Rock musician Kid Rock criticized the Super Bowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny, arguing that it was deliberately designed to antagonize conservatives and supporters of the MAGA movement. The comments came during Kid Rock’s appearance Monday night on Fox News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle, following a weekend in which he performed at a competing Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Super Bowl–adjacent event.
During the interview, host Laura Ingraham noted that many viewers who were unhappy with the official Super Bowl halftime show went searching online for Kid Rock’s TPUSA performance instead. She also pointed out the contrast between Kid Rock’s role in the cultural moment today and his own appearance at the Super Bowl in 2004 alongside Justin Timberlake.
Kid Rock responded by joking that most people do not remember his Super Bowl appearance because it was overshadowed by the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. He then pivoted to what he described as a long-running political shift in how the NFL approaches entertainment and public messaging.
According to Kid Rock, that shift began around 2016 during the controversy surrounding NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. While he said he disagreed with the protests, he acknowledged that players had a right to express their views. He argued, however, that the league’s leadership struggled to manage the fallout while maintaining its public image and financial interests.
Kid Rock claimed that bringing Jay-Z into an influential role tied to Super Bowl entertainment decisions was part of an effort by the NFL to resolve those controversies and appeal to specific audiences. While emphasizing that he respects Jay-Z’s success and music career, Kid Rock suggested the move was politically motivated and meant to address criticism directed at the league.
From there, he argued, Super Bowl halftime performances began to reflect more overt political messaging. He cited Kendrick Lamar’s performance in a previous year as an example that did not resonate with him personally, even though he said he respected Lamar as an artist.
Kid Rock said the Bad Bunny halftime show represented a further escalation of that trend. In his view, the performance amounted to a symbolic rejection of conservatives, MAGA supporters, and the audience he identifies as his base.
“To me, it felt like another middle finger,” Kid Rock said, adding that the show appeared designed to double down on political signaling rather than appeal to a broad national audience.
The comments highlight ongoing cultural and political divisions surrounding major entertainment events, particularly the Super Bowl, which has increasingly become a platform for political expression alongside sports and music.
