In a dramatic twist to this year’s Super Bowl narrative, the conservative activist group Turning Point USA has announced that it will host its own “All American Halftime Show” to rival the officially sanctioned performance by Bad Bunny. The announcement is being widely viewed as a political counternarrative to the NFL’s decision and highlights how cultural battles are increasingly interwoven with flagship national events.

Bad Bunny Headlines Super Bowl LX — and Sparks Backlash

On September 28, 2025, the NFL, in partnership with Apple Music and Roc Nation, officially named Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny as the headliner for the Super Bowl LX halftime show, set for February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. His selection generated both acclaim and controversy — praise from many who saw it as a landmark moment for Latinx representation, and criticism from conservatives who questioned his language choice, stylistic identity, and political views.

Bad Bunny’s announcement expressed his pride in his heritage, dedicating the performance to “my people, my culture, and our history.” Yet almost immediately, conservative commentators and lawmakers began voicing opposition. Former President Donald Trump called the choice “absolutely ridiculous,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson was quoted suggesting more traditional “role model” artists, such as Lee Greenwood, would have been preferable.

Some of the friction stems from Bad Bunny’s history of political commentary — particularly his expressed concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement at concerts, and his use of Spanish in many of his songs. During a recent “Saturday Night Live” appearance, he quipped that if Americans didn’t understand his Spanish lyrics, they had “four months to learn.”

It is against that backdrop that Turning Point USA has decided to mount an alternative.

“All American Halftime Show”: What We Know So Far

The nonprofit Turning Point USA — co-founded by the late conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk — declared via social media that it would stage a rival halftime show during Super Bowl LX. The counterprogram will run simultaneously with the NFL’s halftime slot on February 8, with the title The All American Halftime Show.

In its announcement, Turning Point USA said the event would celebrate “Faith, Family & Freedom.”  They also asked prospective attendees to submit musical preferences from a menu that includes Americana, classic rock, country, hip-hop, pop, worship, and — tellingly — an option labelled “Anything in English.”

However, detailed logistics remain scarce. No headline artists or broadcast platforms have yet been confirmed, and the timeline suggests more announcements will come closer to the date.  Turning Point USA refers visitors to a website and contact form for updates.

Political Symbolism and Cultural Signaling

This counterprogram is widely interpreted as more than mere entertainment — it is a deliberate political and cultural statement. The emphasis on English-language music, together with appeals to traditional values, is clearly tailored as a foil to criticisms that Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language performances are incompatible with “mainstream” American identity.  

Media analysts note that the move echoes past instances of counterprogramming during the Super Bowl. Long before the NFL’s halftime show became a prime performance slot, networks have attempted to draw viewers away with alternate content — famously, Fox aired In Living Color during a Super Bowl halftime in 1992. But what makes this effort unique is the overt ideological framing: instead of competing for ratings alone, Turning Point’s show is pitched as a cultural alternative.

Conservative figures have already rallied around the announcement. Turning Point contributor Jack Posobiec had earlier floated the idea of an alternate performance in response to Bad Bunny’s SNL remarks; other voices within MAGA circles have hailed the “All American” show as a counternarrative to what they see as the NFL’s drift into partisan territory. 

The timing also comes after a series of sharp public attacks on Bad Bunny’s identity, language, and politics — with critics questioning his suitability for a national stage and his loyalty to American values.

Potential Challenges and Questions Ahead

While the symbolic heft of the “All American” show is considerable, it faces several hurdles:

Production and promotion: Staging a halftime-length concert with enough draw to challenge the NFL’s official programming will require major resources — funding, artist commitments, broadcast reach, and coordination.

Audience size and reach: The Super Bowl commands one of the largest television audiences in the U.S., and its halftime show is embedded into that massive attention span. Whether a counterprogram can effectively siphon off a meaningful audience is uncertain.

Artist participation: Convincing prominent musicians to join a politically fraught event may prove difficult, especially given the risk of backlash or being seen as taking sides.

Narrative control: The initiative itself may generate press, but will it shift the larger public perception, or will it be dismissed by critics as performative culture war posturing?

Moreover, the NFL and its producers (DPS, Roc Nation, etc.) are unlikely to be blindsided. The official halftime show — backed by extensive promotion and infrastructure — remains the institutional centerpiece.

Yet even as some view Turning Point’s effort as quixotic, its announcement signals a deeper shift: in American cultural life, major spectacles are no longer neutral ground. Flagship events like the Super Bowl are increasingly viewed through ideological lenses, and groups on all sides are vying for control over their symbolic meaning.

Implications and Broader Significance

Whether or not The All American Halftime Show becomes a commercial or media success, its existence reflects the intensifying polarization of cultural space in modern America. Every major platform — from sports to entertainment to social media — is being contested terrain for values, identity, and power.

For supporters, Turning Point’s move is a reclamation: a call to center English-language music, Christian motifs, family values, and a vision of “America first” culture. For detractors, it may look like an attempt to reshape art into a political weapon, or to exclude multilingual and multicultural voices.

The showdown between these two halftime shows — one official, one oppositional — is now set for February. Far from being a mere novelty, it may become a vivid symbol of how polarized American identity has become.