Unhealthy Bunny’s controversial Tremendous Bowl halftime act has been scrutinized by the Federal Communications Fee for potential violations of its guidelines that prohibit “indecent materials” and offensive language on public airwaves, On The Cash has discovered.
The FCC’s preliminary take is that the act and the songs that the Puerto Rican rapper belted out through the half-time present — “Tití Me Preguntó,”Monaco,” and “Safaera” — have been scrubbed of lyrics that usually embody references to intercourse acts and genitalia.
In the event that they hadn’t been censored, the smutty lyrics might have violated FCC guidelines banning profanity and obscenity throughout prime time hours, in keeping with an individual with direct data of the matter. The company is alleged to have shelved any extra scrutiny barring additional proof, this individual added.
Each an NFL spokesman and a rep for Unhealthy Bunny didn’t return requests for remark. A FCC rep had no quick remark.
Unhealthy Bunny is the stage identify for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, a 31-year-old pop star identified for a number of issues: His sartorial aptitude (typically sporting a costume on stage), singing in Spanish and his risqué lyrics. Certainly, he’s additionally identified to channel progressive politics in his performances.
That type has made him well-liked with tens of millions of followers, however not essentially with the typical NFL fan, who’s decidedly right-of-center.
At this yr’s Grammys, Unhealthy Bunny took a dig at President Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. His halftime present took up that theme once more with depictions of Latin American life with the backdrop of sugar cane fields and numerous Latin American flags.
The NFL has been making an attempt to develop into the Latin American market, which can clarify a few of this. That mentioned, abrupt adjustments in advertising carry dangers, as evidenced by backlash towards Bud Mild after it featured a trans activist in one among its commercials again in 2023.
Unhealthy Bunny sparked an analogous response. Whereas progressives have celebrated, conservatives and lots of soccer followers panned his implied assaults on President Trump, and what they alleged have been crude dance numbers that led to requires an FCC obscenity investigation.
FCC guidelines prohibit what may be broadly outlined as obscene materials on free TV (versus cable), notably throughout so-called prime time, or between the hours of seven pm and 11 pm, relying in your time zone.
“Language or materials that, in context, depicts or describes, in phrases patently offensive as measured by up to date group requirements for the published medium, sexual or excretory organs or actions … could also be topic to enforcement motion by the FCC,” the company warns on its web site.
Unhealthy Bunny carried out between roughly 8pm and eight:30 pm, the candy spot of prime time with an ensemble dance act that featured twerking and in any other case soiled dancing to typically even dirtier ditties.
After the present, GOP Florida congressman Randy Fantastic wrote FCC chairman Brendan Carr stating that “The woke rubbish we witnessed on Tremendous Bowl Sunday must be INVESTIGATED and put to an END.” Fantastic added: “There’s NO cause that over 130 million folks — together with CHILDREN — ought to have been uncovered to the vulgar and disgusting content material of the 2026 Tremendous Bowl halftime present.”
One downside with any doable FCC inquiry is that Unhealthy Bunny sang in Spanish. So presumably when the FCC managed to get a translation of what was truly mentioned, the proof of rule violations appeared skinny at finest. The aberrant language was both modified or bleeped out, mentioned the individual aware of the FCC scrutiny.
Whereas the inquiry into Unhealthy Bunny’s allegedly unhealthy conduct has stalled, one other consequence lingers – specifically, how many individuals tuned in and have been turned off.
The halftime present was touted by NBC, which aired the large recreation, and the NFL, for setting report general rankings. But many analysts have questioned these metrics, and the way Unhealthy Bunny’s himself truly rated.
In response to Nielsen Information reviewed by On The Cash, the Tremendous Bowl drew its highest numbers Sunday evening of 137, 826 viewers through the quarter-hour which spanned the second quarter of the sport. After that and through the time slots of the halftime present that included Unhealthy Bunny’s efficiency, the published started dropping viewership, declines of 1%, 6% and 5% till across the time the third quarter play started and the rankings jumped to a constructive 7%.
“Primarily based on my understanding of the info, Unhealthy Bunny misplaced extra % of the Tremendous Bowl viewership from the tip of the second quarter than has ever occurred earlier than,” tweeted Ryan Glasspeigel, a reporter for Entrance Workplace Sports activities on Wednesday.
“The NFL has an fascinating dilemma in making an attempt to court docket new followers vs alienating the bottom.”
