Bad Bunny headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 11, 2026, drawing 128.2 million viewers on NBC.
The Puerto Rican artist performed censored Spanish-language tracks from his catalog. What followed the final note had nothing to do with music.
Bad Bunny's Emotional Story Behind the 'Ocasio 64' Jersey at Super Bowl 60
Bad Bunny’s Emotional Story Behind the ‘Ocasio 64’ Jersey at Super Bowl 60 (Cradit: @Complex)
Over 2,000 complaintswere filed with the Federal Communications Commission after the broadcast aired. More than 100 filings described the performance as vulgar and filled with sexual content,TMZ reported.
“The Super Bowl halftime show was disgusting,” a filing from Richfield, Utah, stated. “Pornographic gestures and language. This shouldn’t be allowed on public television. There were children watching.”
Another filing from Republic, Missouri, called it “the most disgusting, vulgar and repulsive thing” on public TV. The same writer claimed to need therapy after watching the broadcast.
Several complaints within the FCC filings directly targeted the Spanish-language lyrics. One filing claimed Bad Bunny spoke in a “demonic tongue.” Several others labeled the entire broadcast as anti-American and unpatriotic.
Bilingual viewers argued the translated content was unfit for network television. Multiple filings insisted there would have been even more outrage if the lyrics had been in English.
Several complaints also accused the dancers of oversexualized behavior on screen. One filing demanded prior content warnings before broadcasting such material during a family event.
Republican lawmakers urged the FCC to investigate the broadcast for possible indecency violations. The agency requested performance transcripts from NBC in the days that followed.
Bad Bunny and the FCC finding after 2,000 halftime complaints
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez reviewed the performance transcripts herself. “I found no violation of our rules,” Gomez stated. “And no justification for harassing broadcasters over a standard live performance.”
The songs that aired were radio-safe versions during the live broadcast. According to the New York Post, the tracks were “scrubbed of lyrics” that normally reference sex acts and genitalia.
Without those edits, the broadcast could have violated federal decency rules during primetime. The censorship mirrored steps taken for Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX show the previous year.
Lamar’s performance generated 125 FCC complaints, a fraction of the total. Bad Bunny’s complaint count surpassed that figure by more than sixteenfold. Turning Point USA aired an alternate halftime show during the broadcast.
The performance attracted 128.2 million live viewers despite the controversy, ranking among the most-watched halftime shows in Super Bowl history. The FCC has closed the case, calling it settled “barring further evidence.”