Palak JayswalEleven Utahns complained to the Federal Communications Commission about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year.
One complainant characterized it as “lewd and indecent and not fit for public broadcast.” Another had issues with the “overall sexual innuendo of the performance” — referencing “crotch grabbing” and “twerking.”
Wired, a tech magazine, requested copies of the complaints under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). There were more than 2,000 complaints in total.
The identities of the complainants were redacted, but they came from the following cities in Utah: Lyman, Layton, Richfield, Draper, South Jordan, Midway, Murray, Ogden and Salt Lake City. There were two complaints filed by residents in Lehi and Santa Clara.
Wired’s analysis of the complaints found that many “focused on the fact that the show was not in English, but a chunk of those people were upset about indecency in the Spanish lyrics.”
In their complaint, an Ogden resident translated the lyrics from “Tití Me Preguntó,” while the Midway resident’s complaint said her family speaks Spanish and her kids “understood everything.”
Bad Bunny’s performance was the first time a Latino solo artist headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in Spanish. More than 128 million people tuned in to watch, making it the fourth most-watched halftime show in history. Afterwards, through streaming, the performance was viewed more than 4 billion times.
The artist’s performance was a tribute to his Puerto Rican identity as well as to all the countries and territories that make up America. Bad Bunny has also spoken against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Grammys and limited his last concert tour to Puerto Rico in part to protect fans.
The Murray complainer stated the performance was “anti-American rhetoric.”
A few years ago, Bad Bunny started his world tour in Salt Lake City at the Delta Center. Fans there were delighted at the chance to see him in the Beehive State and it showcased Utah’s market for Latino artists and musicians.
Still, Utah complainers had strong opinions. In Lehi, one person wrote, “The Super Bowl half time show was the most explicit content I have ever seen on national television.”
Palak Jayswal is an award-winning journalist who covers culture/music at The Tribune. She graduated from the University of Utah and has lived in Utah her entire life. Her work spans areas of coverage in the cultural world. She loves writing about how culture —and the people who create it— shape life in Utah. She aspires to write for Rolling Stone.