Danica Patrick slams NFL's choice of Bad Bunny for 2026 Super Bowl halftime show

Jackie Longo

Danica Patrick slams NFL's choice of Bad Bunny for 2026 Super Bowl halftime show image

Danica Patrick is not thrilled the NFL selected Bad Bunny as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show performer. 

The 42-year-old former NASCAR driver sparked blacklash after criticizing the Puerto Rican-born singer's selection in a social media post over the weekend. 

"Oh fun, Patrick wrote on X on Sunday, September 29, after the news broke. "No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest rated television events of the year … not just for sports.”

Her post quickly prompted reactions in the comments section, with one fan writing, "You do know he's American right?" 

"What are you gonna do about it? Threaten to drive nascar again," someone else commented.

"Of course you would take a stance like this. You clearly don’t understand how popular he is across the country and the world. Sorry we don’t have creed performing for you…the NFL went with an artist the country loves," another quipped. 

While some people disagreed with Patrick, several others agreed with her stance.

Bad Bunny will follow up Kendrick Lamar's halftime show that captivated audiences during Super Bowl 59 when he takes the stage in Santa Clara in February 2026. 

The 31-year-old Grammy winner has released six albums, including Debí Tirar Más Fotos earlier in 2025.

The Puerto Rican-born singer, who was Spotify's top-streamed artist from 2020-2022, has been featured in songs that include English speakers; however, he has primarily produced songs in Spanish and has said that he planned to continue to do so going forward.

In 2023, he told Vanity Fair he would never perform in a different language just to reach a new audience.

"It’s not like I hate the idea of performing in English," Bad Bunny said at the time. "It’s just that I feel more comfortable in my own language. I think in Spanish, I feel in Spanish, I eat in Spanish, I sing in Spanish."

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Jackie Longo

Jackie is a freelance writer and editor with The Sporting News. She has covered sports, entertainment and lifestyle for over a decade. She has written for a number of outlets including Business Insider, The Sun, Travel+Leisure and Heavy. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from West Virginia University and resides in Charlotte, NC.