GOP Congressman Says Vulgar Halftime Show was Disgusting
A Republican congressman is sounding off after what he described as a vulgar and politically-charged Super Bowl halftime show, saying Bad Bunny’s performance left him and his wife so uncomfortable they ultimately turned away from the television.
The Puerto Rican performer spewed vulgar lyrics, albeit in Spanish, while parading around a cavalcade of filth that included two men simulating gay sex. The NFL hailed the performance as family-friendly.
Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., made the remarks during an interview on The Todd Starnes Radio Show, calling parts of the nationally televised performance “disgusting” and questioning why organizers believe such content resonates with everyday Americans.
“Well, I did, Todd. I figured at some point today I would be asked about it. And so I did,” Harris said when asked if he watched the halftime show. “I will admit that there was part of it at one point that I just had to turn away. My wife and I said, I cannot watch this anymore… it was just disgusting parts of it. No doubt.”
Harris said he was particularly struck by what he viewed as un-American imagery during the show.
“Really to see flags from other countries that were flying, to see the things that were taking place in that show,” he said. “I looked at my wife at one point and I said, you know, why they think that this is somehow winning the hearts and minds of Americans?”
Instead, Harris argued the performance had the opposite effect on conservative viewers.
“Really anybody that’s part of the make America great again movement, this only fires up the base,” he said. “So, I don’t know, it was disgusting.”
The congressman also pointed to President Trump’s swift reaction following the performance, saying the president voiced what many Americans were already thinking.
“I thought the president, you know, a few minutes later we saw what he put out,” Harris said. “I think he gave a very accurate review and once again was stating for everybody what everybody was thinking.”
Asked about President Trump’s description of the show as a “slap in the face” to the country, Harris said he struggled to understand the performance itself.
“The fact that I kept listening and thinking what am I missing here… because nothing was in English,” Harris said. “I kept thinking at some point that he was going to switch over but it never did. And so you didn’t know what he was saying. You could only see the actions as vulgar… and it just left a very poor taste in my mouth for sure.”
The discussion also touched on what Harris and Starnes described as a political message woven into the performance by Bad Bunny, including references to immigration.
Harris defended President Trump’s broader immigration strategy, calling it a “multi-step process.”
“There had to be the first step to secure the border,” he said. “And I mean to tell you the president has done a yeoman’s job of making sure that that has happened and the border is secure.”
He added that deporting criminal illegal aliens was the next priority, noting recent gang violence and murders in cities across the country.
“I think there’s a third step in the process,” Harris said, “and that is coming to some point… where we’re able to look at where we are with immigration and reform our numbers, reform our laws.”
For Harris, however, the takeaway from the halftime show was clear: instead of uniting the country, it only deepened the cultural divide.