"The View" co-hosts argued Friday that Americans who watch Turning Point USA's (TPUSA) alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show are doing so out of racism.
While discussing whether Bad Bunny's upcoming performance at the big game will be political, co-host Sara Haines said, "At the end of the day, this is a business model. Nobody is looking to make moral statements. They picked Bad Bunny because he was the most-streamed artist of 2025, with over 19.8 billion streams. They picked the guy that will draw in the people to watch the halftime show. It's that simple. It's not political. The people tuning in know it's good music. It's a talented artist -"
"Will he say something political?" co-host Joy Behar interjected.
"His existence is being made political - that's the point," Haines replied. "The problem is anyone watching the Turning Point show - it's only political. So if you're watching the halftime show, and you get awesome music, and if you're watching Turning Point, it's because you're choosing to be political."
KAROLINE LEAVITT SAYS TRUMP PREFERS NOT TO WATCH BAD BUNNY AT SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW
Kid Rock appeared Monday on "The Charlie Kirk Show" to announce that he will headline Turning Point USA's "All-American Halftime Show," an alternative to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance.
Behar went on to read a quote from Kid Rock contrasting the upcoming halftime show with his own performance plans.
"So this is from Kid Rock taking jabs at Bad Bunny, quote, 'He said he's having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish. Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America,'" she said. "So, in other words, if you're speaking in Spanish and you want to dance, that makes you un-American, according to Kid Rock."
Co-host Sunny Hostin rejected criticism of the halftime show, telling viewers, "Just for a public service announcement for those people, Puerto Ricans are American citizens, because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. So all Puerto Ricans that are born in Puerto Rico or here on the mainland are American citizens. So Bad Bunny, while he speaks Spanish - as Ana does, as I do - we're all Americans."
"I think what's fascinating is that this off-brand type of halftime show is even happening, because they think that Bad Bunny is not American," she continued. "And think about all the other acts that have performed during halftime like Phil Collins, he's from the U.K., OK? The Who, U.K., U2, U.K., Coldplay? U.K! They're not American and that didn't make the halftime show un-American."
"It is so very racist what is happening in this country about Bad Bunny," Hostin added. "Let's just call a thing a thing. It's just racism, pure and simple."
EX-NFL STAR HOPES SUPER BOWL LX CAN STEER CLEAR OF POLITICS, PROVIDE FANS 'AN ESCAPE'
Last year, Bad Bunny said he avoided scheduling mainland U.S. tour dates over concerns that Latino fans could be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). His selection as the Super Bowl LX halftime performer has sparked backlash from some conservatives - including President Donald Trump.
At the recent Grammy Awards, Bad Bunny said "ICE out" in condemnation of Trump's deportation efforts while accepting the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album, and declared, "We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens - we are humans, and we are Americans."
Later in "The View" discussion, co-host Ana Navarro said Bad Bunny "is a Latino and Hispanic who never shied away from defending his culture, his identity, and his people."
The backlash to the halftime show, she said, "is about racism - people who think that being American only means looking a certain way, sounding a certain way, singing a certain way, dancing a certain way. Puerto Ricans have been natural-born citizens of the United States since 1917."
"The Latino community is the fastest growing fan base in the NFL," Navarro continued. "I hate to break it to the racists, but not only are you going to have to watch Bad Bunny at the halftime show - you can turn it off - but you'll have to deal with the fact that probably the first pick in the upcoming NFL draft is a guy named Fernando Mendoza!"
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
She concluded, "I don't care what they do. If you want to watch Kid Rock, go at it. If, you know, you want to watch the guy with no Grammys instead of the guy with 18 Grammys, go at it. If you want to watch the guy who is hot - Bad Bunny - or the guy who is not, go at it."
"You're not going to take one iota of joy away from the Latino community and from everybody in this country who is open to culture, is open to music, is open to having music being unifying," Navarro added. "And this is such a significant moment for the Latino community that has been under attack, and so we're going to celebrate it, and we don't care what you all are doing."
