Bad Bunny at the Los Angeles premiere of "Bullet Train."
Bad Bunny at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Bullet Train.’ Credit: Shutterstock / Tinseltown

Never one to shy away from a culture war, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is decrying the NFL’s selection of Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny as the halftime performer at February’s Super Bowl LX.

Instead, the Republican AG voted for replacing the progressive Latin trap-rapper with far-right country artist Jason Aldean, known for shooting the video for his racially provocative tune “Try That in a Small Town” at an infamous lynching location.

“I vote we get Jason Aldean and bring some patriotism into a country that desperately needs it,” Paxton tweeted Monday afternoon instead of, presumably, getting some actual work done.

Paxton — who happens to be running for U.S. Senate — made the comment as he retweeted a social media post by right-wing activist Robby Starbuck urging conservatives who have been melting down over the past 48 hours about Bad Bunny’s selection to let the NFL know their opinion.

Eager to distract us from his alleged affair with a married Christian influencer, Abbott was quick to join in the fray.

Bad Bunny is known for his progressive politics, including his staunch stance against Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s current anti-migrant crackdown.

In an interview earlier this month with i-D Magazine, the solo artist revealed that his decision not to tour the contiguous United States in 2025 was due to a fear of ICE targeting his audience members. Instead, Bad Bunny chose to have a residency in San Juan on his home island of Puerto Rico.

The landmark residency, which the New York Times reports was a huge economic driver and tourism draw for the island, was followed by embarking on a 2025-2026 world tour that avoids the contiguous United States entirely — save for the now scheduled half-time performance on Sunday, Feb. 8, at San Francisco’s Levi’s Stadium.

Since the announcement of the halftime performance over the weekend, part of the conservative meltdown has, hilariously, been based on a fundamental lack of understanding of U.S. geography.

Bad Bunny has also drawn ire from conservatives for the mere thought that the Super Bowl halftime show would be performed in Spanish.

We will say this part very slowly: Bad Bunny raps in Spanish because he’s from Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States. Therefore, Bad Bunny is an American.

However, there is no rule or even precedent prohibiting non-Americans from performing the annual football spectacle. In fact, many have.

Artists who have played the Super Bowl who actually aren’t American include the Rolling Stones, The Who, U2, Phil Collins, Sting, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, M.I.A. and Shakira.

Then there’s the matter of Bad Bunny’s flamboyant attire and his perceived gender fluidity, though he’s only known to date women including, recently, Kendall Jenner.

A proud Latino who’s comfortable with an expansive form of gender expression … what are Paxton and the rest of the snowflakes to do?

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This article appears in sep 18 – Oct 1.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.