Turning Point USA's bid for cultural relevance — and more money — just couldn't compete with Bad Bunny
Amanda Marcotte at Salon:
Perhaps it’s a sign that I am an empathy-poisoned liberal, but it was hard to choke back the pity watching the alternative halftime show aired by Turning Point USA during Sunday’s Super Bowl game. Despite having months to book and organize an event that was supposed to draw millions away from the real deal, TPUSA couldn’t even pack the small space for audience members on the soundstage — not a stadium, arena, theater or even a club — they rented for the occasion. The promise of seeing the washed-up Kid Rock in an intimate setting appears to thrill no one. Organizers declared that huge numbers of Americans would prefer this to the actual halftime show, but the anemic audience present for the taping suggested they couldn’t get anyone who isn’t a paid TPUSA staff member.
Initially, it looked like there might not be much of an “All-American Halftime” at all. TPUSA announced the show in October in an impulsive attempt to capitalize on an explosion of right-wing outrage after reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny was revealed as the halftime headliner for the Super Bowl. Racist whining is certainly a good source of money and attention for TPUSA, but as the day of the “alternative” halftime drew nearer, the organization still hadn’t announced any performers. Speculation was rife that they’d simply been unable to book anyone, which could lead a cynic to wonder if Kid Rock and the D-list country performers they finally revealed as headliners at the last minute swooped in to save TPUSA from embarrassment.
If so, it didn’t work. While the number of people watching on YouTube peaked at 6.1 million, according to the New York Times — a respectable number for barely-known country musicians and a haggard has-been like Kid Rock — it was less than 6/100th of the predicted audience for the actual Super Bowl halftime show, which drew well over 133 million in 2025. Brantley Gilbert, Gabby Barrett and Lee Brice all turned in adequate country sets that would be perfectly passable as live entertainment at your local barbecue joint. Unfortunately for them, the live chat on YouTube suggested the fans weren’t tuning in for the music, but out of a sense of duty to their MAGA tribe. Commenters referenced Jesus, TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, the American flag and hating Bad Bunny — but no one seemed to have much to say about the music or the performances. People with actual opinions of the show were those who popped in to troll, offering variations of “this sucks” and “pathetic.” As for actual fans of TPUSA, one got the impression many were watching and commenting with the sound off. Mr. Rock himself was presumably a competent performer at some point in his life, and he can certainly jump around more than most Republican voters his age. But as the counterpoint to Bad Bunny, one of the most popular musicians and electrifying performers in the world, his set was a tough hang.
Things got even weirder when it came to the headliner. Mr. Rock himself was presumably a competent performer at some point in his life, and he can certainly jump around more than most Republican voters his age. But as the counterpoint to Bad Bunny, one of the most popular musicians and dynamic performers in the world, his set was a tough hang. Kid Rock didn’t really bother to lip sync while bouncing around half-heartedly to “Bawitdaba,” his breakthrough single from 1999. Somehow, that was still the least bad part of his brief show. He did one more song under his real name, Robert Ritchie, about how he loves Jesus. His performance wasn’t even amusingly bad. It was the worst thing you can be in music: boring. The same cannot be said for the real deal. Bad Bunny’s halftime show was sheer joy — a celebration of Latino culture and American values. In sets that included a field of sugar cane, a wedding ceremony, a bodega and workers on electric poles depicting the rebuilding of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, the rapper turned in an electric performance mostly in Spanish that included surprise assists from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. In one emotional moment, Bad Bunny handed one of the Grammys he won last weekend to a boy who resembled Liam Conejo Ramos. Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump took to social media to call the show “absolutely terrible” and “an affront to the greatness of America.”
On the other hand, TPUSA’s night was doomed from the get-go. Beyond snagging Kid Rock as a last-minute salvation, the show had no marketing aside from “Watch this to trigger the liberals.” The irony is that it could turn out to not have been worth the hassle of booking Kid Rock in the first place. Andrew Kolvet, who serves as the organization’s spokesman and now hosts Charlie Kirk’s podcast, announced on X that the show would “celebrate faith, family, and freedom.” In response, a sea of users reminded him of Kid Rock’s 2001 song “Cool Daddy Cool,” which instead celebrates raping teenage girls. “Young ladies, young ladies / I like ’em underage / See some say that’s statutory / But I say that’s mandatory,” he declares, acknowledging with the word “statutory” that this is, in fact, rape.
The All-American Halftime Show produced by Turning Point USA was a major letdown.
See Also:
Daily Kos: Let's talk about that weird other halftime 'show'
