Chris Brown watched Bad Bunny light up the Super Bowl, then basically asked, “So when is it my turn?”
The singer used his Instagram Stories to imply the NFL needs him for a future halftime show, right as Bad Bunny was closing out an all-Spanish, Puerto Rico-themed spectacle with surprise guests and global praise. It’s the kind of timing that makes you wonder if Brown saw a cultural moment and thought, not “good for him,” but “what about me?”
The Moment
Right after Super Bowl LX’s halftime show on Sunday, Chris Brown posted to his Instagram Stories: “I think it’s safe to say… they need me,” punctuated with a winking emoji, according to screenshots shared by entertainment outlets on February 8, 2026.
Chris Brown just posted on IG and it’s look like a shade to the Super Bowl that the Super Bowl “needs” him now that Bad Bunny’s halftime show is over — “I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY… THEY NEED ME!” 😏🔥 pic.twitter.com/66w5Vbqiiy
— Oluwaloseyi 🌷 (@samuelojo21) February 9, 2026
The post arrived minutes after Bad Bunny delivered a high-energy performance that doubled as a love letter to Puerto Rico. He ran through hits like “Monaco,” “Yo Perreo Sola,” and “Titi Me Pregunto,” performing entirely in Spanish while celebrities including Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Alix Earle, and Karol G danced around him on the field, as recapped in game coverage and entertainment reports.
The show leaned hard into Puerto Rican culture: street-style food carts, traditional games, and choreography that felt more block party than corporate pageant. Lady Gaga appeared for a surprise live version of her ballad with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile,” and fellow Puerto Rican icon Ricky Martin popped up for “Lo Que Paso a Hawaii,” giving the whole thing the feel of a Latin music victory lap.
Predictably, some NFL viewers complained online about a halftime show staged in Spanish and about Bad Bunny’s history of criticizing U.S. immigration policy and the Trump administration. Just as predictably, fans and many cultural commentators praised the performance as overdue representation on one of the country’s biggest broadcast stages.
In the middle of all that? Chris Brown inserting himself into the chat.
The Take
I’ll say the quiet part out loud: of all the people to publicly audition for Super Bowl halftime via Instagram, Chris Brown is… an interesting choice.
On paper, sure, the man has hits. He’s been a staple of R&B and pop radio since the mid-2000s. But halftime now is not just about vocals and choreography; it’s about optics, legacy, and whether the NFL wants to spend two weeks reliving an artist’s worst headlines.
Brown’s worst headlines are not small. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to felony assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna and received five years’ probation and community service. Since then, he’s faced a restraining order from ex Karrueche Tran and multiple assault allegations connected to nightclub incidents. None of that exactly screams “brand-safe centerpiece of America’s family broadcast.”
Contrast that with Bad Bunny. He’s controversial to some, yes, especially for his politics and for making English-speaking viewers read subtitles or simply listen for once. But he’s also one of the biggest artists in the world right now, and his show clearly fits the NFL’s current strategy: global, diverse, and heavily sponsor-friendly.
Brown signaling “they need me” after a major Spanish-language milestone feels a bit like someone walking into a quinceañera and announcing the DJ should really be playing their high school prom playlist. The room has moved on; he just hasn’t noticed.
Halftime used to be about who could sing; now it’s about who can sell a story the NFL isn’t terrified to stand next to.
And right now, the story the league seems interested in is cultural reach and international audiences, not revisiting one of pop’s most notorious abuse cases just so Twitter can ask, again, why we keep rewarding the same men.
Receipts
Confirmed
- Chris Brown posted on Instagram Stories, “I think it’s safe to say… they need me,” with a winking emoji shortly after Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime performance, according to screenshots and reporting published February 8-9, 2026.
- Bad Bunny headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show, performing songs including “Monaco,” “Yo Perreo Sola,” and “Titi Me Pregunto,” and performed in Spanish, as described in game recaps and entertainment coverage.
- Lady Gaga made a surprise appearance to perform “Die With a Smile,” and Ricky Martin joined to sing “Lo Que Paso a Hawaii,” as reported in post-game coverage.
- Chris Brown has never performed at a Super Bowl halftime show.
- In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna and was sentenced to five years’ probation and six months of community service, according to court records and contemporaneous news reporting.
- In 2017, a court granted actress Karrueche Tran a five-year restraining order against Brown, per legal filings reported at the time.
- In October 2023, music producer Abe Diaw filed a civil lawsuit in the U.K., accusing Brown of assault at a London nightclub earlier that year; the filing of the lawsuit itself is a matter of public record.
Unverified / Alleged
- Diaw’s claim that Brown “inflicted severe and lasting injuries” by allegedly hitting him over the head with a tequila bottle in February 2023 remains an allegation in ongoing legal proceedings.
- Reports that Brown allegedly became aggressive toward Karrueche Tran over money and gifts stem from her statements and court documents; Brown has not been criminally convicted over those specific claims.
- Some of the social media backlash from NFL fans about Bad Bunny’s politics and Spanish-language performance is anecdotal, based on posts and comments, not formal polling.
Backstory (For the Casual Reader)
For anyone not living in the pop charts: Chris Brown is an American R&B singer who broke out in 2005 with the single “Run It!” and went on to a long string of hits and collaborations. His career, however, has been overshadowed for more than a decade by his 2009 felony assault of Rihanna and later allegations of violence and harassment. Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer who has become one of the most-streamed artists in the world, bringing Latin trap and reggaeton into the center of mainstream pop. Super Bowl halftime has increasingly turned to global superstars like him to signal where music is going, not just where it’s been.
Your turn: Do you think the NFL should ever consider Chris Brown for a halftime show, or has that window closed for good, given his history and where the culture is now?
Sources
- Reporting on Chris Brown’s Instagram post and legal history, and details of Bad Bunny’s halftime performance, from Page Six entertainment coverage, published February 8-9, 2026.
- Super Bowl LX halftime show set list and guest appearances, from major game recaps and wire-service reports (including national sports and entertainment coverage) dated February 8, 2026.
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