NEW YORK, United (AFP) — Puerto Rican music superstar Bad Bunny clapped back at right-wing critics of his upcoming Super Bowl halftime show in a bilingual monologue on the season opener of “Saturday Night Live.”

The enormously popular artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — whose music combines reggaeton, rap, Latin trap and pop — just completed a blockbuster residency on his home island, a United States (US) territory in the Caribbean.

Bad Bunny had said his world tour would not feature shows on the US mainland as he feared his fans would fall victim to raids by immigration agents as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown, before being announced as the Super Bowl’s headliner.

Conservative critics immediately complained that the Super Bowl should not feature an artist who sings primarily in Spanish and did not want to perform in the continental United States, criticising the NFL for being too woke.

Bad Bunny didn’t shy away from the topic on the first episode of season 51 of “Saturday Night Live,” America’s landmark comedy sketch show.

“You might not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show,” he said to cheers from the audience at NBC studios in New York.

“I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy about it, even Fox News,” he said, leading into a montage of one-word clips from network personalities and Republican politicians saying: “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician and he should be the next president.”

“I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl and I know that the people all around the world who love my music are also happy…” he said, changing to Spanish to explain how his appearance was a win for all Latinos in the United States.

“Our footprints and our contribution in this country — no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it,” he added in Spanish.

He then switched back to English to conclude: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”

The Super Bowl is set for February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.

The National Football League in 2019 entered into a multi-year partnership with entertainment company Roc Nation, founded by rap legend Jay-Z, to boost in-game presentations.

Under the deal, Roc Nation advises the NFL on the selection of artists for the halftime show.

Since then, the headliners have included Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, The Weeknd, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, Usher and Kendrick Lamar.