NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell celebrated Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance behind closed doors while critics raged publicly about the historic Spanish-language spectacle.
Sources told PageSix that Goodell called the Puerto Rican superstar’s show “great” and defended it as “purely a business decision” aimed at expanding the league’s demographic reach beyond traditional conservative male viewers.
The revelation comes as Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of the performance continues to dominate headlines and social media conversations nationwide.
Donald Trump blasted the show as “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” and called it “an affront to the Greatness of America” in multiple social media posts following the February 8 performance.
But Goodell’s private victory lap suggests the NFL achieved exactly what it intended with Bad Bunny’s groundbreaking halftime show selection.
The commissioner told media executives that the league needed to “expand our demographic” and viewed the controversial booking as the right strategic move for business growth.
Jay-Z faced intense backlash for his role in booking Bad Bunny through his Roc Nation partnership with the NFL’s halftime show production.
Conservative critics launched petition drives demanding that country singer George Strait replace the reggaeton artist, collecting over 95,000 signatures before the performance.
The Hip-Hop mogul dismissed the criticism with a simple five-word response captured by TMZ cameras: “They love him. Don’t let them fool you.”
The numbers proved Jay-Z and Goodell right about Bad Bunny’s massive appeal despite the political controversy surrounding his selection.
The halftime show drew 128 million viewers and peaked at 137.8 million during the 15-minute performance, setting new viewership records for the annual spectacle.
Bad Bunny performed primarily in Spanish while celebrating Puerto Rican culture with special guests Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin and Cardi B joining him on stage.
Rolling Stone ranked the performance the second-greatest halftime show of all time, behind only Prince’s legendary 2007 performance.
The show featured elaborate staging that transformed the field into a vibrant celebration of Latino culture, complete with traditional Puerto Rican flags and dancers representing the island’s rich musical heritage.
As for Trump’s criticism, it extended beyond the language barrier, with the president posting that “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying” while attacking both the performance’s choreography and its cultural messaging.
Conservative media figures and MAGA supporters organized alternative viewing parties and promoted Kid Rock’s competing halftime show, but their efforts failed to dent Bad Bunny’s massive audience.