NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is unbothered by the firestorm of controversy surrounding the NFL’s selection of crossdressing anti-ICE rapper Bad Bunny as this year’s Super Bowl halftime entertainment.
In fact, he thinks the Puerto Rican rapper will deliver a “uniting” performance.
The blowback the league received has ranged from NFL fans on social media to President Trump himself. On Wednesday, Goodell addressed not only the criticism of the decision but also the demands that the league hire a different performer.
“It’s carefully thought through,” Goodell said while defending the league’s decision. “I’m not sure we’ve ever selected an artist where we didn’t have some blowback or criticism. It’s pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching… We’re confident it’s going to be a great show. He understands the platform that he’s on, and I think it’s going to be exciting and a united moment.”
Goodell added, “He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world. That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us. It’s an important element to the entertainment value.”
The commissioner’s belief in the entertainment value of Bad Bunny is not shared by President Trump, who earlier this month said the league’s decision was “absolutely ridiculous.”
“I don’t know who he is… I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy,” Trump said in an interview with NewsMax.. “And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment – I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem was less charitable to the league. When podcast host Benny Johnson asked her thoughts on the NFL selecting a performer who is anti-ICE and has expressed fear of touring in the U.S. due to immigration enforcement from the department she oversees, she confirmed that ICE will be “all over” the Super Bowl. As for the NFL, Noem said “they suck” and are “weak.”
The Super Bowl is set for February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
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