LOS ANGELES: California Governor Gavin Newsom has honoured Bad Bunny, declaring February 8 “Bad Bunny Day” across the state.
Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, received the honour ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl LX halftime performance in Santa Clara, California.
“I am declaring tomorrow in California as ‘Bad Bunny Day’ when Bad Bunny performs at the big game in the Golden State with his soothing, beautiful voice, and his very nice looks,” Newsom said via X on Saturday.
Newsom later in the message described himself as “a tremendous lover of the Spanish” and “a huge fan of Puerto Rico,” before adding, “We love Bad Bunny! He is nearly as ‘hot’ as me — which is a big compliment, because there is nobody hotter. Happy Bad Bunny Day, America.”
His performance is set to be historic, as he becomes the first solo Latin male artist to headline the event, with his set expected to be performed primarily—if not entirely—in Spanish.
The appearance caps a landmark year for the Spanish rapper, who recently won Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammy Awards, making history as the first artist to receive the honour for a Spanish-language album.
Recently, Bad Bunny has spoken publicly on immigration and identity, including a statement delivered at the Grammys in Los Angeles on February 1, where he said, “ICE out… We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens — we are humans, and we are Americans.”
