Ben Stiller has publicly rejected calls for federal action over Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, mocking a Republican congressman’s demand for an investigation and defending the performance as a celebration of inclusivity and talent.
He Rupture The executive producer and director intervened after Florida Rep. Randy Fine said he was asking the Federal Communications Commission to investigate Bad Bunny’s halftime appearance, which aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Fine described the show as “disgusting, pornographic filth” and claimed it violated broadcast standards after the Puerto Rican superstar allegedly used profanity in Spanish.
Stiller responded directly to Fine on X with a markedly sarcastic post that quickly gained traction.
“Investigation focus: How did Bad Bunny manage to kick ass at such a high level and deliver the most-watched and best-produced halftime show about inclusion and love ever created…investigators plan to explore the source of Bunny’s enormous talent, off-the-charts charisma, and even bigger heart,” he wrote.
Fine, a Republican who represents Florida’s 6th Congressional District, had previously said he would send a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, calling for what he described as “dramatic action.”
In posts and in the letter, Fine argued that the language used during the performance crossed legal boundaries.
“You can’t say the f-word on live TV. ‘Bad Bunny’s disgusting halftime show was illegal,’ he wrote on X.
He added that if similar lyrics had been performed in English, “the broadcast would have been canceled and the fines would have been enormous.”
In the letter itself, Fine doubled down, writing: “It doesn’t matter if you say it in Spanish. Encouraging children to use cocaine on live television is a crime. It doesn’t matter who sings.”
He urged the FCC to “conduct a thorough investigation and apply the maximum penalties allowed by law,” warning that anything less would suggest that indecency is acceptable if it is profitable.
Fine was not alone in his criticism.
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles and Missouri Rep. Mark Alford also called for the FCC to examine the halftime show.
Donald Trump joined the backlash, calling the performance “a slap in the face to our country,” even though Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico.
Stiller’s comments, however, made him one of the most prominent Hollywood figures to publicly ridicule the campaign against the artist.
Stiller’s stance was echoed by similar reactions online from other entertainment figures, including See what happens live host Andy Cohen, who also spent time after the Super Bowl mocking critics of Bad Bunny’s performance on social media.
Despite the political uproar, the halftime show itself attracted massive attention, and the controversy appears to have further highlighted its cultural reach, with Stiller’s defense underscoring a broader pushback against efforts to police language, culture and identity on one of television’s biggest stages.
