Reactions keep pouring in after the Super Bowl LX halftime show, headlined by Puerto Rican singer and rapper Bad Bunny. This time, however, a viral concern isn’t about the artist or his performance. A technical back-stage setup is getting many Americans talking.
Opinions divide on the veracity of this claim. But the historical revelations show the NFL is capable of pulling such stunts.
Netizens Call Out Super Bowl for Using Fake Cheers During Halftime Show
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Feb 9, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment commission president Kathryn Schloessman holds a NFL Wilson Duke official football with Super Bowl 61 (LXI) logo at the Super Bowl LX host committee handoff press conference at Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Super Bowl LX halftime show has been at the center of multiple controversies and reactions. Fortunately for the headline act and Puerto Rico-born singer Bad Bunny, he defied conservatives’ fears that he’d make politically inciting statements during his outing. The singer also has one of the five most-viewed halftime shows in Super Bowl history to his name, a record he might never forget.
However, conservatives are displeased with his language usage, flashy costumes, and explicit dances. The Latino singer – the first from his ethnicity to perform on the stage – sang entirely in Spanish. Although he left English speakers with a single “unifying” sentence in English to remember.
President Trump also criticized the singer’s use of explicit dances, which he adjudged unsafe for minors. But as with most talking points about Bad Bunny’s historic performance, every story has two opposing perspectives, each with its own strict adherents.
In a recent social media disclosure by republicanBill Mitchell, the NFL used “fake cheers” to replace a mostly unresponsive crowd during the halftime show. Mitchell tweeted that, contrary to public perspectives, the crowd lacked energy and hardly danced during the performance.
FAKE CHEERS: NFL pumps applause into Bad Bunny flop!
They had to fake the crowd noise for Bad Bunny's halftime disaster because the real stadium was dead silent – nobody cheering this woke mess.
Crowd looked bored stiff, phones out, no dancing, no energy – even the rich seats… pic.twitter.com/npsAbz47Q3
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) February 11, 2026
Bill Mitchell’s post read in part:
“FAKE CHEERS: NFL pumps applause into Bad Bunny flop!…
Crowd looked bored stiff, phones out, no dancing, no energy – even the rich seats paid big bucks just staring at grass thanks to that dumb stage setup.”
Incidentally, many fans took sides with Mitchell. One fan responded:“I was there…No one was dancing or really cared…
From the stands you also really couldn’t see anything”
Another fan wondered:“😂 I was wondering about that at the time. I knew it was. 👏🏼”
This fan said:“Base on the crowd reaction I thought this was the case”
A fifth fan brings a different perspective:“The performance wasn’t for the audience in the stadium.”
The NFL used “fake cheers” during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain a game’s traditional quality and bring excitement to viewers at home. While the NFL has yet to issue an official response to this allegation, history shows such actions aren’t beneath the league.