Ben Stiller has publicly pushed back against calls for federal action over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, mocking a Republican congressman’s demand for an investigation and defending the performance as a celebration of inclusion and talent.
The Resignation executive producer and director weighed in after Florida Rep. Randy Fine said he asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Fine described the show as “disgusting and por**graphic filth” and claimed it violated broadcasting standards after the Puerto Rican superstar allegedly used profanity in Spanish.
Stiller responded directly to Fine on X with a sharply sarcastic post that quickly gained traction.
“Investigation focus: how did Bad Bunny manage to kick ass at such a high level and deliver the most watched and well-produced halftime show about inclusion and love ever made… investigators plan to explore the source of Bunny’s immense talent, off-the-charts charisma and even bigger heart,” he wrote.
Fine, a Republican who represents Florida’s 6th congressional district, had previously said he sent a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr calling for what he described as “dramatic action.”
In submissions and in the letter, Fine argued that language used during the performance crossed legal boundaries.
“You can’t say the f-word on live TV. ‘Bad Bunny’s disgusting halftime show was illegal,'” he wrote on X.
He added that if similar lyrics had been performed in English, “the broadcast would have been pulled down and the fines would have been huge.”
In the letter itself, Fine doubled down, writing, “It doesn’t matter if you say it in Spanish. Encouraging children to use cocaine on live television is a crime. It doesn’t matter who sings.”
He called on the FCC “to conduct a thorough investigation and pursue the maximum penalties allowed by law,” and warned that anything less suggests that obscenity is acceptable if it is profitable.
Fine was not alone in his criticism.
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles and Missouri Rep. Mark Alford also urged the FCC to take a closer look at the pause.
Donald Trump joined the backlash, calling the performance “a slap in the face to our country,” despite Bad Bunny being an American citizen born in Puerto Rico.
However, Stiller’s comments made him one of the most prominent Hollywood figures to publicly ridicule the campaign against the artist.
Stiller’s stance echoed similar online reactions from other entertainment figures, including See what’s happening live host Andy Cohen, who also spent time after the Super Bowl mocking critics of Bad Bunny’s performance on social media.
Despite the political uproar, the halftime show itself attracted massive attention, and the controversy appears to have further highlighted its cultural reach, with Stiller’s defense underscoring a broader backlash against efforts to politicize language, culture and identity on one of television’s biggest stages.
