Fans blast Bad Bunny’s choice to feature non-Latina Lady Gaga over Cardi B during Super Bowl halftime show performance

Bad Bunny brought out Lady Gaga as one of his surprise performers during his Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday but many fans were unhappy as she was not of Latin descent and were left wondering why Cardi B was not featured instead.

During the beginning of his set, the Puerto Rican rapper was surrounded by many A-list stars as he performed a moving montage of his hit songs during the NFL championship game.

One of the stars that eagle-eyed fans noticed was Cardi B, a bilingual rapper who is famously of Dominican and Trinidadian mixed descent, on stage but not performing.

After his set concluded, many fans took to social media to question why he invited Lady Gaga to perform Die with a Smile rather than his past collaboration with Cardi B. 

At one point during his performance, Bad Bunny performed on a house and patio-inspired stage, just like the one he had during his Puerto Rico-exclusive residency shows last year. 

For his halftime show performance, many A-listers and his friends were seen dancing and watching from that stage. Pedro Pascal, Karol G and Cardi B were among the top stars standing on the pink stage and cheering him on.

Many fans noticed that several were fellow musicians who have performed in Spanish and questioned why he did not invite them to sing with him instead of Lady Gaga. 

One person tweeted on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: ‘I can’t believe Cardi B actually said yes but Bad Bunny didn’t invite her to perform.’ 

One fan said it was a ‘blunder’ that Bad Bunny did not perform his 2018 hit I Like It with Cardi B and J Balvin.

Another social media user expressed their anger that Bad Bunny’s surprise guest performer was not a fellow Spanish-speaking musician. 

They noted that Cardi B was ‘literally on stage and they didn’t do’ their previous collaborative hit song.

Another person tweeted about hearing Gasolina at one point during the performance and seeing Cardi B on stage but not watching either Daddy Yankee nor Cardi B take the microphone. 

One particular tweet criticized Bad Bunny for bringing out Lady Gaga to ‘sing a song that not only are you not on but is so out of sync.’ 

‘It’s not even funny,’ they added. 

‘Why wouldn’t he get Cardi B instead? He has a song with her and her bf was playing the game,’ one X user tweeted before adding that Lady Gaga’s feature felt ‘so random.’ 

Meanwhile, other fans praised Bad Bunny’s decision to bring out Lady Gaga. One fan joked: ‘That’s my Latina sister Lady Guadalupe Hernandez Gagita y’all.’ 

In the middle of Bad Bunny’s highly anticipated halftime show, he brought out his surprise guest: Lady Gaga.

The Abracadabra singer, 39, performed her smash hit Die With A Smile with a salsa twist. 

A crowd of background dancers dispersed to suddenly reveal the superstar standing in front of a band and wearing a baby blue dress with a red hibiscus flower as an homage to Bad Bunny’s native Puerto Rico. 

Gaga previously headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2017, and she recently sparked headlines with her fan-captured interaction with Bad Bunny at the Grammys. 

After performing the chorus of the love song, she joined the rapper for a sweet dance as he continued his powerful, highly anticipated performance in the middle of the NFL championship game.

Bad Bunny also brought out Ricky Martin — who performed Lo que le pasó a Hawaii — as well as a slew of other stars for his halftime show performance.  He followed up Titi Me Pregunto with Yo Perreo Sola, Safaera, Party, Voy a Llevarte Pa’ PR, EoO and Monaco. 

As he exited the maze of sugar cane, he stopped to sing next to fruit vendors, a table of old men playing games, a beautician styling another woman’s nails and a shave ice stand. 

Bad Bunny had a salsa dance break with Lady Gaga after bringing her out to sing Die With A Smile, her 2024 collaborative single with Bruno Mars. 

Afterward, Bad Bunny regained sole control of the show and performed BAILE INoLVIDABLE, NUEVAYoL, before he brought out Ricky Martin to sing on LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii. 

The song debuted on Bad Bunny’s most recent LP, the 2025 hit Debí Tirar Más Fotos. 

Bad Bunny closed out his set with El Apagón, CAFé CON RON and his latest LP’s title track, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.