Turning Point USA’s “All-American” Super Bowl show might have been held for “underserved” Americans – but the majority opted to watch Bad Bunny’s half-time performance instead.
The Maga-friendly show streamed live at the same time the Puerto Rican artist stunned viewers with a star-studded set featuring special appearances from Lady Gaga and Pedro Pascal.
Turning Point USA’s stream, meanwhile, featured performances from Kid Rock, who appeared to mime his way through, and country musicians Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett.
The Independent noted that the 25-minute broadcast was viewed approximately four million times during its initial broadcast. Frank Luntz, a veteran political consultant and pollster, said that Turning Point USA’s halftime show drew “more than five million” viewers. The New York Times reports the event was streamed concurrently with the Super Bowl by 6.1 million people.
At the time of writing, the Trump-endorsed concert has been viewed 18 million times, with many noting on social media that they clicked on the video once the Super Bowl ended out of curiosity.
This is a far cry from the figures amassed by the Super Bowl. Official numbers are yet to roll in for Bad Bunny’s performance, but they’re being projected to be around the 128 million mark, which would make it one of the most-watched half-time shows in history.
The record was achieved by Kendrick Lamar, whose set in 2025 reached highs of 133.5 million viewers.
Turning Point USA, founded by late far-right commentator Charlie Kirk, announced its alternative halftime show last October amid mounting conservative criticism over the selection of Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime performer. The award-winning rapper has been a vocal critic of US president Donald Trump.
Musician Kid Rock, an outspoken supporter of the president, went on to say that the Turning Point show was engineered for conservative Americans to celebrate their patriotism, adding that right-wing views are not represented in mainstream media.
“There’s a big portion of this country, like it or not, that’s underserved entertainment-wise,” Kid Rock said. “We’re just [going to] go play for our base. You know, people who love America, love football, love Jesus.”
The White House expressed support for Turning Point’s show, reposting a video of it on social media. Secretary of defence Pete Hegseth wrote on X that his family had tuned in.
President Trump also bashed the official Super Bowl mid-game show in a post on Truth Social, labelling it “absolutely terrible” and “one of the worst, EVER!”
But, despite harsh criticism from Trump and his allies, more Americans were interested in watching Bad Bunny perform in Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show than Turning Point USA’s Maga fest.
A YouGov America survey released Friday found that 35 per cent of respondents prefer Bad Bunny’s show compared to 28 per cent who said they were more interested in the Kid Rock-headlined event.
This year’s Super Bowl saw the Seattle Seahawks triumph over the New England Patriots by 29 points to 13 to claim their second-ever victory.
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