Super Bowl LX Lineup Ignites Political Firestorm as Green Day and Bad Bunny Take Center Stage

The NFL’s Super Bowl LX entertainment lineup has drawn political backlash after the league added Green Day to an event already headlined by Bad Bunny, two artists who have repeatedly criticized former President Donald Trump.

The league announced that Green Day will open the Feb. 8 game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, performing during the opening ceremony ahead of Bad Bunny’s halftime show. The move has sparked conservative criticism of the Super Bowl lineup, as both artists are known for their public opposition to Trump and his policies.

Green Day has consistently used its music and performances to make political statements. During the band’s first show of 2026 on Jan. 17 at the iHeartRadio ALTer EGO event at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong introduced the song “Holiday” by telling the crowd it is “anti-fascism” and “anti-war,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The song, released on the band’s 2004 album American Idiot, was initially written to critique President George W. Bush and the Iraq War but has since become a staple of protest-oriented performances.

Armstrong has made repeated political remarks during concerts over the past year. At a September concert, he mocked the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files by comparing it to a rocket launch nearby during the performance. “A rocket? Is that what that was?” Armstrong asked the crowd before adding, “I was like, ‘There goes the Epstein files!’” NME reported. In June, Armstrong condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles, directing agents to “F off,” and later urged fans at Download Festival to resist “slipping into fascism.” On July 4, he led chants of “F Donald Trump” just hours after Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Bad Bunny’s involvement in Super Bowl LX has generated similar attention. The Puerto Rican artist was announced as the halftime headliner four months before Green Day was added to the bill. He later excluded the United States from his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour, citing concerns that ICE could use his concerts to target his largely Latino fan base. In the video for “NUEVAYoL,” Bad Bunny included a segment in which he mimics Trump’s voice and declares that “this country is nothing without its immigrants.”

The pairing has fueled online speculation that the NFL is advancing a political message. Conservative commentators and public figures have criticized the league following the announcements. “Green Day opening up for Super Bowl 60 is enough for me to boycott the game,” conservative content creator and former boxer David Nino Rodriguez wrote on X. “If it wasn’t disrespectful enough, Bad Bunny will be performing at the halftime show, but the NFL have announced Green Day will be the main performance at the Superbowl LX Opening Ceremony,” wrote conservative social media influencer TheBubbaDude, adding, “The NFL hates America.” Former racecar driver Danica Patrick also criticized Bad Bunny’s selection shortly after it was announced, writing on social media, “No songs in English should not be allowed at one of America’s highest-rated television events of the year.”

During an October televised interview, Trump remarked, “I never heard of him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it — it’s crazy.”