Bad Bunny wipes Instagram clean after controversial Super Bowl halftime show
Bad Bunny stunned fans by wiping his Instagram account almost entirely clean just hours after his headline-making Super Bowl halftime performance on Sunday, a move that immediately fueled speculation, controversy, and online chaos.
The 31-year-old global superstar, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, carried out the dramatic social media reset shortly after taking the stage at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in a performance that quickly dominated online conversation.
The chart-topper, who has nearly 53 million followers, removed almost all of his posts, deleted his profile photo, and unfollowed every account he had previously been following. By Monday, his Instagram showed only his name, Benito Antonio, and a link to his 2025 album Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
Bad Bunny offered no explanation for the sudden purge, leaving fans and critics to fill the silence with theories. Some immediately suggested the move signaled a new creative phase or major announcement.
One fan predicted, "NEW ALBUM AND ERA IS COMING!"
Another wrote, "Bad Bunny deleting his Instagram after the Super Bowl is peak 'reset the timeline' behavior. That’s the universal sign for 'I know I broke the internet.'"
Others framed the decision as deliberate provocation. "Bad Bunny wiped his Instagram right after the halftime show… Legend move or chaos? Either way, he just made the internet stop and stare. This isn’t a performance - it’s a cultural event," one user commented.
Not all reactions were celebratory. Some believed the artist was retreating from the political firestorm sparked by his Spanish-only performance on the NFL’s biggest stage.
"Bad Bunny deleted his Instagram because he can't stand the criticism," one user claimed. "President Trump called it exactly what it is a huge slap in the face to America.
"It's no wonder that the silent majority protests when you insult the country that gave you the stage. The so called Latin Trap King has fallen to the truth today."
Others pushed back, noting that Bad Bunny has a long history of maintaining a minimal social media presence.
"If you actually looked into it you would see that there were maybe 4 posts on the account and he does this quite often, usually related to a new album dropping which wouldn’t be shocking considering he was just in the Super Bowl," another user responded.
Some reactions mixed humor with concern. "Deleting your entire feed after the Super Bowl is like leaving a wedding and burning the photos on the way out," one joked, while another added, "The noise gets so loud after moments like that. Hope he is good now."
During the halftime show, Bad Bunny delivered a culturally charged performance that many had predicted would be historic for Latino representation. He opened with reggaeton hits including Tití Me Preguntó and Yo Perreo Sola, reappearing atop a casita, a nod to his Puerto Rican residency. Cardi B joined him during a pari de marquesina style house party sequence.
The performance paid tribute to the roots of Latin music when Gasolina briefly played, honoring the Puerto Rican artists who paved the way for Latin trap’s global rise.
He addressed the crowd in Spanish, declaring, "Mi nombre Antonio Martínez Ocasio. Y si hoy estoy aquí en el Super Bowl 60, es porque nunca, nunca dejé de creer en mí y tú también deberías de creer en ti, vales más de lo que piensas."
In English, he said, "My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I´m here today at Super Bowl 60 it's because I never, ever stopped believing in myself and you should also believe in yourself, you´re worth more than you think."
The set continued with Monaco as Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance at a staged wedding, singing her part of Die with a Smile, her collaboration with Bruno Mars, backed by a salsa band.
Bad Bunny then changed into a white salsero-style suit for Baile Inolvidable and NuevaYol, performing amid a block-party scene that included a toast with Tonita, owner of Brooklyn’s Caribbean Social Club.
Ricky Martin joined to perform Lo Que Pasó a Hawaii, a song framed as a rallying cry for Puerto Rico’s autonomy. Visuals showed jíbaros climbing power poles that exploded, symbolizing Puerto Rico’s ongoing power outages, leading into a moving rendition of El Apagón, referencing Hurricane Maria and the island’s continued struggles.
For roughly 13 minutes, the Apple Music and Roc Nation-sponsored show placed Bad Bunny at the center of global attention. He performed entirely in Spanish, with the only English vocals coming from Gaga.
At the end of the set, he said, "God Bless America," before naming countries across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, concluding with, "And my mother land, Puerto Rico."
He exited the stadium performing DtMF.
The performance marked another milestone in Bad Bunny’s meteoric rise. Once a supermarket worker at an Econo in Puerto Rico just a decade ago, he is now one of the most-streamed artists in the world.
He previously appeared at Super Bowl LIV in 2020 alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, but his 2026 solo halftime moment was widely seen as the culmination of his global dominance.
Just last week, Bad Bunny won album of the year at the 2026 Grammys for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, making history as the first all-Spanish language album to take the top prize.
The show was not without controversy. President Donald Trump was among its fiercest critics, calling it "absolutely terrible" on Truth Social.
"It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence," Trump wrote.
"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World."
Bad Bunny has been openly critical of Trump in the past and recently drew attention at the Grammys by saying "ICE out" during a televised acceptance speech.
Ahead of the Super Bowl, he told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden that viewers should expect a celebration of culture.
"I want to bring to the stage, of course, a lot of my culture," he said. "I don't want to give any spoilers. It's going to be fun."
Whether his Instagram wipe signals a new era, a strategic silence, or a response to mounting backlash, one thing is clear: Bad Bunny once again has the world watching his every move.