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The numbers on the Super Bowl’s dueling halftime shows are in, and they aren’t close. Bad Bunny’s set drew 128.2 million viewers between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday (Feb. 8), according to Nielsen data reported by The Daily Beast and cited by Complex. The pre-taped “All-American Halftime Show” from Turning Point USA, headlined by Kid Rock, reached 6.1 million on YouTube in the same window, so about one-twentieth of that.
The wider broadcast was huge, too. Nielsen counted 124.9 million viewers for the Super Bowl overall, the second most-watched edition, behind the 2025 game that carried Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, and 137.8 million Americans watched the second quarter, the highest peak in U.S. history, Complex reported. Those are Nielsen’s figures for the game, not for the halftime show alone.
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The conservative group had pitched its alternative as “a unique, patriotic event proudly celebrating American culture, freedom, and faith.” Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett and a classical string duo joined Kid Rock, per Complex. The show was reportedly pre-taped in Atlanta, and its organizers said they couldn’t stream it on X because of “licensing restrictions.”
Kid Rock spent part of the week answering claims that he lip-synced. In a video on his social media, he said the cameras hadn’t lined up with his performance of “Bawitdaba,” and that the set was pre-recorded but performed live.
My halftime performance was pre recorded but performed live. No lipsycing like the haters and fake news are trying to report.
Kid Rock, Complex
President Donald Trump, who along with his Cabinet skipped the game in Santa Clara, did not appear to watch the alternative show, Complex noted. He did weigh in on the main one, calling it “an affront to the Greatness of America” and “a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country.” The Washington Examiner described the NFL’s pick as a lightning rod for the Right, mostly because of Bad Bunny’s outspoken criticism of the administration’s deportation agenda.
Complex added a fact the argument tends to skip: Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and Bad Bunny, like everyone born there, is a U.S. citizen, though residents can’t vote in presidential elections.
Back at the stadium, the set Trump objected to was a 14-minute tour of Puerto Rico with Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. It followed Bad Bunny’s Grammys night by a week, and in September it won a record seven Emmys.
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
