Bad Bunny’s Halftime Pay Matches Springsteen, Beyoncé, and McCartney’s
Bad Bunny's net worth in 2026 has doubled since being selected for the Super Bowl LX halftime show last year, leaping from an estimated $50 million to a 9-figure sum of $100 million — but will his salary for the big game reflect that? According to previous performances, no.
The Puerto Rican rapper will receive the same pay packet veteran performers like Paul McCartney, Prince, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Bruce Springsteen received: union scale pay only. This is a minimal allowance of $1,000 a day. Essentially, these megastars are paid nothing, just the legal requirement.
Why Does the NFL Not Provide a Traditional Salary for Its Super Bowl Performers?
So why do celebrities accept what would be the equivalent of change they'd find down the side of their couch? It's a status symbol, mostly. Being Super Bowl-level means that you are an elite performer, deemed talented and famous enough to entertain an excess of 100 million people.
It's also pretty good exposure, too — chances are, some of these hundreds of millions will want to check out your music on streaming or purchase your records. Maybe for musicians like The Boss or former Beatle McCartney, with around 60 years of performing under their belts, you just really love entertaining the masses, and it's more fun than retiring and investing.
“When you have an opportunity as an artist to stand on a stage and reach 250 million people at one time … and that’s not counting the addition of social and streaming and the ability for people to go back and re-watch, I think that it is one of the most important stages in live entertainment,” Jon Barker, the NFL Senior Vice President and global head of major events, explained to The New York Times. “When they join us and become part of the halftime show, I think (artists) recognize what the halftime show is and being a part of it."
The musicians seem to be happy with this deal, and are willing to bet on some good returns. “And I think that resonates very strongly with the artists," Barker continued That’s certainly the feedback we’ve heard year after year after years with artists.”
This was certainly the case for last year's halftime show performer, Kendrick Lamar. After his Super Bowl show, streams of his catalog jumped up 154%, according to Billboard. The buzziest song of the night, the Drake diss track Not Like Us, rose by a staggering 222% on streaming.