Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny plans to wear a dress during his Super Bowl halftime show as a nod to LGBTQ icons and drag culture, according to RadarOnline.
The entertainer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, was already a divisive choice by the NFL to headline its marquee event and was widely criticized by conservatives.
According to RadarOnline, the dress — paired with a fully Spanish-language performance — is a deliberate provocation designed to fuel the culture-war debate.
"He loves controversy. He lives to push envelopes," a stylist involved in the rapper's wardrobe told RadarOnline. "He is 100% going to wear a dress. A political thunderbolt disguised as couture."
A second source told the outlet, "He's not playing it safe. The NFL has no idea what's coming. Zero."
President Donald Trump told Newsmax in October that he was not happy with the selection of Bad Bunny to perform at the Super Bowl, slated for Feb. 8.
"I've never heard of him," Trump said. "I don't know who he is.
"I don't know why they're doing it. It's crazy. I think it's absolutely ridiculous."
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also ripped the NFL's selection.
"Well, it sounds like he's not someone who appeals to a broader audience," Johnson said in October. "There are so many eyes on the Super Bowl — a lot of young, impressionable children — and I think, in my view, you would have Lee Greenwood or role models doing that.
"Not somebody like this."
"Let them complain. The dress is already being sewn," a source told RadarOnline.
In response, Turning Point USA announced plans for its own Super Bowl halftime event as counterprogramming to the official show, built around the theme of "faith, family, and freedom."
A lineup of performers has not yet been announced.
The Super Bowl will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The matchup will be set after Sunday’s AFC and NFC conference championship games.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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