Update on Bad Bunny’s Explicit-Lyrics Controversy After Star Slammed for ‘Pure Smut’ in Super Bowl Halftime Show

The Federal Communications Commission has closed the book—at least for now—on complaints that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime set broke federal indecency rules, telling NBC Sports that an initial review found the 31-year-old Puerto Rican superstar’s lyrics were “scrubbed of references to sex acts and genitalia” before the live telecast.

The clarification came after Tennessee Republican representative Andy Ogles fired off a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, excoriating NBC and the NFL for what he labeled “pure smut, brazenly aired on national television for every American family to witness.” In a social-media post that quickly went viral, Ogles accused the network of allowing “explicit displays of gay sexual acts, women gyrating provocatively,” and claimed Bad Bunny “shamelessly grabbed his crotch while dry-humping the air.” The congressman concluded that the performance’s lyrics “openly glorified sodomy and countless other unspeakable depravities” and argued that “these flagrant, indecent acts are illegal to be displayed on public airways.”

FCC officials countered that the broadcast fell within permissible guidelines because any potentially offensive language had been sanitized. One of the set’s centerpieces, the global hit Titi Me Pregunto, normally includes the line “she says that my d**k is fire,” yet that phrase was excised from Sunday’s version. Regulations prohibit obscene or profane content during the six-hour “safe-harbor” window that covers prime time, and the commission determined that NBC’s compliance measures were sufficient. The matter, an FCC source said, is “considered closed barring further evidence.”

Controversy had dogged the performance even before kickoff, intensifying when it became clear Bad Bunny would deliver his entire medley in Spanish. The 12-minute showcase still drew an estimated 128.2 million live viewers and millions more via streaming platforms, making it one of the most-watched halftime shows in history. The production spotlighted Puerto Rican culture and traced the artist’s rise from SoundCloud rapper to Grammy winner, a trajectory capped by his recent Grammy victory for Best Música Urbana Album.

Political pushback extended beyond Capitol Hill. President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, calling the show “an affront to the Greatness of America” and adding, “Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”

Neither the FCC nor NBC immediately responded to additional requests for comment, but with the regulatory agency signaling no further action, the network appears to have sidestepped potential fines. Whether the backlash will influence future booking decisions remains to be seen, yet Sunday’s ratings suggest that, controversy or not, audiences showed up in record numbers.