Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback who played 20 NFL seasons before retiring in 2011, went public this week with pointed questions about the league’s direction.
His comments came during an appearance on OutKick’s “Tomi Lahren Is Fearless,” published Feb 19, 2026, nearly two weeks after Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The game featured the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks, with Puerto Rican global superstar Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show, performing almost entirely in Spanish.
Many fans pushed back sharply. President Donald Trump called it “one of the worst” halftime shows of all time in a Truth Social post shortly after the show ended.
Brett Favre Criticizes NFL’s Choice of Bad Bunny as Halftime Performer, Calls for More Patriotic Selections
Brett Favre Criticizes NFL’s Choice of Bad Bunny as Halftime Performer, Calls for More Patriotic Selections
FOOTBALL FALLOUT: Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre sounds off on the NFL’s shift in how it engages with fans, as the league faces criticism following its controversial Super Bowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny, performed almost entirely in Spanish.
“In the last maybe 10… pic.twitter.com/axULwEdCao
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 21, 2026
The OutKick conversation opened with Lahren identifying what she sees as a turning point in the NFL’s relationship with casual American viewers.
“I don’t know, somewhere around Colin Kaepernick, it felt like that shifted a little bit,” Lahren said on OutKick. “And then a lot of American casual viewers like me were like, ‘You know what? I don’t know if the NFL is for us anymore.'”
Favre did not push back.
“I think there probably is some truth to that. Why that has changed, I really don’t know,” he told Lahren. “Because I think your general football audience is people like you and I. Maybe loves football, or maybe is a casual, fair-weather fan, but it is the biggest show in town.”
He continued: “But you’re right, you know, in the last maybe 10 years, maybe a little longer, there’s been a slight shift. For whatever reason, I have no idea, because you want to appeal to your true fans. And it doesn’t seem like that is the case anymore.”
Before the Game, Favre Already Announced He Was Skipping the Halftime Show
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre takes the stage during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre takes the stage during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wis.
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre takes the stage during a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
This was not Favre’s first public comment on the subject. On Feb 7, 2026, he posted on X about his halftime plans.
“Not familiar with Bad Bunny so don’t know if his music is good or bad,” Favre wrote on X. “I’m just going to watch what I know, Lee Brice, Kid Rock, All-American Halftime Show.”
The Turning Point USA alternative, organized by the conservative group founded by the late Charlie Kirk, ran simultaneously on its social platforms, featuring Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett.
The league’s ratings do not suggest a fanbase walking away. NFL games accounted for 92 of the top 100 most-watched telecasts across all of 2025.
That is the uncomfortable reality beneath this debate. The NFL keeps expanding its reach while one of its greatest players argues the league is losing touch with who built it.