Photo Credit: Dave Adamson
A petition calling for Bad Bunny to be replaced by George Strait at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show has over 100,000 signatures.
More than 100,000 signatures have been added to a Change.org petition calling for Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny to be replaced by country music legend George Strait at the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. As of Monday night, the petition had just passed 100,270 signatures.
The petition has cropped up amid continuing backlash from far-right conservatives over the NFL’s decision to have the Latin artist (and global sensation) headline next year’s halftime performance in Santa Clara, California. According to the petition, Bad Bunny’s “drag performances and style are the opposite of what families expect on football’s biggest stage.”
Moreover, the petition’s organizer, Kar Shell, argues that the Super Bowl halftime show should “keep politics out of entertainment” while celebrating American music traditions—particularly country music, which has been underrepresented on the halftime stage.
But the controversy is actually less about keeping politics out of entertainment and more about the far-right’s feelings about language accessibility and immigration policy—despite the fact that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.
Meanwhile, today (November 3), the NFL revealed a full list of events and venues for Super Bowl LX, bringing fan experiences to the greater San Francisco Bay Area. These include concerts from Sting and Chris Stapleton, a Q&A session with players and coaches, and a televised flag football showdown between the league’s top players.
Last month, President Donald Trump dismissed the halftime announcement, saying he had no idea who Bad Bunny was. In a similar sentiment, the organization co-founded by assassinated far-right activist Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, also announced last month that it would be hosting its own halftime show during the programming’s time slot as a show of protest at the NFL and Roc Nation’s decision.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stood by the decision to have Bad Bunny headline the show, stating that the league is not considering changing course.
“He’s one of the leading and most popular entertainers in the world,” said Goodell. “That’s what we try to achieve. It’s an important stage for us and an important element to the entertainment value.”
Indeed, Bad Bunny has become one of the most popular musical artists in the world. He was the third-most streamed artist globally on Spotify in 2024, and the only Latino to break into Spotify’s top five, with his 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
Most recently, his residency in Puerto Rico boosted the region’s GDP by $400 million. His final performance on the residency, which was livestreamed on Amazon Prime, was the most-watched single-artist performance on the platform.
