During a recent appearance on the Real America’s Voice program “Bolling!” with host Eric Bolling, Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain shared his thoughts on the NFL‘s choice of halftime entertainment for the 2026 Super Bowl. The league selected Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny—a vocal critic of Donald Trump‘s immigration policies—to headline the massive sporting event.
Addressing the decision, Cain argued that the move was entirely motivated by corporate expansion rather than any specific political messaging.
“I think it’s the NFL just grabbing for Latin America viewers. I think it was kind of — they’re looking to expand their brand. So it was brand driven. I gotta tell you, it had nothing to do with the Latino in America or dissing America or dissing Trump or anything else. I think it was strictly greed, the NFL wanting to expand their audience to Latin America. That was my take on it. That’s what it looked like to me,” he said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Bad Bunny made history at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, by becoming the first artist to perform a Super Bowl halftime show predominantly in Spanish.
Discussing the language barrier, Cain made strong claims about the lyrical content, despite admitting he didn’t actually tune in to watch the performance.
“What was interesting is if they would’ve done the translations of what he was singing, we’d be appalled… The stuff he was saying in Spanish the NFL wouldn’t be proud to translate, so that’s why there was no translation because it was very blue. I actually didn’t watch it. It was the worst Super Bowl in a long time.”
The performance featured a medley of hits and a grand finale where Bad Bunny declared, “God Bless America, God Bless Puerto Rico, God Bless Mexico,” as a billboard displayed the message, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Following the broadcast, some conservative commentators mistakenly labeled the artist a “foreigner,” overlooking the fact that he was born in Puerto Rico, a United States territory.
Kid Rock also provided his own critique of the show on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.” The rock musician had headlined a competing broadcast, the “All-American Halftime Show,” organized by conservative group Turning Point USA, where he performed his 1999 hit “Bawitdaba” alongside a cover of Cody Johnson‘s “‘Til You Can’t“.
“Like most people, I didn’t understand any of it,” Rock said of Bad Bunny‘s show. “I saw there’s a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party; it looked like he had one.”
“Not my cup of tea, but I don’t fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience. I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. You know, it’s just — poor kid,” he continued.
Jonathan Cain is a prominent born-again Christian who has pivoted toward faith-based music in recent years, releasing the 2016 album What God Wants To Hear and the 2017 holiday record Unsung Noel. His wife, minister Paula White-Cain, recently made history as the first female clergy member to lead prayer at a presidential inauguration following Donald Trump‘s most recent election victory, and she currently serves as the primary spiritual adviser to the President.
