“On Sunday, the 62-year-old reality star shared a video on Instagram blasting the performance, calling it ‘the worst halftime show ever’.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
Zarin was set to return to small screens with her RHONY castmates in E!’s upcoming show, The Golden Life, a series which has not yet entered production – however the show’s producers have now fired her after comments she made about the Puerto Rican rapper’s halftime performance.
‘In light of recent public comments made by Jill Zarin, Blink49 Studios has decided not to move forward with her involvement in ‘The Golden Life.’ We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values,’ the show’s producers, Blink49 Studios, said in a statement released through E! and obtained by Variety.
Bad Bunny – born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – became the first artist to do the half-time show largely in Spanish.
The performance paid tribute to his native Puerto Rico and ended with a shout-out to all the American countries, including the United States.
Zarin sparked outrage after she blasted the performance in a since-deleted video, calling it ‘the worst halftime show ever’, claiming it was inappropriate for children watching at home, and insisting Bad Bunny was making a political statement by neglecting to include ‘white people’, despite a cameo by Lady Gaga.
‘It was the worst halftime show ever. I just don’t think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish and, quite frankly … grabbing his G [groin] area,’ Zarin said in the now-deleted clip. ‘I think it was totally inappropriate.’
She continued: ‘You’ve got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl and he doesn’t have to be grabbing himself every five seconds because he’s so insecure. Seriously.’
Zarin went on to criticize the language of the performance and suggested it carried a political message.
‘I don’t speak Spanish, I would’ve liked to have known the words he was saying,’ she said. ‘To me, it looked like a political statement because there were literally no white people in the entire thing. I’m not taking a side, one way or the other…I think it was an ICE thing. I think that the NFL sold out and it’s very sad.’
The backlash was swift and intense, with many pointing out her perplexing claim that ‘no white people’ was not true as Lady Gaga performed with him during the show.
As criticism poured into her Instagram comments, Zarin ultimately disabled commenting on her account altogether.
However, her TikTok comments remained open at the time of posting, where viewers continued to call her out.
Among the comments rising to the top were: ‘Jill do you also prefer separate water fountains?’, ‘Was going to watch the new show. Not anymore. That halftime show was AMAZING!’ and ‘Where’d your Super Bowl post go!’
Facing mounting pressure, Zarin ultimately deleted the video – though clips of it continue to circulate online.
The controversy quickly spread beyond Zarin’s own page, with fellow Bravo personalities and viewers chiming in.
Real Housewives alum Tamra Judge reacted bluntly on X, writing: ‘What the actual F*#k.’
The Valley’s Janet Caperna commented, ‘Tell me you’re racist without telling me you’re racist…YIKES!!!’
Meanwhile, Real Housewives of Dubai star Chanel Ayan wrote she was ‘seriously disgusted’ by Zarin’s post.
Bozoma Saint John, who appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, called out Zarin for saying she wasn’t ‘taking a side’ before ‘clearly taking a side.’
‘I, on the other hand, LOVED Benito Bowl … for its beauty, culture, history, and message,’ Saint John wrote.
Others accused Zarin of hypocrisy, pointing out that similar, and even more provocative, performances have long been embraced at the Super Bowl.
‘Shakira and J.Lo shake their a**es on stage, Michael Jackson grabbed himself, women are practically naked and totally fine – and that was all celebrated. But now suddenly everyone’s clutching their pearls?’ one user wrote, referencing Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Michael Jackson.
Others defended Bad Bunny’s performance as a positive cultural moment rather than a political provocation.
‘It was a political statement designed to UPLIFT America (including the U.S.) as a whole, offering a message of unity, joy, and love over hate,’ another commenter wrote. ‘So disappointing. I was really looking forward to the new show too.’