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'ICE could be outside': Bad Bunny's past reason for skipping US tour dates resurfaces after Super Bowl reveal
Bad Bunny will headline Super Bowl LX halftime show after skipping a U.S. tour, citing ICE concerns.
Bad Bunny has been confirmed as the performer for the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, set to take place in California this coming February. The NFL announcement ends weeks of speculation over who would headline the event.
The Puerto Rican rapper and singer, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is 31 years old. He will be performing at the Super Bowl for the second time. He previously appeared as a guest during the Super Bowl LIV halftime show in Miami, which featured Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
Bad Bunny’s upcoming tour does not include any stops in the mainland United States. Instead, he held a 31-show residency at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny had concerns due to US immigration enforcement
Bad Bunny has said the decision not to tour the US was partly due to concerns over US immigration enforcement. In an interview with i-D earlier this month, he explained that ICE was one of the reasons for avoiding the mainland.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the US, and none of them were out of hate—I’ve performed there many times,” he said. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US.”
“People from the US could come here to see the show,” he continued. “Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of—like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about."
Just before confirming the Super Bowl performance, he tweeted in Spanish, "I've been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I'll do just one date in the United States."
His most recent album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it his fourth chart-topping album in the U.S.
Before Bad Bunny was announced, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had hinted at the possibility of Taylor Swift performing, especially after her engagement to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
