If you’re against Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl, you might be homophobic… or a Republican, new poll finds
Go figure.
Mark
Breaking news: If you’re against Bad Bunny headlining the 2026 Super Bowl, there’s a high probability that you’re also a homophobe, and an even higher probability that you’re a Republican. But don’t just take our word for it!
It’s no secret that conservative pundits like Tomi Lahren (and even the United States’ toddler-in-chief) have thrown a tantrum since the Puerto Rican rapper was announced as the next halftime performer.
How about we take this to the next level?
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But now, we’ve got data that backs up what we’ve known this whole time: All the apparent outrage over the “Tití Me Preguntó” singer is coming from one side.
According to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University, the division around Bad Bunny’s performance seems to be sharply divided along partisan lines.
While nearly half of the participants “approved” of the NFL’s decision to feature Bad Bunny, nearly 63% of self-identified Republicans “disapproved” of the move. (By contrast, the decision was favored by 74% of surveyed Democrats.)
Additionally, race and age also played a factor in approval ratings; his performance received the most support from both Black and Hispanic respondents, as well as adults in the 18 to 34 year-old range.
That said, the controversy around Bad Bunny’s performance boils down to the fact that he sings mostly in Spanish and is “a loud and frequent critic of the Tr*mp administration,” according to New York Magazine.
(For his part, the Big Cheeto in Charge said he “[doesn’t] know who [Bad Bunny] is,” and “it’s, like, crazy,” and “absolutely ridiculous.” How eloquent!)
Of course, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that liberals are more open to the NFL shining a spotlight on Puerto Rican culture — not to mention an artist who’s been one top three most-streamed performers on Spotify for years.
For one, it’s a massive platform, and one that the 31-year-old isn’t taking for granted.
(“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” he said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown … This is for my people, my culture, and our history.”)
Plus, Benito has been a vocal advocate and ally to many minority communities, including LGBTQ+ folks.
In 2023, he received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for his work in promoting equality and acceptance for the queer community.
In his speech, he thanked LGBTQ+ people for “embracing me, for loving me the way they do, and for looking up to me.”
Then, he went gay-for-pay and smooched a dude in 2023’s Cassandro, which follows a queer lucha libre wrestler.
And famously, he donned drag in his music video for “Yo Perreo Sola,” which he told Rolling Stone was a choice he made “to show support to those who need it.” (“I may not be gay, but I’m a human who cares,” he said at the time.)
And OK, yes, of course, he’s given us so many thirst traps that we have no choice but to stan. Zoom in at your own discretion.
Thankfully, Bad Bunny isn’t going anywhere, thanks to the full support of both the NFL and Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation co-produces the Super Bowl.
“They love him,” Jay recently told TMZ Sports. “Don’t let them fool you.”
And for what it’s worth, it’s not like the GOP has any better ideas for a headliner.
Just ask Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who apparently told reporters that there’s “a lot of young impressionable children” who watch the big game.
So, they should give the slot to someone like Lee Greenwood, a.k.a. the 82-year-old singer behind “God Bless America.”
Give us a break!
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