Who is doing you Super Bowl
Executive summary
Bad Bunny is headlining the Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show on Feb. 8, 2026, with a supporting slate of pregame and ceremonial performers that includes Green Day, Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones; the full roster has stirred both mainstream excitement and organized conservative pushback [1] [2] [3]. While the NFL and partners are billing the event as historic and diverse, critics have framed the choice as culturally divisive, prompting political responses and proposed counterprogramming [1].
1. Who’s on the stage: the confirmed headline and pregame roster
The halftime headline is Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap star Bad Bunny, the first solo Latino and Spanish‑speaking artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime, announced by the NFL in partnership with Apple Music and Roc Nation [1] [3]; pregame and ceremonial performers include pop singer Charlie Puth singing the national anthem, Americana star Brandi Carlile performing “America the Beautiful,” R&B artist Coco Jones performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and the East Bay punk trio Green Day opening the Super Bowl ceremony — all names confirmed across outlets including EW, USA Today, Billboard and Wikipedia [2] [4] [5] [3].
2. Accessibility and symbolism: sign language and Black anthem inclusion
The NFL’s lineup adds explicit gestures toward accessibility and cultural recognition: Charlie Puth’s anthem will be accompanied in ASL by Fred Beam, Brandi Carlile will be accompanied by sign language performer Julian Ortiz, and reporting notes Puerto Rican Sign Language performer Celimar Rivera Cosme is involved — while Coco Jones’ assignment of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” signals the NFL’s decision to put the Black national anthem on the pregame slate [2] [6] [3].
3. Local flavor and spectacle: Green Day, MVP tributes and Super Bowl week events
Green Day — billed as a hometown East Bay act — will kick off a ceremony honoring past Super Bowl MVPs and the NFL’s 60th anniversary, a move the league framed as a local and historical touch to the Levi’s Stadium show; broader Super Bowl week programming in the Bay Area includes concerts and appearances by acts such as Kehlani, Post Malone and Calvin Harris, plus celebrity‑led events [5] [3] [7].
4. What’s missing on the roster and what remains to be announced
The NFL has confirmed the primary performers but has not publicly revealed any potential guest artists who may join Bad Bunny on the halftime stage — historically guest spots are often announced closer to game day — and multiple outlets note that final guest appearances could be disclosed in the weeks before Feb. 8 [8] [2].
5. Political blowback, cultural criticism and the league’s posture
Conservative commentators and politicians criticized Bad Bunny’s selection, framing him as politically hostile to figures like former president Trump and labeling him “anti‑ICE,” which led to public responses including a reported Homeland Security statement that ICE agents would be present at the Super Bowl and conservative calls for alternative performers; Speaker Mike Johnson and groups like Turning Point USA publicly suggested substitutes or counterprogramming, while Bad Bunny himself pushed back culturally — joking on Saturday Night Live that critics had “four months to learn” Spanish — illustrating the intersection of pop spectacle and partisan culture wars [1].
6. Why the NFL and partners chose this lineup: reach, diversity and market logic
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation framed the choices as a bid to expand cultural reach and reflect contemporary music tastes: Bad Bunny’s global streaming dominance and Latin music’s commercial heft make him a high‑visibility choice, while including artists across genres and gestures toward accessibility and Black cultural recognition signals a deliberate programming mix designed for wide demographic reach — outlets from Billboard to The Independent present this as part of the league’s strategy to marry spectacle with commercial and cultural relevance [2] [9] [5].
7. The bottom line: who is “doing” the Super Bowl — and what that means
Ultimately, the Super Bowl’s musical “who” is a coalition: Bad Bunny as the halftime centerpiece, supported by a pregame and opening lineup of Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile, Coco Jones and Green Day, with additional festival programming around the city; the selection reflects the NFL’s attempt to balance local ties, marketability and cultural signaling — and it has predictably invited polarized reactions that will shape how audiences receive the broadcast on Feb. 8 [1] [2] [3].