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| Randy Fine / Bad Bunny |
The Federal Communications Commission has officially cleared Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance after investigating complaints from several Republican lawmakers who alleged the Puerto Rican artist aired explicit and indecent material during the broadcast.
After reviewing the performance, the FCC found no violations of federal broadcast standards. No fines. No sanctions. No indecency ruling.
The investigation, first reported by the New York Post, focused on three songs performed during the halftime show — “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Monaco,” and “Safaera.” While the original studio recordings contain explicit references to sexual acts and anatomy, the FCC determined those lyrics were removed, edited, or omitted entirely for the live Super Bowl broadcast on NBC.
In short, the explicit lines cited in public complaints were not performed on air.
Randy Fine Sparks Outrage
The controversy was ignited by Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine known for his xenophobic and controversial statements, publicly condemned the performance as “disgusting” and “illegal.” In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Fine wrote that “The woke garbage we witnessed on Super Bowl Sunday needs to be INVESTIGATED and put to an END,” arguing that over 130 million viewers — including children — had been exposed to vulgar content.
Missouri Rep. Mark Alford raised similar concerns on Fox News, acknowledging he does not speak Spanish but claiming that troubling information about the lyrics had surfaced.
However, the FCC’s findings directly contradicted the claims that uncensored explicit content aired during the broadcast.
How the Explicit Lyrics Actually Spread
One of the more ironic twists in the controversy is how millions of Americans ultimately encountered the explicit lyrics in question.
According to widely circulated screenshots and reports, it was Congressman Fine himself that posted English translations of the explicit lyrics on his social media accounts after the halftime show. Those translations were drawn from the original recordings — not from what aired during the Super Bowl broadcast.
As outrage spread online, the translated lyrics were shared repeatedly across Facebook, X, and other platforms. Posts quoting the graphic language generated significant engagement, exposing large audiences to content that most viewers never heard during the live performance.
In effect, the explicit material that passed through network edits and FCC review without violation reached millions not through NBC’s broadcast — but through political amplification on social media thanks to Randy Fine.
Families watching the Super Bowl saw a network-edited performance that complied with federal standards. Online users, however, were exposed to graphic translations circulating in posts demanding accountability.
Critics argue this created a paradox: the very effort to condemn alleged indecency amplified it nationwide.
A Broader Double Standard?
Observers also pointed to what they see as inconsistency in political outrage. No comparable backlash emerged over Kid Rock lyrics referencing drinking, drugs, prostitution, and topless women during a recent Turning Point USA event promoted as “family friendly.”
Bad Bunny’s halftime show averaged 128.2 million viewers on NBC, drew over 69 million views on YouTube, and generated more than 4 billion social media impressions.
The FCC has stated it will not pursue further action unless new evidence emerges.
The episode highlights a modern media reality: controversies often spread less because of what airs on television and more because of how content is amplified online. In this case, federal regulators concluded the broadcast followed the rules.
Yet the explicit lyrics millions debated in the days that followed did not come from the Super Bowl stage — they circulated widely after the show, largely through posts intended to condemn them.
Sometimes outrage does more to distribute content than the original performance ever could.
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