Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA Launch “All-American Halftime Show” to Rival Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Spotlight

By Staff Writer
January 2026

As the countdown to Super Bowl LX intensifies, the expected chatter about team matchups, halftime performances, and celebrity ads has taken a sudden cultural turn — and it’s drawing sharp lines across America’s political and entertainment landscape.

Turning Point USA, the conservative nonprofit founded by the late Charlie Kirk and now led by his widow, Erika Kirk, has announced plans to host an “All-American Halftime Show” to air simultaneously with the NFL’s official halftime broadcast, headlined this year by global Latin music icon Bad Bunny.

The announcement has reignited tensions between culture and politics, identity and entertainment, and sparked what many are calling the most openly ideological halftime season in Super Bowl history.

“This isn’t about music. It’s about values,” said Erika Kirk in a statement shared on social media. “Millions of Americans are tired of feeling culturally sidelined by institutions that no longer reflect their beliefs.”


🏈 The NFL’s Choice: Global Appeal Meets Political Firestorm

Bad Bunny — the Puerto Rican megastar known for his genre-defying music, Spanish-language lyrics, and unapologetic political activism — was announced as the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner during the Week 17 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers. The choice was widely celebrated by his global fanbase and entertainment media as a recognition of Latin music’s growing dominance in the U.S. cultural landscape.

But not everyone cheered.

Within hours, critics took to social media to question the NFL’s decision, with some conservative commentators arguing that a performer who “criticizes American institutions” and “sings primarily in Spanish” should not be the centerpiece of what many view as a “quintessentially American event.”

The backlash intensified after resurfaced clips of Bad Bunny criticizing U.S. immigration policy and mocking cable news hosts during his Saturday Night Live monologue. The flames were further fanned by reports that ICE agents would be present at the 2026 Super Bowl in Las Vegas, drawing renewed attention to political divides surrounding immigration and cultural identity.


🇺🇸 Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show”

Enter Turning Point USA.

In what critics see as counter-programming and supporters hail as cultural defiance, TPUSA’s announcement positions the “All-American Halftime Show” as an alternative for viewers who want “music that reflects American values, performed in the language of American life.”

The event is set to stream across Turning Point’s digital platforms, including partnerships with faith-based networks, conservative streaming platforms, and over 200 student chapters at colleges across the country.

On the official signup form, users are asked to select preferred music genres. Options include:

Country

Worship

Rock

“Anything in English”

So far, TPUSA has declined to name its musical headliners but has teased a mix of faith-forward artists, country stars, and “family-safe content that celebrates America’s traditions.”

“We’re giving people a choice,” said TPUSA Director of Culture Initiatives, Maddie Caldwell. “If you love football, but don’t want the cultural guilt trip that sometimes comes with the halftime show, this is for you.”


✝️ Erika Kirk Steps Forward

While Charlie Kirk had long been the public face of TPUSA, his unexpected death in 2025 left a leadership vacuum in one of America’s most prominent conservative youth organizations.

Now, Erika Kirk has stepped into that void — rebranding herself as not just a political figure, but a culture-shaping force, emphasizing motherhood, faith, and traditional American identity.

Kirk, a former media contributor and advocate for pro-life causes, has quietly built a new kind of platform over the past year: part political influencer, part lifestyle leader. The All-American Halftime Show is her first high-profile initiative since assuming full leadership of TPUSA — and it sends a clear signal.

“It’s not about being anti-anyone,” Erika said during a livestream Q&A. “It’s about being for something. For God. For family. For American values. And yes, for English as a unifying cultural thread.”


🎤 The Bigger Conversation: What Makes a Halftime Show “American”?

Bad Bunny’s upcoming performance has sparked conversations far beyond the NFL.

Is singing in Spanish at the Super Bowl un-American? Or is it a reflection of America’s evolving identity — multilingual, multicultural, and global?

To his supporters, Bad Bunny represents the next generation of American storytelling, embodying the dreams of millions of first- and second-generation citizens who see themselves not in Bruce Springsteen or Garth Brooks, but in someone who sings their story in their native tongue.

“This is about representation,” said music critic Maribel Gutierrez. “Bad Bunny is American. Puerto Rico is American. His music is as much part of our culture now as rock or country ever was.”

But for others, the show feels alienating.

“I love football,” one commenter wrote on TPUSA’s site. “But when I turn on the Super Bowl, I want to feel connected — not like I’m the outsider in my own country.”


💬 Reactions Across the Spectrum

Social media, as expected, has lit up.

#AllAmericanHalftime trended within hours of the announcement.

#LetHimSing — a pro-Bad Bunny counter-movement — emerged the same day.

Influencers on both sides are posting reaction videos, analysis clips, and dueling music playlists under the banner of “culture war halftime.”

Even celebrities are weighing in.

Kid Rock reposted TPUSA’s announcement with the caption: “Finally, something worth watching.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted: “If singing in Spanish is controversial at the Super Bowl, we’ve lost the plot.”

The NFL has not commented on the controversy but is reportedly moving forward with Bad Bunny’s performance as planned.


📺 What Viewers Can Expect on Game Day

The All-American Halftime Show is scheduled to begin simultaneously with the official NFL halftime broadcast and will run approximately 15 minutes. TPUSA promises high production value, “meaningful performances,” and “music rooted in faith, family, and freedom.”

They’ve also teased appearances from veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families — “to remind viewers who we are, and why we still stand proud.”

Whether it draws millions or thousands, it’s clear the show is not just entertainment — it’s a statement.


🔍 What This Says About America Right Now

In many ways, the dual halftime shows reflect a deeper national moment: a country divided not by football, but by worldview.

To one half of the country, Bad Bunny is a triumph — a reflection of progress, diversity, and cultural evolution.

To the other, TPUSA’s show is a last stand — a musical reminder that not everyone feels seen or spoken to by modern pop culture.

“This isn’t just a halftime show,” said political analyst Jada Patel. “It’s a mirror — showing two Americas that no longer speak the same cultural language.”


🏁 Final Thought: Two Stages, One Nation

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, millions will tune in for touchdowns, commercials, and halftime glitz. But this year, viewers may find themselves choosing not just a channel, but a cultural identity.

Will it be Bad Bunny’s stadium spectacle — rhythmic, global, unapologetically bilingual?

Or Erika Kirk’s All-American Halftime Show — traditional, faith-based, defiantly English?

In 2026, the question isn’t just who wins the game.

It’s who wins the moment.