Claim:
In October 2025, after the NFL announced rapper Bad Bunny would perform for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, Coca-Cola announced it would no longer sponsor the football event.
Context
Coca-Cola is not a sponsor of the Super Bowl or its halftime show.
In October 2025, a rumor circulated that The Coca-Cola Co. threatened to pull its sponsorship of the upcoming Super Bowl over the announcement that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny would perform at the halftime show. The beverage company's CEO James Quincey had supposedly made this statement, internet users claimed.
Facebook account PR [Puerto Rico] Informa shared Quincey's alleged words on Oct. 4, 2025, (archived), saying, "the warning sent shockwaves across the sports and business world." The post had gained 33,000 reactions and 38,600 comments as of this writing:
(Facebook user PR Informa)
"I WILL END MY SPONSORSHIP OF THE SUPER BOWL IF THEY LET BAD BUNNY PERFORM AT HALFTIME," the post quoted Quincey as saying.
The claim also spread on X, TikTok and Instagram. Further, Snopes readers searched the site and sent emails asking to confirm Coca-Cola's stance on Bad Bunny.
The rumor was false. As a spokesperson for Coca-Cola confirmed in an email, "The Coca-Cola Company is not a Super Bowl sponsor."
Snopes also reached out to the NFL asking if any of its current sponsors had threatened to cancel support of the event due to Bad Bunny's planned performance. They were not immediately available for comment.
The choice of Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl halftime show was controversial because he only sings in Spanish, but also because he has been critical of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Coca-Cola's main competitor, Pepsi, sponsored the Super Bowl's halftime show for 10 years, from 2013 to 2022, after which Apple Music replaced it. We asked Apple Music if it intended to sponsor the halftime show again in 2026 and are awaiting a response.
Companies can sponsor the halftime show specifically, or the entire event, with banners that appear during the game. They can also advertise during commercial breaks. Further, they can sponsor the NFL during the entire season.
While it no longer sponsors the halftime show, Pepsi remains an official sponsor of the NFL. On Sept. 3, 2025, Ad Age reported Pepsi was "entering its 25th year as an official NFL sponsor" with the following 31-second spot:
The last image of the Pepsi commercial showed the Pepsi and NFL logos side by side, with the words, "Official soft drink of the National Football League."
Coca-Cola hasn't advertised during the Super Bowl since 2020, a search of two Super Bowl advertisement archives revealed. The spokesperson for Coca-Cola confirmed this was the case. The year before, Coca-Cola only advertised before the game, Variety reported.
In sum, Quincey's supposed quote was a fabrication. It seems to have originated with an Oct. 1, 2025, Facebook post (archived) that linked to a blog (archived) riddled with advertisements that contained the hallmarks of a junk-content farm.
The post was probably generated with artificial intelligence (AI), two AI-detectors revealed. Though such detectors are imperfect, the post was more than 1,500-words long, longer than what might be expected for such a story. It also repeatedly looped over the same ideas. In addition, the style was bombastic and monotonous. These details pointed to the likelihood it had been AI-generated.
Snopes has previously confirmed a rumor that Department of Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be at Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance.