Stephen A. Smith Defends Trump's Criticism of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show

The ESPN personality agreed with some of the former president's comments about the predominantly Spanish-language performance.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith defended some of former President Donald Trump's criticism of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX halftime show, agreeing that having an entire performance in Spanish was problematic for non-Spanish speakers. However, Smith also praised the overall quality of Bad Bunny's show, which set a viewership record.

Why it matters

Bad Bunny's halftime show was a historic moment as the first predominantly Spanish-language performance at the Super Bowl, but it also sparked controversy, with Trump and others criticizing the lack of English. This debate highlights ongoing tensions around representation and accessibility in major media events.

The details

Smith said he thought Bad Bunny's show was "fly" overall, but agreed with Trump's assessment that having an entire performance in Spanish alienated viewers who don't understand the language. Smith argued that while many loved the show, "if most people don't understand the lyrics because you're speaking in what they deem to be a foreign language, that is a legitimate point the president made." Despite the criticism, Bad Bunny's halftime show set a viewership record with 135.4 million views.

  • Bad Bunny performed during the Super Bowl LX halftime show on February 8, 2026.
  • Trump criticized the halftime show on his Truth Social platform on February 8, 2026, calling it "absolutely terrible" and "one of the worst, EVER!"
  • Stephen A. Smith discussed Trump's criticism on the February 10, 2026 episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show."

The players

Stephen A. Smith

A 58-year-old ESPN personality who defended some of President Trump's criticism of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show.

Donald Trump

The 79-year-old former President of the United States who criticized Bad Bunny's predominantly Spanish-language Super Bowl halftime show as "absolutely terrible" and "one of the worst, EVER!"

Bad Bunny

A 31-year-old Puerto Rican rapper who performed the Super Bowl LX halftime show, which was the most watched in history with 135.4 million viewers.

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What they’re saying

“[Trump] does have a point when he alludes to the 'mess of a halftime show, will get great reviews from the fake news media.' You're gonna have people that are gonna be raving about the halftime show simply because they want to be anti-Trump and anti-right and all of this other stuff.”

— Stephen A. Smith, ESPN Personality (The Stephen A. Smith Show)

“Here's my only reticence, you're in the United States of America and you perform damn-near an entire performance in Spanish. But if you didn't understand Spanish, you were lost.”

— Stephen A. Smith, ESPN Personality (The Stephen A. Smith Show)

“Now, tens of millions of people also loved it. They also enjoyed themselves. And a lot of times, if we're keeping it a buck, we don't need to know the lyrics. All we care about is the beat.”

— Stephen A. Smith, ESPN Personality (The Stephen A. Smith Show)

The takeaway

Bad Bunny's historic Super Bowl halftime show highlighted the ongoing debate around representation and accessibility in major media events. While the performance was praised by many, the criticism from Trump and others over the predominantly Spanish-language content underscores the need to balance cultural celebration with broad appeal.