The FCC received hundreds of complaints about Bad Bunny’s “vulgar” Super Bowl performance

Even before the bad Bunny took to the field, and his Super Bowl halftime performance sparked controversy, especially from MAGA influencers upset by the Puerto Rican star’s comments against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the fact that he sings in Spanish.

After the show, which was watched by more than 128 million people, those complaints continued, but they largely focused on the perceived vulgarity of the artist’s performance.

Following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from WIRED, the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates communications including broadcasting, released the 2,155 complaints the agency received about the Super Bowl, most of which were related to the halftime show. Many of the complaints focused on the fact that the show was not in English, but a large portion of those people were upset by the indecency of the Spanish words. Others expressed their discomfort with the dancing they saw on screen.

“Bad Bunny performed these lyrics live with no apparent censorship,” wrote one viewer from Layton, Alabama. “The dancers participate perreo– Extreme grinding, hip thrusting, gyrating to simulate sex, and to mimic song lyrics [sic]. Cameras captured close-ups of the suggestive contacts and pelvic movements, amplifying the explicit nature.”

Some viewers complained that their children understood Spanish and that they did not like those children hearing Bad Bunny’s words. There were still more, like one viewer from Indiana, who said that even though they didn’t speak Spanish, they looked up translations of the words later and were upset.

An analysis of FCC complaints about Bad Bunny’s halftime show by WIRED found that the top three states for complaints were Texas, Florida, and California, in that order. Four hundred and ninety-seven complaints contained the word “vulgar,” 735 contained the word “Spanish,” and 919 contained the name “Bad Bunny.”

The number of complaints pales in comparison to the number of people who watched the historic show, which included Lady Gaga, a wedding party and a small party from Maria Antonia Kaye, the beloved owner of the Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn. All told, the show has been watched more than 4 billion times on streaming, YouTube and social media, according to the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation, which produces the halftime show.

At least one complaint referred to the performers’ immigration status. “There are illegals on my TV,” said one viewer from Raleigh, North Carolina. “I don’t understand Spanish, but I think I heard inappropriate language.” (Bad Bunny is Puerto Rican and therefore a US citizen.)

Just days after Bad Bunny’s performance in February, Republican lawmakers called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the NFL and NBC, which broadcast the event. FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez then requested transcripts of the performance, which was broadcast on NBC, and no violations were found. “I have carefully reviewed it and found no violation of our rules and no justification for harassing broadcasters over a standard live performance,” Gomez told Reuters.

Representatives for Bad Bunny and NBC did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

About 30 complaints referred to the two men who were seen dancing with each other during the show. “On top of the incredibly inappropriate songs and lyrics, there were also depictions of openly gay sex on screen and other inappropriate sexual innuendos,” wrote one viewer from Winstead, Connecticut. “This is incredibly inappropriate and unacceptable when there are children watching.”

“I watched this at my local Dave and Busters and saw several visibly upset parents during the halftime performance with many leaving the viewing area until the event was over,” one viewer from Incline Village, Nevada, complained.

Thirty of the complaints related to the Super Bowl halftime show contain President Trump’s co-signed social fact “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Super Bowl halftime shows frequently receive complaints from the FCC, often reflecting social and political talking points. While “Bad Bunny” complaints seemed to reflect U.S. rhetoric about immigration and ICE, Kendrick Lamar’s show last year received 125 complaints, many of which focused on the performance’s lack of white people amid right-wing protests over DEI.