Bad Bunny conquered the Grammys. Now he just collected his first Emmy Award.
The Puerto Rican superstar — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — won the statuette for Best Variety Special (Live) at Emmys Night 1 on Saturday for his sizzling, much-scrutinized halftime show at Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. It beat out the Golden Globes, Grammy Award, Oscars, and Tony Awards. He was not in attendance to receive the prize.
Bad Bunny’s performance set a Grammy record for halftime shows with nine total bids and wound up winning seven, also a record: in addition to variety special, it also scored for directing, music direction, choreography, sound mixing, lighting design, and technical direction.
Featuring surprise assists from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin and a dancing crew that included Jessica Alba, Cardi B, and Pedro Pascal, Bad Bunny’s rousing reggaeton-flavored show avoided any Big Political Statements, largely sticking to a Puerto Rico-celebrating set that included hits like “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Nuevayol,” and “DMTF.” His show ended with the stadium displays declaring, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
Going into the Super Bowl, there was much right-wing consternation over the NFL’s selection of Bad Bunny for the coveted slot, given that he performs in Spanish — often wearing dresses — and is a vocal critic of Trump administration policies. The MAGA crowd went so far as to counterprogram in the form of a widely lampooned Kid Rock-led show for Turning Point USA.
So far this decade, the halftime headliner has been guaranteed a ticket to the Emmys.
Beginning in 2020, which saw Bad Bunny perform alongside Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, J Balvin, and Emme Muniz, the show and its performers have received a nomination for Live Variety Special. That includes sets by The Weekend (2021); Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent (2022); Rihanna (2023); Usher with Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon, and Ludacris (2024); and Kendrick Lamar with SZA (2025).
The all-star 2022 edition won the Live Variety Special award — which also marked the first time hip-hop artists claimed a category traditionally dominated by Broadway acts. While Lamar missed out on the Variety Special award for his buzzy performance at last year’s Super Bowl, he did land a nice consolation prize: the Emmy for Music Direction.
Bad Bunny has kept the streak going, adding an Emmy to his trio of 2026 Grammy Awards, including an historic Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
