What message on American football said during Bad Bunny’s halftime show

Bad Bunny subtly shared a message to the millions of people watching the 2026 Super Bowl during his halftime performance.

The Puerto Rican rapper, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, sang a medley of some of his biggest hits while dancing around the pitch at Levi's Stadium in California.

The 31-year-old Grammy-winner had told fans to expect a 'huge party', which is exactly what he provided.

Meanwhile, Turning Point USA's rival halftime show hit a snag before the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks had even taken to the pitch.

But at the NFL's halftime show, things seemingly went off without a hitch - and the crowd went wild when special guest Lady Gaga joined Bad Bunny to belt out some tunes, while Pedro Pascal was also spotted boogying behind them.

However, some viewers were more preoccupied by other aspects of the rapper's highly-anticipated set.

Throughout his performance, he clutched a football tightly under his arm - so tightly in fact, that a lot of sports fans joked that he had more touches of it 'than the Patriots'.

But it turns out that this was more than just a prop.

Taking to social media, one viewer asked: "Can anyone can tell me what was clearly written on the ball that Bad Bunny held up?? Because I know it was political as heck."

Another said: "I couldn’t read it," while a third queried: "Was there a message on the ball?"

The answer is yes, there was a message written on the football that he held onto like his life depended on it during the halftime show - and one person said it was exactly what the US 'needed' at the minute.

While flanked by an array of dancers who were holding flags from various countries around the globe, Bad Bunny finished off his set by holding the ball towards the camera to show his message to the world.

What did the message on Bad Bunny's football say?

It read: "Together We Are America."

As well as this, the words 'the only thing more powerful than hate is love' were seen on a huge screen behind him during his Super Bowl gig, which has received a lot of praise from fans.

President Donald Trump didn't seem to appreciate the sentiment behind Bad Bunny's messages though, as he shared a scathing review of his performance in a post on Truth Social.

Describing it as 'absolutely terrible' and 'one of the worst ever', the commander-in-chief said: "It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.

"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.

"This 'Show' is just a 'slap in the face' to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day - including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!

"There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD - And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Despite Trump disliking it, most viewers seemed to think it was great, as people have been flooding social media with praise for the Puerto Rican music star.

This wasn't Bad Bunny's first rodeo, as he previously graced the Super Bowl stage alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira up there during their joint headline performance in 2020.

How much do artists get paid for the Super Bowl halftime show?

While you’d think that performing on one of the biggest stages in the world would earn you the big bucks, surprisingly, artists do not receive a direct paycheck for the Super Bowl halftime show.

“We do not pay the artists,” NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Forbes in 2016. “We cover expenses and production costs.”

Meanwhile, Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, confirmed that Super Bowl performers do get a ‘union scale’ - a minimum wage guaranteed by a union contract.

This is largely because the halftime show is not just a performance, it’s a money can’t buy opportunity for promotion and exposure.

After Rihanna took to the Super Bowl stage in 2023, her Spotify streams in the US soared by more than 640 percent, while song sales and searches for her Fenty Beauty brand also increased.

Jennifer Lopez reportedly gained over two million new followers across her social media after she headlined the halftime show with Shakira in 2020.

Following The Weeknd's 2021 Super Bowl performance, demand for his concert tickets skyrocketed. His After Hours Til Dawn tour has since become the highest-grossing tour by a male solo artist in history after raking in $1 billion.