Bad Bunny’s selection as the Super Bowl halftime headliner wasn’t exactly met with applause. His inclusion stirred debate for months. Yet, in an unexpected turn, the global superstar has gained backing from Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith.

“I’m gonna jump on the stage and dance with him [Bad Bunny],” Emmitt Smith said in an interview with Apple Music on Saturday. “No man, I’m looking forward to continuing that tradition of bringing that R&B, hip-hop, and Hispanic music to the culture.

“The culture needs to be transformed. So, I am down with Bad Bunny and whoever else gets up on that stage. I know it’s gonna be a great performance and people at home are gonna be excited as well.”

Emmitt Smith, who spent 15 seasons in the NFL, knows the Super Bowl atmosphere better than most. After all, he played in (and won) three Super Bowls himself. Over the years, he watched countless half-time shows from the sidelines. So, from Smith’s perspective, the request to Bad Bunny is simple: honor the legacy of halftime performers while pushing the culture forward.

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During his first Super Bowl appearance in 1993, it was Michael Jackson who rocked the stage. The next year, which was Smith’s second appearance, the show featured The Judds, Tanya Tucker, Clint Black, and Travis Tritt. Diana Ross awed the fans durin his Smith’s third appearance in 1996.

Plus, it makes sense that Smith was in favor of Bad Bunny. Over the years, the halftime show has featured several Hispanic performers. For instance, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were the first Hispanic duo to co-headline a Super Bowl halftime show in 2020. The former started her performance with ‘She Wolf,’ ‘Empire,’ and ‘Ojos Así’ before Lopez joined her for ‘Waka Waka’. All in all, the show brought in over 103 million viewers.

Bad Bunny appeared as a guest during their halftime show. At that time, reporters asked him whether he wanted to return to the Super Bowl as a solo headliner someday, and his response revealed that he just wanted people to enjoy his genre of music, which is Latin trap music.

“It’s not that I said, ‘No, I want to come back here by myself,’” Bad Bunny said. “My biggest pleasure is just create, have fun doing it, and connect with the people.”

Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias performed at the Disney-produced Super Bowl XXXIV halftime show back in 2000.

Then, there was Bruno Mars, who performed at the Super Bowl in 2014. With that, he became the youngest artist to headline the halftime show. However, Bad Bunny’s appearance came at a time of massive political and social turmoil in the country.

Turning Point USA announced an alternative American half-time concert

Amidst the controversy surrounding Bad Bunny’s performance, Turning Point USA decided to have an alternative American half-time concert featuring Kid Rock for conservative fans. It was for those who didn’t want to watch the Hispanic artist perform. It was an interesting twist, as no one has ever challenged the Super Bowl halftime show since 1992. Back then, Fox’s In Living Color drew 20 million viewers as an alternative.

All that said, Bad Bunny’s vision lines up perfectly with the transformation Emmitt Smith says the culture needs. A year after releasing Debí Tirar Más Fotos, an album widely seen as a love letter to Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny is now ready to showcase that heritage of the island on a much bigger stage.

Plus, the NFL has previously selected a variety of artists. In 2023, Rihanna took to the stage with her pop and R&B music performance at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. The 2022 half-time show leaned fully into hip-hop, featuring Kendrick Lamar again alongside Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre.

What is the controversy involving Bad Bunny’s performance at Super Bowl LX?

Despite his global fame, Bad Bunny is still an unfamiliar name to some Americans, possibly because he performs exclusively in Spanish. Bad Bunny has defended that choice for years, but it has only fueled debate over the NFL choosing him to perform at Super Bowl LX. The controversy deepened with Bad Bunny’s outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump.

Back in 2024, the Puerto Rican artist publicly endorsed Donald Trump’s opponent, Kamala Harris, during the U.S. presidential election. Then, last year, Bad Bunny chose not to tour in the U.S., citing concerns for fans affected by immigration raids.

At the 2026 Grammys, Bad Bunny doubled down on his stance against Trump’s immigration policies while directly addressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which will reportedly also conduct immigration enforcement operations at Super Bowl LX.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out,” Bad Bunny said in his acceptance speech after receiving a Grammy for the Album of the Year. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”

Furthermore, Bad Bunny has mentioned that his Super Bowl appearance is about sending a message as much as putting on a show. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has opted to skip Super Bowl LX altogether, while publicly criticizing both Bad Bunny and Green Day, another performer at Super Bowl LX.

“I’m anti-them,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Post on January 23. “I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible.”

Ultimately, from the NFL’s perspective, expanding its international footprint appears to outweigh political backlash. So, the NFL has stood firm in its decision to keep Bad Bunny locked in as the half-time headliner when the New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.