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All things considered, there is possibly no one with a truthfully honest review of the Super Bowl halftime show, its critics and its praises more than Stephen A. Smith.
The ESPN mogul, who has been critical of President Donald Trump, said beforehand that he would not give a Bad Bunny rating solely to oppose conservatives as “anti-Trump and anti-right” people.
“It’s not me, I don’t care. I’m fair, down the middle,” Smith said on his self-titled show.
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Bad Bunny performs at the Apple Music Halftime Show during the NFL Super Bowl LX football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 8, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Smith said Bad Bunny’s performance was “a damn good show” and “the atmosphere was flying.” However, he agreed with Trump and other conservatives about how the show was almost entirely in Spanish.
“Here’s my only reservation: You’re in the United States and you’re doing almost an entire performance in Spanish…” Smith said, adding that Trump made a “legitimate point” about the lack of English. “If you didn’t understand Spanish, you were lost.”
“It would have been nice to see a few people celebrate the Hispanic heritage, no doubt,” Smith continued, throwing in Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. “But it would also have been nice if some of the songs were in English. That’s all. But it was still a good show.”
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl LX football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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Smith teased a reaction to Bad Bunny when he posted a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post in which he pronounced Bad Bunny’s performance “one of the worst, EVER!”
“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely horrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an insult to America’s Greatness, and does not represent our standards of success, creativity, or excellence. No one understands a word this guy says and the dancing is disgusting, especially for little kids watching from around the world, Tru Social,” he wrote.
“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our country, which sets new standards and records every single day – including the best stock market and 401(k)si in history! There is nothing inspiring about this mess of a Halftime Show and look, it will get good reviews from the Fake News Media because they have no idea what is going on in the REAL, WORLD, which it should immediately replace in the NFL. Ridiculous new kickoff rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would watch Turning Point USA’s “All-American” halftime show.
Bad Bunny’s performance is speculated to be the most watched halftime performance of all time with more than 135 million viewers, but an official number has yet to be released.
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl LX football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, February 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, California. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The show ended with a message on the Levi’s Stadium video board that read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Bad Bunny shared a belly hug at Levi’s Stadium after the performance.
