Charlie Puth to perform US national anthem at Super Bowl 2026
Charlie Puth will have the honour of performing The Star-Spangled Banner at next year's Super Bowl.
Charlie Puth will perform the national anthem at the 2026 Super Bowl.
The Attention singer will belt out The Star-Spangled Banner ahead of Bad Bunny's Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8.
Brandi Carlile will perform America the Beautiful, while Coco Jones will sing Lift Every Voice and Sing.
NFL senior VP of global event production Jon Barker said: “Super Bowl Sunday is the world’s biggest entertainment stage, and we’re proud to spotlight artists who embody the very best of music and culture."
Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez added: “Charlie, Brandi, and Coco are generational talents, and we are honoured to have them — alongside our extraordinary deaf performers — on Super Bowl LX’s world stage. This moment embodies the very best of culture, live performance, and our country, perfectly kicking off game day.”
Bad Bunny's headline slot has caused quite the stir. However, Roc Nation boss Jay-Z doesn't believe the backlash is legit.
Super Bowl halftime show performers are selected by the NFL together with Apple Music and Roc Nation - the entertainment company founded by the rap mogul - and the decision to choose the Latin superstar was met with some criticism after the rapper refused to take his upcoming world tour to the US due to his concern about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
US President Donald Trump was among those to voice their disapproval of the choice of headliner, who is planning a Spanish-only performance at the NFL showpiece.
While signing items for fans in New York in a clip published by TMZ in October, a fan said to Jay-Z: “We gotta talk Bad Bunny."
He bluntly responded: “I don’t wanna talk about nothing.”
He was then asked: “Why are people hating on him?”, to which he replied: “They love him. Don’t let them fool you.”
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In the official NFL announcement announcing Bad Bunny - whose real name is Benito Ocasio - as the headline act, Jay-Z said: “What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honoured to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
Trump, meanwhile, told Newsmax's Greg Kelly: "I don't know who he is. I don't know why they're doing it - it's, like crazy.
"They blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it's absolutely ridiculous."
Bad Bunny told his critics that they have four months to learn Spanish before his performance.
In his monologue on Saturday Night Live, he said: "I'm really excited to be doing the Super Bowl, I know that people all around the world who love my music are also happy."
The Dakiti rapper then switched to his native language for 30 seconds before firing a message to his detractors.
He said in Spanish: "Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors. It's more than a win for myself, it's a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take away or erase it."
Bad Bunny then joked that non-Spanish speakers will need to learn the language if they are to understand his performance.
The 31-year-old artist quipped: "If you didn't understand what I just said. You have four months to learn."
Trump administration officials suggested that NFL chiefs will regret their decision to choose Bad Bunny for the halftime show.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said: "They suck, and we'll win, and God will bless us, and we'll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day. They won't be able to sleep at night because they don't know what they believe, and they're so weak, we'll fix it."
