The TPUSA Halftime Show Was Peak Secondhand Embarrassment
Turning Point USA billed the “All-American Halftime” show as the counter to the Super Bowl. While Bad Bunny drew in more than 135 million viewers in early tallies, the TPUSA “All-American Halftime Show” brought in an underwhelming 6 million viewers. For context, that is 4.44 percent of the number of people who tuned in for Bad Bunny. Social media is filled with jokes today about the TPUSA halftime show headlined by Kid Rock, and for good reason. Here’s what you avoided by watching the Benito Bowl, the most-watched Super Bowl Halftime show ever.
Kid Rock completely flubbed his lip sync performance
Kid Rock was the special headliner for the TPUSA “All-American Halftime Show,” and he delivered a less-than-mediocre performance. It all really fell off the rails quickly. While performing “Bawitdaba,” Kid Rock became completely disconnected with the track playing in the background for him to lip sync.
It is the most blatant lip-syncing failure since Ashlee Simpson was busted lip-syncing when she was a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live!” At least in Simpson’s case, she knew when to call it quits, instead of cosplaying as a musician holding a concert. The Kid Rock lip-syncing flub caught everyone’s attention. It is the most talked-about moment from the TPUSA “All-American Halftime Show.”
Supporters are trying to claim victory with awful ratings in comparison to Bad Bunny
On its own, 6 million for a long publicized concert might be a good get. However, when the point of the show is to be a counter protest of the Super Bowl Halftime show, the threshold is much higher. According to early numbers, Bad Bunny drew in an audience of more than 135 million viewers who vibed along with the Puerto Rican superstar. A quick math lesson shows you one thing. TPUSA’s “All-American Halftime Show” has 4 percent the viewership that the Benito Bowl garnered.
Additionally, the lyrics of the song that Kid Rock poorly lip-synced are the topic of heated discussion today. Many of the people opposed to Bad Bunny’s halftime show were upset about the songs being in Spanish and having inappropriate lyrics. Granted, reggaeton is known for having some spicy lyrics, but Bad Bunny doesn’t venture into morally questionable lyrics.
“Young ladies, young ladies, I like ‘em underage, see / Some say that’s statutory (But I say it’s mandatory,” are lyrics in Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba.” As people fight for their lives in the comments to trash Benito Bowl, others are not letting up.
The counter halftime show as doomed from the beginning, just based on the musicians
Bad Bunny currently sits at the very top of the global music world. San Benito broke new ground by launching the first-ever concert residency in Puerto Rico, an achievement that pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the island’s economy. He followed that by announcing an international tour that notably excludes the United States, a decision he framed as protecting his fans from what he described as aggressive and dangerous ICE enforcement. Earlier this week, he made Grammy history by earning Album of the Year for the first Spanish-language album ever to win the award. On top of it all, he was also named Spotify’s most-streamed artist worldwide in 2025.
Meanwhile, the collection of musicians for the TPUSA “All-American Halftime Show” has significantly fewer streams combined. Additionally, the musicians selected for the counter halftime show are far from household names, other than Kid Rock.
Last night made one truth impossible to ignore: forward momentum isn’t something you can reverse. In the span of a single week, Bad Bunny broke new ground twice—first by winning Album of the Year at the Grammys, then by headlining a Super Bowl Halftime show performed largely in Spanish. And the response spoke for itself. Despite a vocal minority promoting the TPUSA “All-American Halftime Show,” audiences overwhelmingly tuned in, making Bad Bunny’s performance the most-watched halftime show in Super Bowl history.
