This Super Bowl Sunday, viewers had not one, but two choices for mid-game entertainment: Bad Bunny‘s official halftime show and Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show.”
And while the former is expected to garner well over 100 million views — keeping in pattern with Super Bowl halftimes past, with Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 showing attracting a record 133.5 million — the latter also played to a significant audience on Sunday (Feb. 8). Promoted as counterprogramming against the NFL’s choice in a Spanish-language performer to headline the Big Game in 2026, the TPUSA bill featured country musicians Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, and was exclusively available to stream live on YouTube.
So how many views did the alt-halftime show get? At press time, the program — which is now available to play back on YouTube — has attracted more than 19 million views in less than 24 hours. (At the same time, the video of Bad Bunny’s performance on the platform has more than 24 million views.)
And, according to The New York Times, as countless others were watching the proverbial Benito Bowl, about 6.1 million concurrent viewers were tuning in live to the “All-American Halftime Show.”
Billboard has reached out to Turning Point USA for confirmation.
The road to the 2026 Super Bowl was tumultuous, and not just for the teams who played (the Seattle Seahawks, who won 29-13, and the New England Patriots). Shortly after halftime sponsor Apple Music announced Bad Bunny as this year’s headliner, a wave of conservatives — including President Donald Trump and members of his administration — expressed outrage, calling the decision anti-American.
Nevertheless, the six-time Grammy winner — who, by the way, is an American citizen from Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States — used his time on the field at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., to showcase his heritage and remind viewers that “together, we are American,” a message he held up on a football toward the end. Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin both made surprise cameos, while stars such as Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Jessica Alba and Cardi B stood on stage behind him.
Check out the “All-American Halftime Show” above.
