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Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl halftime show just had a brush with the FCC: sources

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Bad Bunny’s controversial Super Bowl halftime act has been scrutinized
by the Federal Communications Commission for potential violations of its
rules that prohibit “indecent material” and offensive language on public
airwaves, On The Money has learned. 

The FCC’s initial take is that the act and the songs that the Puerto
Rican rapper belted out during the halftime show — “Tití Me
Preguntó,”Monaco,” and “Safaera” — were scrubbed of lyrics that normally
include references to sex acts and genitalia. 

If they hadn’t been censored, the smutty lyrics could have violated FCC
rules banning profanity and obscenity during primetime hours, according
to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The agency is said to
have shelved any additional scrutiny barring further evidence, this
person added. 

Both an NFL spokesman and a rep for Bad Bunny didn’t return requests for
comment. An FCC rep had no immediate comment. 

Bad Bunny is the stage name for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, a
31-year-old pop star known for several things: his sartorial flair
(sometimes wearing a dress on stage), singing in Spanish, and his risqué
lyrics. Indeed, he is also known to channel progressive politics in his
performances.  

That style has made him popular with millions of fans, but not
necessarily with the average NFL fan, who is decidedly right of center. 

At this year’s Grammys, Bad Bunny took a dig at President Trump’s
immigration enforcement agenda. His halftime show took up that theme
again with depictions of Latin American life with the backdrop of sugar
cane fields and various Latin American flags. 

The NFL has been trying to expand into the Latin American market, which
may explain some of this. That said, abrupt changes in marketing carry
risks, as evidenced by backlash against Bud Light after it featured a
trans activist in one of its commercials back in 2023. 

Bad Bunny sparked a similar reaction. While progressives have
celebrated, conservatives and many football fans panned his implied
attacks on Trump, and what they alleged were crude dance numbers that
led to calls for an FCC obscenity investigation. 

FCC rules prohibit what can be broadly defined as obscene material on
free TV (as opposed to cable), particularly during so-called primetime,
or between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., depending on your time zone.

“Language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms
patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for
the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities … may be
subject to enforcement action by the FCC,” the agency warns on its
website. 

Bad Bunny performed between approximately 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., the
sweet spot of primetime, with an ensemble dance act that featured
twerking and otherwise dirty dancing to sometimes even dirtier ditties. 

After the show, GOP Florida Congressman Randy Fine wrote FCC Chairman
Brendan Carr stating that “The woke garbage we witnessed on Super Bowl
Sunday needs to be INVESTIGATED and put to an END.” Fine added: “There
is NO reason that over 130 million people — including CHILDREN — should
have been exposed to the vulgar and disgusting content of the 2026 Super
Bowl halftime show.” 

One problem with any possible FCC inquiry is that Bad Bunny sang in
Spanish. So presumably when the FCC managed to get a translation of what
was actually said, the evidence of rule violations seemed thin at best.
The aberrant language was either changed or bleeped out, said the person
familiar with the FCC scrutiny. 

While the inquiry into Bad Bunny’s allegedly bad behavior has stalled,
another consequence lingers – namely, how many people tuned in and were
turned off. 

The halftime show was touted by NBC, which aired the big game, and the
NFL, for setting record overall ratings. Yet many analysts have
questioned those metrics, and how Bad Bunny’s himself actually rated. 

According to Nielsen Data reviewed by On The Money, the Super Bowl drew
its highest numbers Sunday night of 137, 826 viewers during the 15
minutes which spanned the second quarter of the game.  After that and
during the time slots of the halftime show that included Bad Bunny’s
performance, the broadcast began losing viewership, declines of 1%, 6%
and 5% until around the time the third quarter play began and the
ratings jumped to a positive 7%. 

“Based on my understanding of the data, Bad Bunny lost more % of the
Super Bowl viewership from the end of the second quarter than has ever
happened before,” tweeted Ryan Glasspeigel, a reporter for Front Office
Sports on Wednesday. 

“The NFL has an interesting dilemma in trying to court new fans vs
alienating the base.” 

https://nypost.com/2026/02/13/media/bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-ju
st-had-a-brush-with-the-fcc-sources/ 

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Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl halftime show just had a brush with the FCC: sources Koch Robin <9097514834@newsom.com> - 2026-02-14 11:04 +0300

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