Why Bad Bunny’s ‘God Bless America’ moment at the Super Bowl sparked controversy

Bad Bunny could be heard speaking English briefly during his Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night, shouting, "God bless America." But his usage of the term — heard for decades as the ultimate patriotic American phrase — stirred debate over its context.

The Grammy Award-winning artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, invoked the traditionally U.S.-centric phrase toward the end of his performance. 

He then named countries across North, Central and South America — including Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico, as well as the United States and Canada — before ending the show by spiking a football that read, "Together, we are America."

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The singer’s use of the phrase, "God Bless America," and performance called on a larger definition of what "America" means and was widely interpreted as a reframe — drawing criticism and applause from media, politicians and others. The show also featured people waving the flags of various countries, including the U.S.

"And also, this is America. Not the United Nations. If you legally immigrate here from another Nation, fine. You’re welcome here," Texas State Rep. Jeff Leach wrote on X. "But when you become a citizen, you stop flying your native flag, and you fly the American flag. What in God’s name is the NFL thinking?!?!"

"One thing non-Hispanics may not fully grasp is that when Bad Bunny said ‘God bless America’ and listed dozens of countries, he was invoking a very old trope of the Latin American left, which insists Americans arrogantly claimed the name of two continents for ourselves," one X user noted.

The progressive Headquarters X account, formerly home of the pro-Kamala Harris account KamalaHQ, praised the moment as sending a "message" of love.

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The usage of the phrase and his listing of countries from both continents also drew extensive media discussion and analysis.

"He then, however, referenced all the countries in the Americas, not just the United States. It was a pointed message of unity and togetherness," Mashable wrote.

Forbes contributor Hannah Abraham said the song, "God Bless America," was an American pastime for sporting events, but Bad Bunny’s interpretation "reimagined" America.

"There's a long tradition of ‘God Bless America’ being performed at sporting events, particularly the Super Bowl. It's typically sung in English by artists representing traditional American values and aesthetics," Abraham wrote. "Bad Bunny’s version — a spoken phrase rather than the song fully sung, delivered in English after an hour of Spanish, followed immediately by a celebration of Latin nations before circling back to ‘USA’ — reimagined what blessing America can look like."

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Bad Bunny’s use of the phrase followed months of debate surrounding his relationship with U.S. politics.

Only months before the Super Bowl, during a rendition of "God Bless America," at a New York Yankees game, Bad Bunny ignited controversy for his refusal to stand. When accepting his 2026 Grammy, he opened by declaring, "Before I say thanks to God, I gotta say, ICE out. We’re not savages. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans… The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love." The final phrase also appeared on the jumbotron during his halftime show.

Bad Bunny also declined to schedule U.S. tour dates for his 2025-26 concert run out of fear of ICE immigration raids at his shows.

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When written by Irving Berlin in 1918, the song was not necessarily intended to be a protest song or cultural moment, but to be something of a patriotic prayer to express gratitude and unity during trying times. 

In contrast, Media Research Center News analyst Jorge Bonilla wrote in a Fox News op-ed, "His shout of ‘God Bless America!’ really meant ‘América,’ as in the Americas, not the United States. A grand finale that was stilted, confusing, and subtly but passively-aggressively anti-American."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Bad Bunny’s representatives for comment.