Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

Letters from Leo — the American Pope & US Politics

Two American Catholics Stole the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga turned the world’s biggest stage into a celebration of faith, family and the diversity of American Catholicism — outshining a feeble MAGA counter-program in the process.

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Christopher Hale
Feb 10, 2026
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At Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on Sunday night, a Puerto Rican former choirboy and an Italian-American pop icon teamed up to deliver the most-watched halftime show in NFL history. Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga — both proudly shaped by Catholic upbringings — stole the show with a performance that had a distinctly Catholic flavor.

While a fringe MAGA crowd tuned in to an “All-American” alternative concert headlined by Kid Rock (playing to a few hundred people in a secret location), over 135 million viewers watched Bad Bunny’s official Apple Music Halftime spectacle.

The Turning Point USA livestream with Kid Rock drew roughly 5 million online viewers (about 5% of the main event’s audience) — a stark reminder that in today’s America, inclusive joy can beat out manufactured outrage.

Kid Rock: Meeting Brokered With Trump and Bill Maher 'Blew My Mind'

While Kid Rock, 55, stumbled through old lyrics about having sex with strippers, the rest of America was celebrating marriage and family on the main stage.

Bad Bunny’s Faith-Fueled Journey

Bad Bunny is an unlikely Catholic ambassador on the surface — known for flamboyant reggaetón anthems — yet his roots trace back to a devout Catholic home in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.

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