Bad Bunny dominated Super Bowl Sunday in more ways than one. The global superstar’s halftime performance pulled in an estimated 128.2 million viewers between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen figures cited by The Daily Beast, far outpacing Turning Point USA’s Kid Rock-led alternative show, which drew about 6.1 million viewers on YouTube.
The Super Bowl itself averaged 124.9 million viewers overall, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts in television history. At its peak during the second quarter, viewership climbed to nearly 138 million.
Turning Point USA had billed its “All-American Halftime Show” as a patriotic counterprogramming option, but the pre-taped event faced technical issues and was unable to stream on X because of licensing limitations.
Kid Rock later pushed back against online claims that he lip-synced, saying in a video that the performance was authentic.
Republicans now reportedly want revenge. Missouri Congressman Mark Alford claimed on Fox News that Bad Bunny’s performance was being “looked into” over lyrics he described as “very disturbing,” while also admitting he does not speak Spanish. “If it’s true what was said on national television, we have a lot of questions,” Alford said.
So far, no evidence has surfaced to support those claims. Several popular YouTubers have claimed that the TPUSA show may have used other means to boost the numbers.
