According to CBS News, Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance attracted approximately 135 million viewers, making it reportedly the most-watched halftime show in Super Bowl history. Did you see it? Holy cow. Bad Bunny's (real name, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) halftime show was chock full of symbolism.
The striking performance was so well-received that even Donald J. Trump tuned in. Trump, of course, hate-watched it, and without one bit of irony, the president, who is in the midst of a child sex abuse/sex trafficking scandal, insisted that "the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children."
During this same time slot, Turning Point USA hosted an alternative event called the "All-American Halftime Show." This competing program, available via online streaming and several cable news networks, reached up to 6.1 million simultaneous viewers on YouTube on Sunday evening, according to the New York Times. The alternative show opened with a tribute to Charlie Kirk, the late conservative commentator, with a representative declaring, "This one is for you, Charlie."
The greatness of America was on display in Benito's halftime show, with a message on a giant screen across the field reading: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love." The hate we have been witnessing in the United States during Trump's time in office was challenged with love.
"One of the most powerful moments of tonight’s performance was when Bad Bunny leaves the party scene in New York and passes his Grammy for best album to a child who looks uncannily similar to Liam Ramos, the 5-year-old boy who was taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as bait," Vox reports. "Benito’s speech against ICE plays in the background, but I think this is more of a symbolic gesture of passing on the mantle to the next generation. In either case, it speaks to faith and hope for the future."
The wildly famous singer climbed an electrical pole. That was in reference to the struggles with Puerto Rico's power supply. While Trump is soiling his diapers, I need to watch the performance again. I missed some of the symbolism.
You can watch it here. They won't let me embed it (sad face).
