In a major fumble, the Charlie Kirk-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) announced a last-minute change to its ‘All-American Halftime Show’ streaming options. The conservative organisation had widely announced plans to stream an “alternative” live performance in an attempt to compete with Bad Bunny’s official Super Bowl 2026 outing.

Currently led by the late influencer’s wife Erika Kirk, the TPUSA had previously declared that their own version of the Halftime Show would be streamed live across all their social media platforms. However, their plans to host the show on X took a drastic U-turn just hours before the livestream was meant to kick off online.

“UPDATE: Due to licensing restrictions, we are unable to stream The All-American Halftime Show on X,” the organisation shared via X. TPUSA ultimately re-directed conservative fans to its YouTube channel to tune into the live show.

MAGA vs Bad Bunny: The Super Bowl Halftime Show multiverse

Detroit-based musician Kid Rock was listed as the headliner of the MAGA-backed All-American Halftime Show as opposed to Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny taking over the actual Super Bowl Halftime Show buzz.

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TPUSA’s event was streamed during the championship game’s official show, as it kicked off 20 minutes before the Super Bowl performance. However, Kid Rock only started performing until after Bad Bunny’s performance wrapped up at the Super Bowl 2026 venue.

Right before the TPUSA’s Halftime Show “alternative” started, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s pre-recorded message made headlines. “This year, we mark 250 years since a band of citizens pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honour,” he told viewers. “Freedom is not automatic; it is defended by a strong nation and a ready force, and that’s our job.”

Turning Point vs Bad Bunny halftime show: Poll results

Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl in the US, shocking poll results showed that a majority of Americans were more interested in watching the Bad Bunny-headlined concert instead of Kid Rock’s Turning Point outing.

According to a YouGov American survey released Friday, 35% of respondents said they preferred the Puerto Rican rapper’s halftime show as opposed to the 28% who spoke out in favour of the conservative group’s “alternative.”

Although a majority of Republican respondents sided with TPUSA’s concert, some still chose to pick Bad Bunny as their preference. 55% of Republicans responding to the survey opted for the Kid Rock headliner, while 13% of Republicans said they would watch Bad Bunny.

Meanwhile, 63% of Democratic respondents picked the Latin rapper’s show, while only 7% on the far-left preferred the conservative singer.

On top of that, a third of those responding to the survey (34%) said that they were very or somewhat satisfied that Bad Bunny was performing at the Super Bowl. On the flip side, 26% said they are very or somewhat dissatisfied.

All in all, the YouGov poll collated responses from two surveys conducted on Feb 4 and Feb 5-6. The first one got responses from 3,023 American adults and had a margin of error of 2%. On the other hand, the second one got responses from 7,305 adults and its margin of error was approximately 1.5%.

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What sparked the Bad Bunny-MAGA rivalry?

Bad Bunny made history on Sunday, becoming the first solo Latin artist to headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show. But that wasn’t enough to impress the conservative crowd.

The NFL’s decision to have the Puerto Rican rapper lead the charge on Feb 8 was hit with massive backlash owing to his staunch advocacy for immigrant rights amid the Donald Trump administration’s crackdown. Bad Bunny has even previously refused to put mainland US on his world tour list, voicing fears of ICE operations.

Even at the Grammys on Feb 1, Bunny openly declared his anti-ICE stance after winning the Album of the Year honour. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say, ICE out,” he said. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.”

Given the Latin singer’s anti-Trump sentiment, TPUSA immediately announced its decision to host a separate Halftime Show led by conservative star Kid Rock after NFL unveiled its Super Bowl performer. 

Reacting to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show, US President Donald Trump called it “one of the worst ever.”

Taking to his Truth Social platform after the performance, he fumed online, “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”

“This ‘Show’ is just a ‘slap in the face’ to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History! There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD — And, by the way, the NFL should immediately replace its ridiculous new Kickoff Rule. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”