Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Sparks Cultural Divide: Bad Bunny vs. TPUSA Tribute
The Super Bowl LX halftime show delivered far more than just touchdowns and athletic spectacle. It presented a profound cultural split that unfolded in real time, both inside Levi's Stadium and across millions of screens worldwide. While Bad Bunny made history as the first solo Latin artist to headline the prestigious halftime show, an alternative broadcast backed by Turning Point USA offered a starkly different soundtrack and message.
TPUSA's All-American Halftime Show: A Tribute to Charlie Kirk
The counterprogramming effort centered on a heartfelt tribute to the late Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. Kirk, who was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, was honored before a single guitar chord rang out during the official halftime show. The TPUSA All-American Halftime Show opened with Jack Posobiec declaring, "This one's for you, Charlie." On social media platforms, supporters echoed this sentiment, with one adding, "This is for Erika, Charlie and their family."
Performers during the alternative broadcast reinforced this emotional tone. Country artist Lee Brice told viewers, "Charlie gave people a microphone so they could say what's on their mind... this is on mine," before dedicating a song to Kirk's memory. The YouTube stream of this alternative halftime show drew over five million views, indicating a substantial audience for this parallel cultural event.
Bad Bunny's Historic Performance: Unity and Celebration
Meanwhile, inside Levi's Stadium, Bad Bunny pressed forward with a meticulously crafted 13-minute performance that had been developed in just two months. Creative director Harriet Cuddeford revealed that the show carried a simple yet powerful mission. "If everyone else is making all of this noise, cool, but like, we know what we're doing," she stated, brushing aside outside criticism and focusing on their artistic vision.
The production leaned heavily into storytelling and visual spectacle. More than 300 dancers filled segmented stages designed as neighborhood vignettes, creating a vibrant tapestry of community life. In a particularly memorable moment, a real wedding unfolded mid-set, chosen from fan invitations that the singer had personally reviewed. Late in the performance, Bad Bunny held up a football inscribed with the words "Together, we are America." Cuddeford later summarized the show's central message: "We have the same world. We're all one. We're all humans. Let us be the same."
Cultural Backlash and Political Reactions
The divergent halftime shows sparked immediate and passionate reactions across the political and cultural spectrum. Former President Donald Trump called Bad Bunny's performance "one of the worst, EVER!" This criticism highlighted the deep divisions that the evening's entertainment had brought to the surface. Yet the viewership numbers told a broader, more complex story. Millions watched both broadcasts, millions debated their meanings, and for one Sunday night, the Super Bowl halftime became a mirror reflecting two very different visions of American identity and values.
The cultural significance of Super Bowl LX extended beyond sports entertainment, becoming a flashpoint in ongoing national conversations about representation, politics, and what constitutes American culture in the mid-2020s. The parallel broadcasts demonstrated how major cultural events can simultaneously unite and divide audiences, serving as platforms for both celebration and protest, vision and backlash.
