Menu
Sign In Search Podcasts Libraries Charts People & Topics Add Podcast API Blog Pricing
Podcast Image

The Brett Cooper Show

Who Really Mogged the NFL Halftime Show? | Episode 132

10 Feb 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: Why was Bad Bunny's halftime show controversial?

0.284 - 20.655 Brett Cooper

So a singer who routinely craps on America, who will not even tour in the United States because of ice, and who can barely speak English, just did the Super Bowl halftime show, and the internet is positively divided, and everyone is losing their damn minds. And on top of that, this was such a controversial and anticipated halftime performance that TPUSA even put on an alternative halftime show.

0

20.635 - 39.392 Brett Cooper

And so now it's not just about the NFL or Bad Bunny. It's about both of them. People online are debating which show was more conservative and had more traditional values and whether Bad Bunny's performance was representative of America or all of the Americas. And I'm just trying to figure out what it all means because none of it was in English. But that was kind of the whole point.

0

39.512 - 59.77 Brett Cooper

And I will explain why. But before we do, if you want behind the scenes content or ad free episodes, farm vlogs, travel vlogs, all of that sort of thing, all of that is over on my subscription platform, cooperconfidential.com. Go check it out. Hold on, I forgot my comment. I can't not have my coffee if I'm gonna rant about Bad Bunny. Now I don't even know where to put it.

0

Chapter 2: What alternative show did Turning Point USA provide?

59.79 - 73.611 Brett Cooper

Now we can go. All right, now that all of that is out of the way, let's get down to brass tacks. Now first of all, I wanna offer you, just before we dive into things, before I get all ranty and my blood pressure starts to rise, I wanna offer you and myself this tweet from my friend Zuby.

0

73.711 - 81.203 Brett Cooper

And he said, sometimes I wonder if people are genuinely outraged by something or just pretending to be to earn social currency within their tribe.

0

81.183 - 96.043 Brett Cooper

And I wanted to read that to you because while there were certainly things to critique about Bad Bunny and this entire snafu, and the whole thing is just rife with controversy, it also, I wanna remind you guys, is like this every single year with the halftime show. The outrage machine is ready to go, whether it's Rihanna or Bad Bunny or Kendrick Lamar.

0

96.063 - 110.379 Brett Cooper

Meanwhile, the left in Hollywood is locked and loaded, ready to defend and attack conservatives. It happens every single year. Honestly, I'm a bit tired of it, so let's just remember that none of this is new as we dive in and we talk about everything that has transpired with our friend Benito, aka Bad Bunny.

0

110.419 - 126.595 Brett Cooper

All right, anyways, I wanna say that it is very easy for me as like a normie, white American, conservative, Republican, whatever you wanna say, to be like, who even is Bad Bunny? Nobody listens to Bad Bunny, especially, especially when even actual NFL players in the Super Bowl did not even know who he was.

Chapter 3: How are audiences reacting to Bad Bunny's performance?

126.675 - 130.258 Brett Cooper

Just watch, this is probably my favorite video to come out of this entire controversy.

0

130.238 - 146.948 Unknown

Favorite Bad Bunny song? You know nobody got one. Favorite Bad Bunny song? I don't know no Bad Bunny songs. Favorite Bad Bunny song? I have no idea. Favorite Bad Bunny song? Don't know. I don't have one either. Favorite Bad Bunny song? I don't listen to Bad Bunny like that, but she got some good stuff. What is your favorite Bad Bunny song?

0

146.928 - 157.182 Brett Cooper

All right, now I'm gonna cut it right there because my favorite part of that entire video is that this player does not even know whether Bad Bunny is a boy or a girl. He's like, she's got good music, but I don't listen. Like they have no clue.

0

157.302 - 175.045 Brett Cooper

No matter how funny that is and how relevant it feels to maybe you and me, we have to admit, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that Bad Bunny was still the top Spotify global artist in 2020, in 2021, in 2022, and again this year in 2025. And yes, that means that he beat out Taylor Swift.

0

175.025 - 187.786 Brett Cooper

So when people are arguing over why the NFL and Jay-Z, who runs the music for the Super Bowl, why they would pick Bad Buddy to do the halftime performance, I think we need to remember that fact. Because in my opinion, this was a business decision more than just a political one.

187.826 - 204.613 Brett Cooper

They were trying to get Bad Buddy's audience, which is huge, which is also definitely not the normal NFL audience, to come in to turn on their TVs and watch. And all of this is part of the NFL's push to become more international. This is not the first thing they have done. They're having teams play all of these football games overseas. You can love that or hate it.

204.753 - 222.022 Brett Cooper

Most NFL fans that I know do hate it. But that is the reality of what the NFL is currently trying to do in terms of their business. And the thing is, I'm sure that they felt confident in doing this because they knew that everyone would watch the big game either way. Big fans, no matter how conservative or right wing, they're not boycotting it. They want to watch the Super Bowl.

222.163 - 240.942 Brett Cooper

And if you don't even watch the halftime show, what do they care? Because they still had his audience tuning in. And clearly this was a good strategy because I'm sorry to break it to everyone who did not want Bad Bunny, but allegedly this was the most watched halftime show in history. Apparently they had 135.4 million viewers, biggest one in history.

240.922 - 253.541 Brett Cooper

So the point is, all of the conservative outrage, it did not make a dent in the Bad Bunny fandom, which is who they wanted. They wanted that fandom to tune in and watch. Again, a very pointed business decision based on what we know their goals to be.

Chapter 4: What is Bad Bunny's significance in the music industry?

