Carlos Santana is publicly addressing false claims circulating online that suggest he criticized Bad Bunny’s selection as the 2026 Super Bowl halftime headliner. Viral online posts claimed Santana opposed the Puerto Rican superstar’s performance, with some asserting that he petitioned to replace him. Santana firmly denied the rumors and voiced his support for Bad Bunny.
“I congratulate and celebrate Bad Bunny‘s success and his position right now with the world and with the Super Bowl,” said Santana in a statement shared with Billboard. “I feel total oneness with what he’s doing because we are here to utilize art to complement and bring the world closer to harmony and oneness.”
The rumors falsely claimed that the legendary guitarist criticized Bad Bunny for wearing a dress during past performances — an accusation Santana called baseless. His manager, Michael Vrionis, attributed the misinformation to AI-generated trolling. “AI has accelerated the spread of misinformation, making it harder for the truth to break through the noise,” said Vrionis in a statement. “Don’t rely on random or unverified posts — even well-meaning outlets can get misled.”
The Mexican superstar continued, saying that the world was going through “a time of fear, division, separation, superiority and inferiority,” which he says only fuels misinformation online. “Fear is the flavor right now. Fear is what motivates ignorant people to put words in my mouth — saying that I didn’t want Bad Bunny to be represented at the Super Bowl,” he said. “I never said that, nor would I ever. Just to be clear, my heart is in total harmony with Bad Bunny, and I celebrate his success, his triumph and his phenomenal achievement. Anything other than that is coming from people’s ignorance.”
Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime show headliner on September 28. The decision sparked backlash from conservative figures, including President Donald Trump, over cultural and language-related grievances. Additionally, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently confirmed an ICE presence at the event, adding to the controversy.
Despite the criticism, Bad Bunny has remained unshaken, hilariously firing back at the criticism during his SNL monologue by encouraging fans to embrace his Spanish-language music. “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn,” he declared on the show after speaking about the importance of representing his culture in Spanish.
Read Santana’s full statement below:
I congratulate and celebrate Bad Bunny’s success and his position right now with the world and with the Super Bowl. I feel total oneness with what he’s doing because we are here to utilize art to complement and bring the world closer to harmony and oneness.
However, we’re living in a time of fear, division, separation, superiority and inferiority. Fear is the flavor right now. Fear is what motivates ignorant people to put words in my mouth – saying that I didn’t want Bad Bunny to be represented at the Super Bowl. I never said that, nor would I ever.
Just to be clear, my heart is in total harmony with Bad Bunny, and I celebrate his success, his triumph and his phenomenal achievement. Anything other than that is coming from people’s ignorance.
We’re living in a time when hostile forces love to create conflict, separation and division, because the hostile forces don’t like unity, harmony, oneness and joy. They want people to be miserable and to spend too much time in their minds. I spend a lot of time in my heart, and in my heart I celebrate Bad Bunny. I can’t stop playing his song “Monaco” — there’s something really magical about it.
Angels gravitate to light. Anybody who believes I could say the fabricated comments about Bad Bunny are not in harmony with themselves. The people who make up such things – I invite them to do something more creative with their energy. If you’re going to create a dialogue, create a dialogue for America of unity, harmony and oneness. Lord knows we need it right now.
In conclusion, let me say this: Santana is all about bringing unity, harmony, oneness, hope, courage, enthusiasm, light, spirit and soul. Peace in your heart, peace in your mind, peace in your family. We are one — peace on Earth!
