Bad Bunny (Photo courtesy of Glenn Francis)
A Puerto Rican artist has commemorated Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl halftime show with a reimagining of Washington Crossing the Delaware.
Puerto Rican painter and actor Ektor Rivera used Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting as his model. He created the work not only to honor Bad Bunny, but also to highlight Puerto Rico’s contributions to American and global culture. In the painting, Bad Bunny stands heroically in the boat, echoing George Washington’s pose in the original. He wears a pava hat, with the Puerto Rican flag draped over his shoulders. Behind him, the United States flag also appears, mirroring Leutze’s composition.
Other figures in the boat represent prominent Puerto Ricans known for their contributions to art, music, sports, law, and politics. Recognizable faces include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ricky Martin, Benicio Del Toro, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Sonia Sotomayor, and Roberto Clemente. In the distance, Levi’s Stadium appears on the horizon. The Santa Clara, California venue will host the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026.
On the right side of the composition, George Washington remains present. He looks on from his own boat as he recedes into the background. In the boat on the left, two figures dressed in pirate-like costumes represent ignorance. In a social media post, Rivera wrote, “I know, so many are missing. If there were room for one more person on this boat, who would you add?” Commenters suggested figures such as poet Julia de Burgos, actor Raúl Juliá, salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, former Surgeon General Antonia Novello, and tennis player Monica Puig.
Florida art collector Seth Goldberg commissioned the painting in response to both the excitement and backlash surrounding Bad Bunny’s selection as the halftime show headliner. The performance will mark the first time a solo Latin artist headlines the Super Bowl halftime show. Latin artists have appeared before, but never as a solo act. Given Bad Bunny’s global popularity, the choice felt inevitable to many.
Bad Bunny ranked as Spotify’s most-streamed artist in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025. While audiences often categorize his music as Latin trap or reggaeton, his work draws from a wide range of influences. His most recent album, Debí tirar más fotos, pulls from salsa, jíbaro, and other traditional Puerto Rican genres. At the same time, it incorporates modern musical forms. The songs address tourism, gentrification, immigration, Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States, and the island’s diaspora. The album has received a nomination for Album of the Year at this year’s Grammys, after already winning the same award at the Latin Grammys.
Still, some critics objected to the NFL’s decision to feature Bad Bunny. Many pointed to the fact that most of his music is performed in Spanish. Those reactions have fueled online conversations that reveal widespread confusion about Puerto Rico’s political status. The island became a United States territory in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. All Puerto Ricans are natural-born American citizens.
Despite this status, Puerto Rico cannot participate in presidential elections. As a result, 3.2 million American citizens cannot vote for their president. The island elects one representative to the House of Representatives, but that representative cannot vote. Goldberg said this lack of understanding motivated him to commission the work. “It simply made me sad that people were asking if Bad Bunny was American, or American enough,” he said. “I wondered how people could question something I thought was widely understood and not up for debate.”
Even the painting’s title, The Discovery of Americans, reflects that sentiment. Goldberg explained that the conversations surrounding Bad Bunny have prompted many people to learn about Puerto Rico’s place in American politics and culture. They have also drawn attention to the island’s contributions and its disenfranchisement.
Rivera shared the painting on Instagram on January 10. He has often used his work to commemorate prominent Puerto Ricans. While working on the Puerto Rican production of In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda commissioned Rivera to paint a mural honoring Rita Moreno. Moreno also appears among the figures in the boat. That mural now belongs to the permanent collection of the Centro de Bellas Artes de Santurce.
Speaking about his latest work, Rivera said, “Bad Bunny represents our culture, our island, and it is going to be seen in the whole world.”