The final notes of “Baile Inolvidable” had barely finished echoing through the rafters of Levi’s Stadium when the sirens of social media began to wail. What was supposed to be a crowning achievement for Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—the night Bad Bunny brought the Caribbean to the Super Bowl—instead became the catalyst for a stunning, late-night departure that has left the music industry in shock.
At 3:15 AM, while the rest of the country was still debating the merits of an all-Spanish halftime show, a sleek Gulfstream jet taxied away from a private hangar at Mineta San José International Airport. On board was Benito, leaving behind a nation that had spent the last four hours tearing his performance apart. His final communication to his inner circle was a weary, six-word surrender: “Let me find peace somewhere else.”
The “peace” Benito is seeking feels a world away from the vitriol that erupted the moment he stepped off the stage. Despite a set that featured high-flying choreography, a guest appearance by Lady Gaga, and a vibrant tribute to Puerto Rican history, the reaction was polarized to a degree never before seen in Super Bowl history.
The backlash didn’t just come from the usual corners of the internet; it was a coordinated cultural rejection. From mainstream political figures calling the show an “invasion of the airwaves” to the record-breaking success of Turning Point USA’s “All-American” counter-programming, the message to Benito was clear: You are a guest here, and you are overstaying your welcome.
Sources close to the artist say the decision to flee wasn’t impulsive. Benito has been vocal about his anxiety regarding the political climate in the U.S. for over a year. He had initially refused the Super Bowl invitation, only agreeing after the NFL promised a “safe, celebratory environment.”
However, the reality on the ground was different. The heavy presence of federal agents at the stadium—which the DHS defended as standard procedure—combined with the immediate, visceral hate speech trending on X (formerly Twitter), created a “suffocating” environment for the singer.
“He looked at his phone after the show and his face just fell,” said a production assistant who was in the locker room. “He didn’t see reviews of his singing; he saw threats. He saw people telling him to ‘go home’ even though he’s a U.S. citizen. He just looked up and said, ‘Okay, I’m going.'”
In a move that signaled a total break from his American fan base, Bad Bunny deactivated his primary social media accounts shortly before takeoff. For a man who built his empire on digital intimacy with his fans, this “blackout” is the ultimate sign of a bridge burned.
The fallout of this departure is immense. Aside from the logistical nightmare for his upcoming “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” tour dates in the States—which now face certain cancellation—there is a deeper, more somber realization settling over the industry.
If the most successful, influential Latin artist in the world feels that he cannot “find peace” in the American market, the dream of the “global crossover” may be dead. Benito’s exit isn’t just a celebrity tantrum; it’s a high-profile divorce from a culture that he feels has become a “cage.”
As the sun rises over an empty Levi’s Stadium today, the colorful flowers of the Flamboyan trees used in his set are being packed into crates. The stage is being dismantled. But for the millions of fans who saw themselves in his performance, the silence he left behind is much louder than any song he could have sung.
