Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Santa Clara, CA (WNN) — The 2026 Super Bowl was interesting this year. While Bad Bunny performed at the halftime show, Turning Point USA, a conservative group, hosted their own halftime show at the same time.
Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican rapper, led the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. He made history as the first Latino solo artist to headline the event and perform the entire set in Spanish. Just days after winning a Grammy for Album of the Year, the 31-year-old singer delivered a 13-minute performance honoring his Puerto Rican roots.
Bad Bunny during the 2026 superbowl halftime show
NFL Focus Instagram
Musical guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin performed alongside Bad Bunny during halftime. Throughout the performance, Bad Bunny included some of his friends as background, such as actress Jessica Alba, social media influencer Alix Earle, and actor Pedro Pascal. In case you missed it, a real wedding was also officiated during his performance.
Following the announcement that Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show in late September 2025, social media quickly filled with reactions as fans and critics shared their opinions. NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, defended the decision during a press event in October of 2025. He stated that Bad Bunny is "one of the top and most famous entertainers worldwide" and mentioned how every halftime show choice comes with some level of controversy.
In October 2025, Turning Point USA, a conservative group, announced plans to stream its own halftime show, which it called "The All-American Halftime Show". Kid Rock led the event, with performances from country singers Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barrett, and Lee Brice.
Kid Rock performing at Turning Point USA's halftime show
Turning Point USA Instagram
They streamed the 35-minute concert on their YouTube and Rumble channels. It also aired on conservative platforms like Real America's Voice, One America News Network, Daily Wire+, and Trinity Broadcasting Network. The show had no connection to either the NFL or the Super Bowl.
TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet shared that the show stuck to one message: "faith, family, and freedom." The event included performances filled with patriotic and religious themes. Kid Rock performed his 1999 hit "Bawitdaba," closing out with a rendition of" 'Til You Can't," a country song by Cody Johnson. In the past, Kid Rock sang a version of this song with an extra verse honoring Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, who passed away in 2025.
In a statement made earlier in the week, Kid Rock said Turning Point was approaching their halftime show like David and Goliath. "Competing with the pro football machine and a global pop superstar is almost impossible, or is it?" he said.
The All-American Halftime Show drew up to 6.1 million viewers at once on TPUSA's YouTube channel during its airing.
This was a small part of the estimated 100 million viewers who tuned in to the official Super Bowl broadcast on NBC. Later, Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for TPUSA, said the show had over 25 million total views across YouTube and Rumble, including replays after the event.
However, according to NBC, Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance had more than 135 million viewers. Which allegedly makes this the most-watched halftime performance of all time.
A YouGov poll published Friday showed that 35% of people were more interested in watching Bad Bunny's halftime performance, while 28% were interested in watching the Turning Point USA halftime show. The poll showed clear political divides. Most Democrats chose the NFL's official halftime show, while most Republicans supported TPUSA's event.
The YouGov poll
YouGov.com
U.S President Donald Trump said on Truth Social Sunday that the Super Bowl halftime show was "absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER," and shared earlier that he would skip the event.
More media hype surrounded the halftime shows than the game itself, but there was a game. The actual Super Bowl Game held on Sunday night, February 8th, 2026, ended with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots by a score of 29-13 in a mostly defensive battle. The winner of the Super Bowl Halftime Show battle seems to be the NFL's Super Bowl Halftime Show on NBC, with higher overall viewership.
Now that you know about the different halftime shows, we want to hear from you. Which halftime show did you watch? Did you prefer one over the other? Let us know your thoughts.
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