Not long after saying he’d “never perform in the United State again” for fear that Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents “might raid the venue outside my show,” the Puerto Rico-born megastar Bad Bunny is set to perform in the United States as the headliner for Super Bowl LX next February 8 in Santa Clara, California.
“Honest, I can’t risk the safety of my fans like that. Mainland America just doesn’t feel necessary to me anymore,” Bad Bunny said weeks before the NFL announced him as the Super Bowl halftime show headliner. “I’ve already performed there many times. Fans in the U.S. have had plenty of chances to see me perform live.”
Mere moments before the official announcement was made, in a short video that aired during Sunday Night Football on NBC, Bad Bunny posted a tweet in Spanish, saying “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after talking with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
Moments later, the announcement was made official.
The three-time Grammy Award winner, and star of blockbusters movies like Fast & Furious 9 and Bullet Train, just wrapped a two month residence in his native Puerto Rico. He spoke to the outlet I-D earlier this month about why there are no U.S. dates on his upcoming Debi Tirar Mas Fotos World Tour, which stretches into 2026.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times,” he said. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US…
“People from the US could come here to see the show,” the 31-year-old crooner continued. “Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of—like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Bad Bunny is set to return to host NBC’s Saturday Night Live on September 18.
Jerome Hudson is Breitbart News Entertainment Editor and author of the book 50 Things They Don’t Want You to Know About Trump. Order your copy today. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter and instagram@jeromeehudson
