This Was Never Just a Halftime Show

Jeny R. (she/her)

When Lady Gaga appeared on stage alongside Bad Bunny during the LX Super Bowl Halftime show, the moment felt electric. It was such a captivating and unexpected duo; a duo we didn’t know we needed. The stage pulsed with color, movement, and an electric, joyful energy that extended far beyond entertainment by the performers’ dynamic chemistry. With surprise appearances, energetic choreography, and unapologetic inclusivity, the performers quickly made it clear that this wasn’t just a halftime show, but rather a cultural and political statement.

At a time marked by growing backlash against both Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities, Bad Bunny’s performance felt like a form of resistance,  with PinkNews reporting, “his promise to make the show as queer as possible didn’t fall on deaf ears CBS News reporting that a whopping 135.4 million people tuned to see the artists strut stuff alongside Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, and many more.”

The moment is especially important now, as the United States is currently debating gender, sexuality, and identity, which have been intensified and accompanied by legislation aimed at restricting LGBTQ+ lives. Visibility is never neutral and will always be political. To exist openly, proudly, and happily on one of the most widely viewed stages in the world is to challenge systems that continue to marginalize. Watching this performance, it felt impossible to deny that being seen fully is an act of defiance; it felt impossible to ignore the resistance, and the decision  not to let a larger system take away one's identity. 

Bad Bunny and the performers brought this significant meaning onto the stage with them. Lady Gaga, a longtime queer icon, has consistently used her platform for LGBTQ+ advocacy and has also been very public about her bisexual identity. Bad Bunny has reshaped expectations of masculinity within Latinx culture by challenging gender norms, which sounds like a nightmare for conservatives. As reported by The Advocate, Bad Bunny opened the performance with “Titi Me Preguntó,” a fan favorite among the LGBTQ+ community, and “Yo Perreo Sola,” is a club pop that was accompanied by a music video featuring Bad Bunny in drag, highlighting the security he has in his identity, no surprise there! Benito has always been very open and proud of who he is. The appearance of Ricky Martin, an openly gay Latinx singer, added to that visibility. The musical energy with queer-inclusive performance made his message of visibility and cultural defiance even clearer to the worldwide audiences he reached. 

The performance reinforced its message with intentional visible choices. As The Advocate described, it was “a high-energy, colorful, and all-around inclusive performance… People of different backgrounds and life experiences are coming together for progress and unity.” Queer inclusion was central, and one of the most striking moments came roughly four minutes into the show, when the camera focused on Dan Santiago and Igor Faria as they danced on the inside of an open truck door before turning to Bad Bunny as he began performing “EoO” from his latest album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. This moment was captured with full intention in the show, Faria, the 34-year-old dancer from Los Angeles, tells PEOPLE. Santiago, a Puerto Rican from New York, adds that although he and Faria are “both straight, whatever that means nowadays,” they feel honored to represent the LGBTQ community. Adding onto that sentiment, Faria adds, “The entire performance was rooted in freedom, individuality, and expression. Even if certain moments didn’t make it to the broadcast, that spirit was present throughout rehearsals and onstage." 

The performance showed what it means to be seen fearlessly and without shame. It means refusing to be erased, on a global stage offering recognition and validation to LGBTQ+ viewers who rarely see themselves reflected so prominently. The shared stage of Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin, and the dancers symbolized a powerful coalition of queer and Latinx representation. Yet, despite the visibility and representation this show brought, it sparked a lot of controversy, which shows how visibility that empowers can also provoke, exposing how deeply contested queer expression remains in mainstream media. 

Ultimately, Bad Bunny’s Halftime performance presented a powerful vision of queer and Latinx representation. Queerness was not hidden or softened. It was central to the show, but did not overwhelm the performance—it existed alongside everything else, as it does in real life. Bad Bunny recognizes this, his choices intentional. Perhaps one day, it won’t need to be remarked upon at all. But for now, in a time when LGBTQ+ existence is still questioned and contested, that visibility carries weight. Bad Bunny offered that essential visibility. His show demonstrates how queerness is not something disruptive or dangerous; despite how it is often framed; it is simply there, deserving of recognition and acceptance.