Forbes Magazine reports Turning Point USA’s choice of country-rapper Kid Rock to perform at an alternative halftime show during the Super Bowl was two decades too late.
Conservative organization Turning Point is looking to build a halftime home for frustrated Trump voters riled at the idea of Spanish-speaking U.S. citizen Bad Bunny headlining the NFL show. But Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, isn’t likely to hit with many people under the age of 40.
“Bad Bunny has far more career streams in the United States — 26.8 billion, compared to 4.9 billion by Kid Rock — and many more globally,” reports Forbes. “He was Spotify’s top artist globally of 2025, ranking No. 5 in the United States, while Billboard named his Grammy-winning album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” the eighth-biggest album of 2025. Bad Bunny has charted 113 songs on the Hot 100, including three top 10 hits last year.”
The MAGA-branded Kid Rock, meanwhile, hasn’t had a song on the Hot 100 chart in more than a decade, when “First Kiss” hit No. 66 in 2015. And he hasn’t had a top 10 single since 2002. His last album, “Bad Reputation,” peaked at No. 124 at release in 2022 — and it toppled from the chart one week later, marking the worst-performing studio album of his career, reports Forbes.
Turning Point USA, led by Erika Kirk — the widow of late cofounder Charlie Kirk — announced Kid Rock in its “All-American Halftime Show,” lineup somewhat late in the process, suggesting that building the lineup was no easy feat. Other performers include country singer Brantley Gilbert, Grammy nominated singer Lee Brice and country singer Gabby Barrett, which critics have described as a troupe with minimal recognition.
But the NFL is likely to stick to its guns on its decision enflaming the MAGA world.
In 2024, NFL games accounted for 70 percent of the most-watched U.S. telecasts, according to MS NOW. That means there may be no more room for the league to expand domestically. With that in mind, NFL leaders are likely looking to expand viewership beyond the America-only MAGA crowd.
“The league needs new audiences,” reports MS NOW, “and nobody’s better positioned to attract a global audience than Bad Bunny.”
“NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended booking Bad Bunny both after his Grammys speech and after the choice had sparked backlash,” reports Forbes. “Goodell called Bad Bunny ‘one of the great artists in the world’ earlier this week, saying he understands his ‘platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together.’”
