Kid Rock says he ‘didn’t understand any of’ Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: Singer Kid Rock weighed in on Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, which aired Sunday, February 8, as part of the broader reaction to the performance and his own alternative event.

The Super Bowl LX halftime show featuring the rapper sparked immediate and intense reactions across the political and cultural spectrum. From conservative backlash and counter-programming to public defenses by fellow artists, the performance became a flashpoint in a broader debate about representation, culture, and American identity.

Kid Rock responds to Bad Bunny and halftime show controversy

Kid Rock addressed Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show during an appearance on 'The Ingraham Angle' the day after the game. Speaking with host Laura Ingraham, Rock laughed as he remarked, “Like most people, I didn’t understand any of it!”

His comments came amid criticism from conservative pundits who took issue with Bad Bunny becoming the first Spanish-language solo headliner at the Super Bowl, a milestone that followed just one week after the singer's historic Grammy win for Album of the Year.

Despite the criticism, Rock insisted he had no real problem with Bad Bunny personally. He acknowledged the scale and energy of the performance, noting, “I saw there’s a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party, it looked like he had one.”

While making clear that the performance was “not my cup of tea,” Rock said he did not fault Bad Bunny for accepting the opportunity to perform on such a global stage. “I don’t fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience.”

Instead, Rock placed blame on the NFL and on Turning Point USA, “I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. It’s just — poor kid.”

Ingraham quickly pushed back on the phrasing, interjecting, “Poor rich kid,” to which Rock agreed, responding, “Poor rich kid. I think he’s doing all right.”

Donald Trump and Lady Gaga weigh in on Bad Bunny

Rock himself headlined a competing broadcast, the 'All-American Halftime Show,' organized by TPUSA. The event, which attracted strong streaming viewership, was promoted as a patriotic alternative emphasizing “faith, family and freedom,” and featured country artists and overtly American themes.

President Donald Trump also publicly criticized Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, posting an assessment on Truth Social. He said, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” And went on to say the show, “makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.”

Trump further claimed that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying,” and criticized the choreography, calling the dancing “disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the USA, and all over the World.” 

He concluded by describing the performance as a “slap in the face” to a country he said was “setting new standards and records every single day – including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!”

The rapper, however, also received strong public support with Pop star Lady Gaga, who performed alongside him during the halftime show, shared her praise on Instagram.

Calling it her “absolute honour” to sing with the Grammy Album of the Year winner, Gaga wrote, “Thank you Benito for inviting me and thank you to the entire cast for welcoming me onto your stage. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”