Bad Bunny’s halftime performance drew more viewers than Turning Point USA’s Kid Rock-headlined alternative show.
The Puerto Rican star’s halftime show drew a massive 128.2 million viewers between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday (Feb. 8), according to data from Nielsen, as reported by The Daily Beast.
That figure is roughly 20 times higher than the 6.1 million people who watched Turning Point USA's pre-taped “All-American Halftime Show” on YouTube during the same period.
Nielsen also reported that 124.9 million viewers tuned into the Super Bowl overall, making it the second-most-watched edition behind Kendrick Lamar's 2025 halftime, while 137.8 million Americans watched the game's second quarter, making it the highest peak viewership in U.S. history.
Turning Point USA had promoted its halftime alternative as "a unique, patriotic event proudly celebrating American culture, freedom, and faith."
“The All-American Halftime Show” ran into issues prior to the broadcast and announced that they wouldn’t be able to stream the performances on X due to “licensing restrictions.”
The show, which featured Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett, and a classical string duo, was reportedly pre-taped in Atlanta, Georgia.
After allegations that Kid Rock lip synced through the show, the 55-year-old defended himself in a video shared to his social media.
“My halftime performance was pre recorded but performed live. No lipsycing like the haters and fake news are trying to report,” he explained. “When they synced the cameras to my performance on Bawitdaba, it did not line up…”
President Donald Trump, who seemingly did not tune in to Turning Point USA’s halftime show, criticized Bad Bunny’s performance, calling it “an affront to the Greatness of America” and “a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country.”
It’s worth noting that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and people born there are U.S. citizens, including Bad Bunny. Even so, the U.S. doesn’t view the island as part of America, and its residents are not allowed to vote in presidential elections.
