Stephen A. Smith gave his honest review of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl 60 halftime show on Monday.
The ESPN star gave his review on his show for SiriusXM Radio. The "Stephen A. Smith Show" is owned by the personality, not ESPN. But ESPN is still facing complaints about what Stephen A. Smith said.
"Here's my only reticence, you're in the United States of America, and you perform near an entire performance in Spanish," Smith said on his Monday SiriusXM Radio show.
"But if you didn't understand Spanish, you were lost. And most Americans don't understand Spanish…It was primarily in Spanish. And if most people don't understand the lyrics because you're speaking in what they deem to be a foreign language, that is a legitimate point the president made."
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith looks on before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
President Trump was among those critical, as well.
"The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn't represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World. This ‘Show' is just a ‘slap in the face' to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day - including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven't got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD - And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Smith is receiving complaints about his comments
The ESPN star admitted that people are calling the network to complain about him.
"Because I said that, they got me all over the place with pictures pairing me with right-wingers talking about ‘I was against Bad Bunny.' I was not against Bad Bunny," Smith said on his show Tuesday. "One lie after another after another. And ladies and gentlemen, let me say this: I honor my contracts. I'm not going away. I say stuff on my political channel or my YouTube channel. Why are folks calling ESPN? I didn't say it on their airwaves.
"They have nothing to do with what I'm saying. I own this show," Smith continued. "I own both my shows, and I own my own YouTube channel. Why you constantly bringing up my day job? ‘Stephen A. of ESPN.' Because you want to get me canceled. Why don't you bring up about me on SiriusXM? Because you know there's no way in (expletive) Scott Greenstein or SiriusXM is going to cancel me. We live in a society where people are sitting up there looking at it, and it's like, ‘Yo, if you disagree with somebody, that's a reason to go scorched earth on them,' as if they committed a crime. That's what these soft-(expletive), irrelevant, nonproductive people try to do. It's not appropriate to say on SiriusXM, I'm gonna say it anyway, they can kiss my (expletive)."
At this point, ESPN is fully aware of Smith's comments, both made on the network and outside of it.
It's clear that they will stand by him.
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