Guitar legend Carlos Santana has issued a lengthy statement in support of Bad Bunny after fake news stories reported he was critical of the NFL's controversial decision to appoint the Puerto Rican musician as the half-time entertainment at next year's Super Bowl.
The stories, which went viral on Facebook and generated thousands of comments and shares, quoted Santana as petitioning against Bad Bunny and saying, "Yoυ briпg a maп iп a dress to the Sυper Bowl? Theп doп’t call it football, call it a circυs. The halftime stage isп’t jυst a spotlight. It’s eпergy. It’s mediciпe. Aпd wheп yoυ tυrп it iпto a stυпt, yoυ poisoп that gift."
The stories are examples of the false reporting that has proliferated on Facebook since its parent company, Meta, announced plans in early 2025 to replace fact-checkers with a "community notes" user-based system.
"I congratulate and celebrate Bad Bunny‘s success and his position right now with the world and with the Super Bowl,” Santana's statement says. "I feel total oneness with what he’s doing because we are here to utilise art to complement and bring the world closer to harmony and oneness.
"However, we’re living in a time of fear, division, separation, superiority and inferiority. Fear is the flavour right now. Fear is what motivates ignorant people to put words in my mouth – saying that I didn’t want Bad Bunny to be represented at the Super Bowl. I never said that, nor would I ever.
"Just to be clear, my heart is in total harmony with Bad Bunny, and I celebrate his success, his triumph and his phenomenal achievement. Anything other than that is coming from people’s ignorance. We’re living in a time when hostile forces love to create conflict, separation and division, because the hostile forces don’t like unity, harmony, oneness and joy.
"They want people to be miserable and to spend too much time in their minds. I spend a lot of time in my heart, and in my heart I celebrate Bad Bunny. I can’t stop playing his song Monaco – there’s something really magical about it."
To read Santana's full statement, visit Carlos Santana's website.
The decision to cast Bad Bunny as the halftime entertainment at the NFL's annual showcase has been widely criticised by MAGA Republicans, with Donald Trump calling the appointment "absolutely ridiculous" and House Speaker Mike Johnson suggesting that country singer Lee Greenwood, who published the God Bless the U.S.A. Bible (otherwise known as the 'Trump Bible') in 2021, would be a more suitable choice.
Carlos Santana begins his latest Las Vegas residency on November 25, with 23 shows lined up at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. The schedule finishes on May 24, 2026.
Earlier this year, Crowded House were forced to deny that frontman Neil Finn had erectile dysfunction after an AI-generated news report was shared on Facebook.
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