Because he performs almost entirely in Spanish and he’s been a loud and frequent critic of the Trump administration.
Bad Bunny just completed a three-month, 30-show concert series in San Juan that brought an estimated $400 million to Puerto Rico’s economy during what is typically a slow season. In December, he’ll embark on an eight-month world tour that includes no stops in the continental U.S. In early September, he told i-D magazine that the decision was due to fears that his fans could be targeted by Trump’s mass-deportation push:
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. 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. 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 alluded to the decision in an X post after the Super Bowl announcement, saying, “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
estuve pensando en estos días, y luego de hablarlo con mi equipo, creo que haré una sola fecha en Estados Unidos.
— Benito Antonio (@sanbenito) September 29, 2025
As if all this weren’t enough to fuel hours of enraged Fox News commentary, Bad Bunny is also know for his LGBTQ+ advocacy. He often calls out homophobia and transphobia, kissed a male backup dancer at the VMAs, and sometimes dresses in skirts or in drag. In a 2020 L.A. Times interview, he described himself as heterosexual but said that doesn’t “define” him, adding, “At the end of the day, I don’t know if in 20 years I will like a man. One never knows in life.”