A resurfaced clip from Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast has reignited debate over the Super Bowl 60 halftime show. In the October 2025 episode, actor Charlie Sheen and host Bill Maher questioned whether Bad Bunny belonged on the NFL’s biggest stage.
The Criticism
Sheen argued the league should deliver “something diehard fans really want” musically, calling Bad Bunny “not germane” to the Super Bowl experience. Maher agreed, admitting he didn’t know Bad Bunny’s work and joking he would have preferred country singer Eddie Rabbit. The comments resurfaced on Super Bowl Sunday, just hours before Bad Bunny was set to headline at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
🇺🇸 CHARLIE SHEEN TO BILL MAHER: “BAD BUNNY SHOULDN’T DO THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW”
“There’s bands, there’s acts, there’s just people that are more germane to the experience of the game!”
Maher:
“I agree”pic.twitter.com/rZZq65mlFx
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 8, 2026
What Happened Since
Much has changed since the podcast aired:
- Bad Bunny’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos won Album of the Year at both the Latin Grammys and the Grammys — a historic first.
- He became the most-streamed artist on Spotify in 2025 with 19.8 billion streams, his fourth time holding the title.
- On February 1, he became the first artist in Grammy history to win Album of the Year for a Spanish-language record.
- His tours have sold over 2.4 million tickets and grossed $435 million, with his 2022 world tour setting a record for highest-grossing in a single year.
The NFL’s Perspective
NFL executives have emphasized the importance of Latino fans, noting that the league has over 39 million Latino supporters in the U.S.. The “Por La Cultura” campaign, launched in 2021, was designed to strengthen ties with this audience through Spanish-language broadcasts and cultural partnerships. Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the halftime choice, calling Bad Bunny “one of the greatest artists in the world.” Jay-Z, who helps oversee halftime show selections, dismissed criticism as manufactured outrage.
The Bigger Backdrop
Other conservative voices also questioned the pick, criticizing Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language performances and political views. Yet the artist himself addressed the backlash during Saturday Night Live, telling audiences: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”
The Irony
What makes the clip striking is not just the criticism, but the admission: both Sheen and Maher acknowledged they had never listened to Bad Bunny’s music. Despite that, they declared he didn’t belong at the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny — a 31-year-old from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico — has become the most-streamed artist in the world, a Grammy history-maker, and now the first solo Latino artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
