Marc Anthony is giving Bad Bunny some advice before he embarks on a huge career opportunity.
In September, the Puerto Rican rapper was announced as the Super Bowl halftime performer. Anthony shared that he wants to ensure that Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — is ready.
“I tell him to just to be responsible with the risk [and] with the responsibility that he’s taking on, because I’m sure for him, he sees this as a massive responsibility to represent not only his culture, but his music,” Anthony said told Rolling Stone. “He’s going to work that much harder to bring an amazing show, and I’m looking forward to it.”
While Anthony hasn't headlined a Super Bowl, he did perform as he sung “America the Beautiful” alongside Mary J. Blige at Super Bowl 36 in 2002. Bad Bunny also has Super Bowl halftime show experience when he was a guest at Super Bowl 54. He performed alongside J Balvin when Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed in 2020.
Anthony and Bad Bunny have worked together for nearly a decade, with the “Vivir Mi Vida” singer showing up at Bad Bunny's Debí Tirar Más Fotos concert in Puerto Rico. He shared that he will be supporting Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl.
“I’ll definitely be there, and I’ll be the first one cheering him on,” he continued.
Bad Bunny Super Bowl backlash
Bad Bunny has received a lot of backlash after it was announced he would be performing at the Super Bowl. President Donald Trump shared his disapproval of the Puerto Rican rapper performing, and Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be present at the Super Bowl. Additionally, former race car driver Danica Patrick suggested that there should be an alternate Super Bowl halftime show due to the singer having a majority of his songs in Spanish. However, despite what others think, Anthony believes that he is there on merit and that his streaming numbers, as well as other accolades, do not lie.
“He’s not there because he’s lucky,” he said of Bad Bunny, who has 11 Latin Grammys, three Grammys, and 80 million listeners on Spotify. “He’s there based on merit and everything that he’s accomplished. I mean, his numbers are just astronomical.”
“I’m proud of what he’s been able to accomplish in terms of spreading his gospel and that type of music, and the level he’s taken it to,” Anthony continued.
Bad Bunny is still in good spirits as well, despite the negative comments, and is aware of what this means for the culture.
“What I'm feeling goes beyond myself,” he said in a statement following the Super Bowl halftime show announcement. “It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
Bad Bunny will make history as the first Latino male to perform solo at the Super Bowl.
The 2026 Super Bowl will be on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California
