Stars praise Bad Bunny as Trump calls Super Bowl performance an 'affront' to American 'greatness'

Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl half-time show (Kindell Buchanan/PA)

Musician Bad Bunny has been hailed by DJ Diplo as someone who “reminded the world that language, culture, and identity” are part of America’s story, following his Super Bowl half-time show.

It comes as US president Donald Trump took to social media to criticise the performance, which he called “absolutely terrible” and a “slap in the face” to the country.

The 31-year-old singer took to the stage in Santa Clara, California, for a performance which was almost entirely in Spanish to celebrate his Puerto Rican heritage and culture.

American DJ and producer Diplo was among the stars who flocked to social media to praise the Latin American musician for his performance.

The 47-year-old musician, real name Thomas Pentz, shared a carousel of photos to his 6.6 million followers on Instagram of himself with the singer and of snaps of the half-time show.

Diplo wrote: “The real American Dream isn’t about fitting a stereotype — it’s about believing in yourself when the world tries to tell you otherwise.

“Proud to call Bad Bunny my friend — a Puerto Rican, an American, a creator who stood on the Super Bowl stage and reminded the world that language, culture, and identity are part of this country’s story.

“In a moment that sparked outrage and debate, he chose unity, joy, and love over division, and showed what it means to represent all of America. This controversy didn’t weaken the dream — it proved why believing in yourself never sounded more American.”

Fellow Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin also joined Bad Bunny for the show, and he wrote on X: “They need to give me several hours to let me process and understand the tsunami of emotions I’m feeling. Thank you.”

Also among the stars who graced the stage at the Super Bowl was Lady Gaga, who shared a post on Instagram to her 61.8 million followers of herself singing during the performance.

She wrote: “It was my absolute honour to be a part of Benito’s halftime show.

“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.”

Other celebrities who have taken to social media to praise Bad Bunny include Grammy-winning country singer Kacey Musgraves, who wrote on X: “Well. That made me feel more proudly American than anything Kid Rock has ever done.”

US rapper Doechii, best known for her TikTok viral hit Anxiety, also took to X and wrote: “Bad Bunny WOW!”

Influencer Alix Earle also praised the half-time show, which saw her make a celebrity guest appearance.

The 25-year-old took to her Instagram stories to share photos of the performance with her 5.5 million followers, and wrote: “The best show ever. I’m shaking.”

In another post, she said: “It was such an honour to experience such a special and powerful performance.”

US singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, 74, wrote on X: “I don’t know what Bad Bunny is saying, however I do know he is standing up for Puerto Rico and I am standing up for him. His half-time show was great.”

Also on X, California state governor Gavin Newsom wrote: “America, the beautiful. THANK YOU, BAD BUNNY.”#

Trump calls Super Bowl half-time show 'absolutely terrible'

The performance drew criticism from Mr Trump, who took to his social media platform Truth Social to call it an “affront to the greatness of America”, adding that there was “nothing inspirational” about the performance.

In a lengthy Truth Social Post published after, Mr Trump wrote:

"The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.

"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.

"This 'Show' is just a 'slap in the face' to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day – including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!

"There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD."

It’s hardly surprising the president did not like Bad Bunny’s show. The 31-year-old singer has been a vocal critic of ICE and of Mr Trump and his administration’s authoritarian immigration policies.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul was also among the critics, and said he “cannot support” Bad Bunny, who he called a “fake American citizen who publicly hates America”.

The 29-year-old wrote on X: “Purposefully turning off the half-time show. Let’s rally together and show big corporations they can’t just do whatever they want without consequences (which equals viewership for them).

“You are their benefit. Realize you have power.

“Turn off this half-time. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that.”

Musician Bad Bunny, also known as Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has long been a big name in Latin music, but exploded on to the international scene last year with his sixth studio album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos.

The star recently made history at the Grammys as the first artist to win album of the year for a record sung entirely in Spanish, and used his acceptance speech to call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to leave cities alone and opt for love.