The news that Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny would perform at halftime of Super Bowl LX in February 2026 inspired outrage from a range of MAGA influencers and conservative media personalities, who complained about his critiques of the Trump administration’s immigration policy and his all-Spanish discography.
The announcement also prompted a series of false claims, among them that Bad Bunny—whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—has withdrawn from the gig, that the NFL canceled his performance, or that sponsors are pulling out unless he withdraws. At least one post even suggested he could be deported.
The Facebook account of Pala Works, which has 1 million followers and is based in the Philippines, claims that Bad Bunny withdrew and that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “It was the only choice — otherwise, deportation would have been on the table.”
Transcripts of Leavitt’s briefings between the time of the announcement include no such quote. Leavitt did respond to a reporter’s question about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show by saying she would not speak on the president’s behalf. It’s worth noting that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and Bad Bunny is an American citizen, so he cannot be deported.
Multiple posts on X and Facebook claim that Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey threatened to drop a “$100 million sponsorship” if Bad Bunny’s show is not canceled. Not only is there no evidence that Quincey issued such a statement in media reports or on the company’s website, but Coca-Cola is not one of the NFL’s official sponsors.
The Coca-Cola claim served as a basis for another series of false claims. Various social media accounts have posted claims that a number of celebrities have responded negatively to the news about the halftime show. The text of all the posts is nearly identical, save for the name of the celebrity. One example:
Shortly after Coca-Cola’s CEO announced that he would END HIS SPONSORSHIP of the Super Bowl if the league didn’t drop Bad Bunny, social media exploded once again — this time over Kelly Osbourne.
In her brash and unabashedly confident style, she bluntly said:
“If Bad Bunny gets on stage, I’m going to stay home, turn on the TV, open a Coke, and laugh at that half-assed show. I’m not paying to see a guy in a dress perform.”
Other posts attribute the same quote to Adam Sandler, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Christian singer Brandon Lake, and Jon Bon Jovi.
Bad Bunny himself refuted the claim that he has withdrawn or that the NFL removed him from the halftime show. While hosting the season opener of Saturday Night Live last weekend, he said, “You may not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show, and I’m very happy.” He also poked fun at the backlash his appearance has created with a video that clipped Fox News hosts and commentators’ words and stitched the clips together to say, “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician, and he should be the next president.”
The Dispatch Fact Check reached out to the NFL’s media team and Bad Bunny’s manager for comment but did not receive any responses.
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