Joy Is Resistance: Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show and the America We Are

Guest article by Dina Doll

Sunday night didn’t just give us a football game and a phenomenal concert. It gave us a moment of joy that felt like defiance, a spectacle of celebration that reminded us exactly who we are at our best. It gave us a chance to take a collective breath and smile for the first time in a long time.

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show didn’t just make history for its cultural significance; it also made history for its reach. Early audience estimates show that more than 150 million people tuned in to watch his performance on television, making it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show ever, surpassing all previous records.

And it wasn’t just the numbers that mattered. Bad Bunny celebrated his culture with pride and joy that transcended entertainment. He didn’t switch to fit in. He brought his culture forward and invited everyone into it. The visuals, the music, the energy—every part of his set was a reflection of a community that has always been here, that has always contributed, and that refuses to be erased or sidelined.

When Bad Bunny held up a football with the words Together, We Are America, it landed because it told the truth. America is not confined to one narrow definition. It is the entire continent. It is North America, Central America, South America. It was a joyful counter to Trump’s threats to overtake Canada and his actions in Venezuela—actions that only serve to divide our continent. On that stage, Bad Bunny reminded us that love, inclusion, and unity are more powerful than fear, exclusion, or Trump’s authoritarian whims.

Together, We Are America is at the very heart of what our country means. It includes everyone who lives here in the United States of America: immigrants and descendants, citizens by birth and by choice, people who carry their own cultures with them rather than leaving them behind. It is a living tapestry of languages, traditions, and stories that make this nation whole.

That is how I was raised. My father and his family immigrated to this country because they believed in the American dream—that here, anyone can be anything. I grew up with my family speaking multiple languages, enjoying our own culture’s food and dancing, and celebrating the 4th of July with pride. We loved our culture, and we loved our country. I am a manifestation of my father’s American dream come true, and I’ll be damned if I let someone as small-minded as Trump destroy the American dream.

Bad Bunny reminded us that joy is the best type of resistance, that love is more powerful than hate. At a time when so many in his community are under attack by ICE and treated as if they are somehow not deserving of dignity, due process, or respect, it would have been easy for him to use his platform to criticize or condemn Trump. Instead, he gave us a reason to move toward one another rather than away. He chose to uplift his community and, in doing so, uplifted all of us.

Joy on that stage was not escapism. It was defiance. It was a reminder that culture survives attempts to erase it. That love outlasts hate. That no amount of grievance politics can undo the reality of who we are together. That this country is strongest when it refuses to shrink itself to satisfy fear.

Together, we are America is not a slogan. It is a fact.

Joy is resistance. Love is more powerful than hate. And together, from Puerto Rico to the Pacific, from our immigrant stories to our shared voices, we are America.

Gracias, Benito.

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Dina Doll is an experienced attorney and legal analyst. She hosts the MissTrial podcast on MeidasTouch and co-hosts Unprecedented on Legal AF. Dina also serves as the legal expert for Access Hollywood’s Trial Files and provides regular legal commentary for CNN, NewsNation, and other national media outlets. In addition to her media work, she is a delegate to the California Democratic Party, a community activist, and a City Library Commissioner.