Bad Bunny took center stage for a brief stretch during halftime of Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. While the show featured several high-profile cameos, Bad Bunny’s performance ended up splitting opinion across the board. Some labeled it nothing short of impressive, while others weren’t exactly on the same page. Tom Brady, meanwhile, clearly landed in the former category.

“Amazing!!!!!!!!!” Brady captioned his Instagram story while sharing a short clip from the half-time show featuring Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga.

But while Brady publicly praised the performance, the show also drew heavy criticism from parts of the American audience on Sunday night. At the center of that backlash was President Donald Trump, who didn’t hold back, calling it “one of the worst ever.”

“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,” Trump wrote. “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.”

That sharp contrast stood out even more given Brady’s long-standing association with Trump. The former Patriots quarterback was first publicly linked to Trump’s campaign in 2015, when a Make America Great Again hat was spotted in his locker during a media interview.

Brady later addressed the relationship during an appearance on Boston’s WEEI radio, where he referred to Trump as “a hell of a lot of fun,” acknowledging their friendship without fully leaning into politics.

Fast forward to now, and Bad Bunny’s halftime show has once again highlighted how divided opinions can be. Not just among fans, but among high-profile figures as well. On one side, Brady openly applauded the performance. On the other hand, Trump dismissed it as the worst halftime show he’d ever seen.

“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!” Trump added. “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 — And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump’s criticism, though, didn’t come out of nowhere. The President has long been vocal in his opposition to Bad Bunny, who has been vocal toward the ICE surge amid Trump’s administration. It’s reportedly one of the reasons that factored into the president’s decision not to attend the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

“I’m anti-them. I think it’s a terrible choice. All it does is sow hatred. Terrible,” Trump said earlier.

Ever since the league announced Bad Bunny as the halftime headliner, the spotlight followed closely, with many wondering whether he would make a political statement on the game’s biggest stage. While he ultimately avoided doing so, that didn’t stop his performance from being labeled the worst ever by President Trump. At the same time, millions of fans chose to pivot away altogether, tuning into the alternative halftime show instead of watching Bad Bunny’s performance.

Over 5 million viewers pivoted to TPUSA’s All-American Half-time Show

Last fall, Turning Point USA rolled out its own event, The All-American Halftime Show, positioning it as a counter to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance. As soon as that announcement dropped, opinions followed, with many viewers openly saying they’d rather tune into the alternative show than watch Bad Bunny on the league’s biggest stage. Right at the center of that conversation was Brett Favre, who made his preference clear well before kickoff.

“Not familiar with Bad Bunny so don’t know if his music is good or bad. I’m just going to watch what I know Lee Brice, Kid Rock All-American Halftime Show,” Favre said.

And when the moment arrived, Favre wasn’t alone. More than five million viewers joined him, tuning in to watch The All-American Halftime Show live on YouTube. The broadcast featured a star-studded lineup led by Kid Rock, alongside Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett. While NBC aired Bad Bunny’s halftime show live from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, platforms including YouTube, Daily Wire+, TBN, OAN, and Real America’s Voice carried the alternative broadcast.

“It’s powerful because what Charlie always loved and knew is that he wanted to be in the forefront of the culture war,” Erika Kirk, CEO of TPUSA, told FOX News while emphasizing the importance of the show. “He would be fist-pumping at this. He would be so stoked. And what better way to honor him than to just get in the middle of this and be able to offer an alternative to families.”

That said, Super Bowl Sunday is now in the rearview mirror. And while the Seahawks defeated the Patriots 29–13 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, the halftime moment itself left a lasting impression, one that clearly split viewers, revealing just how divided opinions and preferences were on football’s biggest night.