pa’ que te lo metan por el c*” (“Baby, I pull it out/ You’re for getting it in the ass”) — Bichiyal (2020)**
This song is often cited as a prime example of his X-rated, highly explicit, and controversial lyrics. - “Aquí el calor es diferente, el sol es taíno. La capital del perreo, ahora todos quieren ser latino. Pero les falta sazón.” (“Here the heat is different, the sun is Taino… But they lack flavor.”) — El Apagón (2022)
These lyrics are debated in the context of cultural appropriation and the popularization of non-white traits by white people. - “Ojalá que los míos nunca se muden” (“I wish my people would never move”) — Debí Tirar Más Fotos (2025)
This line is part of a larger, more political theme in his music that addresses the gentrification and displacement of Puerto Ricans. - “No quería irse pa’ Orlando, pero el corrupto lo echó” (“He didn’t want to go to Orlando, but the scoundrel pushed him out”) — Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii (2025)
These lyrics are considered highly political, as they directly address the economic and social issues in Puerto Rico, including forced migration. - “Tú no ere’ mi fan real, por eso te tiré el celular” (“You’re not my real fan, that’s why I threw your phone”) — Nadie Sabe (2023)
A direct reference to the widely criticized incident where he threw a fan’s phone into the ocean.
“Hey kids, how about some more pizza!?” Mark E. Johnson writes about culture, politics, and health for national publishers. In a moment of unusual clairvoyance during a family-oriented 2004 Super Bowl party at his home, he ushered all the children out of the rec room and into the kitchen just as Janet Jackson was about to take the stage and do what she famously did during the Halftime Show.
