In his second time hosting Saturday Night Live and fourth appearing in Studio 8H, international superstar Bad Bunny (née Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) sent an uplifting message to his Latino community around the world.
The three-time Grammy winner Bad Bunny, said no one could “remove nor erase” the impact of Latinos in the U.S. following right-wing furor over him being tapped to perform at next year’s Super Bowl Halftime show.
“I think Marcello is getting nervous that Lorne has a new favorite Latino,” Bad Bunny began his monologue, as the camera panned to repertory player Marcello Hernandez in the audience, who responded simply, “I am.”
The trap-pop artist explained he would not be pulling double duty on the late-night sketch show as he just wrapped his 31-show residency in Puerto Rico, which featured three-hour-long sets. Adding that he needed a “rest,” the singer-songwriter also poked fun at his much-discussed knee injury, citing it as “complicated choreography.”
After his Caught Stealing co-star Austin Butler went viral for attending one of his shows, and who later revealed he was high on edible gummies during the performance, Bad Bunny noted he had a number of celebrities “on drugs” at his show. Singling out Jon Hamm, Bad Bunny nicknamed him “Juan Jamón” before the camera panned to show a surprise appearance from the Mad Men alum.
Bad Bunny then pivoted to the Super Bowl, saying, “I’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it, even Fox News.” The show then cut to spliced-together footage from the right-wing network, which said: “Bad Bunny is my favorite musician. He should be the next president.”
Speaking more seriously, the multi-hyphenate said his fans are happy with NFL decision, pivoting to Spanish amid raucous cheers to add, “especially all the Latinos and Latinas in the whole world, and here in the United States, all the people who have worked to open doors. More than an achievement for me, it’s a milestone for all of us, demonstrating that our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one can ever remove nor erase.”
“And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn,” he quipped.
Following the announcement that Bad Bunny would be performing on one of the most-watched entertainment programs of the year, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced ICE agents would be present at the event. She doubled-down on the matter earlier today.
Bad Bunny previously explained he opted not to include any U.S. stops on his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour as he and his team were “very concerned” about his fans being subjected to threats of deportation.