The 2026 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has moved from the football field to the halls of government, as Florida Rep. Randy Fine (R) filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week. Fine, a former state lawmaker who was elected to Congress in April 2025 to replace current U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz, is calling for stiff penalties against the artist, the NFL, and NBC.
In a letter addressed to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Fine says that the Sunday night broadcast contained illegal content. The Congressman claimed the performance, which was primarily in Spanish, encouraged drug use and included profanity that violates federal decency standards for public airwaves.
“It doesn’t matter if you say it in Spanish. Encouraging children to use cocaine in a live television broadcast is a crime,” Fine wrote. “It doesn’t matter who is singing. Broadcasting the F-word during the Super Bowl is illegal. Both of these things happened during Sunday’s Super Bowl Broadcast. The degenerates behind it must be held accountable.”
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Fine later doubled down on social media, sharing translated lyrics from the Genius database to support his claims.
While he argued that the performance was “pornographic filth,” some observers noted that the singer frequently mumbled through expletives or cut them off entirely during the live broadcast. Fine further argued that if the lyrics had been in English, “the broadcast would have been pulled down.” He concluded his public statements by calling for “dramatic action,” including broadcast license reviews and ending a post with the phrase, “Lock them up.”
The controversy drew further attention when Donald Trump Jr. weighed in on X, questioning the “wholesomeness” of the performance and posting translated lyrics on the social media platform.
“Pus*y with di*k, di*k with a** (Push it In). This year I don’t want slu*s (Push it in),” some of the lyrics read, according to Trump Jr.
Trump Jr. was responding to a Washington Post article that characterized the show as having “traditional family values.”
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The push for federal intervention has met significant resistance from across the political spectrum. Critics from both conservative and liberal circles have characterized the move as an unnecessary escalation. Jeff Blehar of the National Review labeled the effort a “grasping” political maneuver, while Washington Examiner contributor Kimberly Ross described it as “dumb conservatism.”
Some observers suggested the backlash might be a sign of a shifting tide in how political figures engage with high-profile cultural moments. Writer Leighton Woodhouse stated that recent “culture war” efforts have become increasingly disconnected.
While the FCC is tasked with enforcing rules against indecency between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., the agency has historically faced a high bar for taking action against live artistic performances, especially those using metaphorical or non-English lyrics. The FCC has not yet issued a formal response regarding whether it will open an investigation.
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