445.723 - 460.442 Brett Cooper

And actually, in that same interview with Pierce, that came up and he brought up Pavarti, the Italian opera singer. And honestly, it's kind of funny. In the interview, I was like, I have no idea who you're talking about. Like, I forgot him in that moment. But Pierce was like, you wouldn't be saying this about him. You wouldn't be saying that you couldn't understand, you know, his amazing opera.

0

460.602 - 478.148 Brett Cooper

You wouldn't need subtitles for him. But actually... We do! When you go to the opera, when I was in Budapest doing Pendragon and I went to the Hungarian Opera House, they literally have little iPads on the back of seats that caption the entire thing so you actually understand what the opera singers are saying. They have subtitles. That is normal. It is not just about Bad Bunny.

0

478.168 - 489.984 Brett Cooper

And this is not bigotry. It's about audiences wanting to be on the same page and wanting Americans to actually understand what is being sung at their halftime show. the point I will also make is that it's not just conservative influencers saying this.

0

490.004 - 505.964 Brett Cooper

I saw a TikTok of a guy saying that he was annoyed that he couldn't understand anything, so he turned it off, he just didn't even care about watching it. His TikTok had millions of views, it had almost 500,000 likes, and the comments were flooded with people agreeing. Like one person said, it has nothing to do with him being brown, I don't understand the words.

0

506.365 - 523.432 Brett Cooper

A girl said, his message was about inclusion, but if I don't understand it, how would I know? Which is such an amazing point. It's like, oh, it was so wonderful, so inclusive, I would have no idea because I can't understand it. And my personal favorite comment on this TikTok was this girl who said, were we supposed to press one for English? Like, welcome to modern America.

523.572 - 535.815 Brett Cooper

I guess that is the state of our modern country. Now on this note, my friend Sabrina made some great points in a TikTok and a reel that she posted, and she actually offered an alternative if the NFL really wanted to get a more diverse fan base to watch. Just listen.

535.795 - 555.323 Sabrina

Now that the Super Bowl's over, can we stop pretending like everyone is a diehard Bad Bunny fan and Puerto Rico is the 51st state? The NFL's fan base is anywhere between 70 to 80% Caucasian. If you're the largest customer base of the NFL, it's not racist to want to understand what is going on during the halftime performance. Like the five genuine Bad Bunny fans that I know,

555.303 - 575.251 Sabrina

Happy for you, but let's not act like this wasn't annoying for everyone else. Lastly, this is a hill I will die on. Justice for Pitbull, who is actually Mr. Worldwide, Mr. 305. Please explain to me, NFL, why was Pitbull not the performer back in 2020 when you guys held it in Miami? He is literally Mr. 305. Not to mention he has sold more records in the U.S. than Bad Bunny.

575.271 - 578.936 Sabrina

He sings in both English and Spanish, and he absolutely loves his country.

Chapter 5: How does the NFL's choice of performer reflect business strategy?

667.169 - 681.457 Brett Cooper

No contract, no cancellation fees. What are you waiting for? Just go to PeerTalk.com slash Cooper, and you will get 50% off your first month of my phone carrier. Again, that is PeerTalk.com slash Cooper to make the switch to PeerTalk today. Right now, back to the story and the debates over Bad Bunny's values.

0

681.597 - 694.395 Brett Cooper

Immediately after the performance was over, in the left-wing media and for some people on the right, they were posting and saying like, this should be something the conservatives are excited about. This should be seen as a celebration of traditional values. Like he had a couple actually get married on screen.

0

694.415 - 703.047 Brett Cooper

There was a little boy who was supposedly representing baby Bad Bunny and how you should follow your dreams. Like it was wholesome. It was family friendly. For example, Washington Post did their analysis and they said,

0

703.027 - 716.365 Brett Cooper

In general, Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show had the kind of wholesome traditional family values that would have fit right in with some of the more sentimental commercials that appeared during the game. And so their argument is that this kind of was conservative. It was wholesome and traditional and we should all shut up.

0

716.465 - 731.226 Brett Cooper

But then on the flip side, you have conservatives online pushing back and saying, okay, well, maybe it was cool creatively. Yes, there was a family feature. There was a wedding, but look at his lyrics. Look what he was actually singing. And then they post this specific screenshot from one of his songs. and I will put it here on the screen for you to peruse.

731.286 - 747.748 Brett Cooper

But no, my friends, I will not be reading any of that out loud to you because I will not be on camera saying any of those words. So for people clipping my show, you are not in luck today. And if you are on Spotify, guys, just use your imagination and just know it is incredibly lewd. It is incredibly sexual and completely uncreative.

747.728 - 776.927 Brett Cooper

However, going from there, according to Spanish speakers online, actually, Bad Bunny didn't perform that song and his other more explicit songs that he did perform were toned down and they were adapted for TV. Like Giancarlo Sopra said, And guys, therein lies the problem. We don't even know what we're arguing about or what is true because it wasn't in English.

777.167 - 793.503 Brett Cooper

It was an American performance that was not in English. Nobody knows what is going on. It is the biggest performance for Americans every single year, and we have no idea what the damn performer said. Now, thankfully, others online can translate, even though the NFL did not. And according to them, no, it really wasn't family friendly.

793.543 - 805.335 Brett Cooper

Like, sure, there was a cute kid, sure, a couple got married, but you also had men grinding on each other behind a car door. You had women scantily clothed twerking on men. We saw all of that with our own eyes, and apparently what he sang about wasn't much better.

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.