Michael Knowles tells Piers Morgan Bad Bunny hates US, said 'God bless America' to mock nation

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA: Conservative pundit Michael Knowles slammed Super Bowl 2026 halftime headliner Bad Bunny during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

Knowles claimed his use of the phrase “God bless America” at the Super Bowl LX was not the patriotic salute some are construing it to be.

Instead, he said it was done to be ironic, as a reminder Knowles chimed in after Morgan defended the Puerto Rican superstar’s halftime performance, arguing that outrage over the artist’s appearance seemed misplaced.

Michael Knowles tells Piers Morgan of Bad Bunny's ‘anti-American’ message

Morgan opened the segment by questioning the backlash surrounding Bad Bunny’s appearance.

“Michael Knowles, this whole Bad Bunny thing. I can't help but think that we've got to a place now in the United States where everybody's desperation to march to their tribal tune overrides any sense of reality or just staying calm and looking at something objectively,” Morgan said.

“I watched the Bad Bunny show. I saw nothing problematic about it at all. I saw a Latino rapper at the peak of his powers absolutely killing it in terms of the production. And he's the most popular artist in the world right now. He belonged there. He owned the stage. He didn't criticize anybody. It was a message of love, of unity, of marriage. I don't get the rage about it.”

Knowles fired back with a joke about Morgan simply misunderstanding the performance’s subtext.

“Piers, you didn't get it because the English and the Americans are two people separated by a common language. So, I forgive you for your misunderstanding," Knowles said, drawing laughter from Morgan.

"The problem with it was that Bad Bunny hates America," Knowles claimed, suggesting the singer’s disdain was for the country as a whole, not policies.

“He doesn't just hate one president or some other president. He doesn't just hate some policy or some other policy. He is specifically irate over the enforcement of federal immigration law passed by both parties, enforced in history by both parties,” Knowles said.

‘God bless America’ remark sparks controversy

According to Knowles, the most telling moment of the performance came when Bad Bunny briefly switched to English and uttered the phrase “God bless America.”

“He has frequently thrown jabs at America, up to and including speaking a language that the vast majority of Americans do not speak at this performance. And then I think the key that he did not have good intentions here came at the end when he said the one fleeting little bit of English in the performance. He said 'God bless America' and then he followed that up by naming a ton of Latin American countries,” Knowles said.

Knowles claimed the phrase was deployed ironically. “So when we hear God bless America, traditionally we use that to mean 'God bless our country'. He was using this in an ironic way to say you're not even America,” he added.

Knowles also referenced the sequence of countries the rapper mentioned during the performance. “Then he named Chile, Argentina, some countries that I do like, El Salvador, Cuba, you know, great cigars and all of that. He didn't even make America the final country, the apotheosis. He then went on to say Canada." 

"And then finally, he said, 'And my homeland, Puerto Rico.'” Knowles noted that despite Bad Bunny holding American citizenship, the artist’s reference to Puerto Rico stood out.

“So even though Bad Bunny is an American citizen, he made a point to clarify. He said, 'I'm... I don't really consider myself American. My homeland is Puerto Rico.' It was just a thumb in the face of Americans, I think.”

Entertainment vs Patriotism

Knowles acknowledged that certain elements of the performance were impressive, but argued that the Super Bowl halftime stage should serve a patriotic function.

“And you know, there were other problems with the performance. I agree that some of the choreography was well done. But the question you've got to ask is, what is the Super Bowl halftime show for?” Knowles said.

Knowles insisted the event was one rooted in national pride rather than just entertainment.

“Is it just for great entertainment? Is it just for musical prowess? No, really. The whole point of public games, going back to antiquity, going back to ancient Greece, is patriotism, is to support your country. And this ran totally contrary to that," he argued.

Knowles concluded by suggesting that while Bad Bunny’s commercial success is undeniable, the artist was not suited to perform at the halftime show. “I just think he had no place there. He can go sing his songs. He can get lots of streams on Spotify, but that's not what the Super Bowl's for," he added.