Saturday Night Live is back, baby! And so is Bad Bunny!
The Puerto Rican rapper returned to hosting duties for the season 51 premiere on Saturday — and addressed the Super Bowl sized elephant in the room! During his opening monologue, the 31-year-old celebrated being back on the Studio 8H stage for his second time hosting and fourth time overall. But unlike when he last hosted in season 49, he did NOT pull double duty as musical guest! Because he just finished a “31-show residency” in Puerto Rico, kicks off his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour next month, and needs a rest before his upcoming gig: the Super Bowl Halftime Show!
During his monologue, the Tití Me Preguntó rapper playfully addressed the backlash in responset to him being named the 2026 Halftime Show performer:
“I’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it — even Fox News.”
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The show then cut to an edited clip of several Fox News reporters saying just one word — which when cut together, offered a hilarious finished product:
“Bad Bunny is my favorite musician, and he should be the next President.”
LOLz!
On a more serious note, Bunny, born Benito Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, added:
“But really, I’m very excited to be doing the Super Bowl, and I know the people all around the world who love my music are also happy.”
He then switched to his native tongue of Spanish to send a strong message to critics. Translated to English, he dished:
“Especially all of the Latinos and Latinas in the world here in the United States who have worked to open doors. It’s more than a win for myself, it’s a win for all of us. Our footprints and our contribution in this country, no one will ever be able to take that away or erase it.”
Say it louder!
Switching back to English, the Dakiti rapper joked:
“If you didn’t understand what I just said. You have four months to learn.”
Watch his full monologue (below):
We love it!!!
Since Bad Bunny didn’t serve as musical guest this time around, Doja Cat joined the premiere to fill the role. First up, she performed AAAHH MEN! from her new album Vie. Watch (below):
She followed up with another new song, Gorgeous. Watch (below):
Incredible! You can ch-ch-check out the rest of the show’s hilarious highlights (below):
Reactions, Perezcious readers?? What did you think of Bad Bunny’s monologue? Specifically, his message to critics? Are YOU excited for his Super Bowl LX Halftime Show performance?? Let us know in the comments down below!
[Images via NBC/YouTube]
The post Bad Bunny Tackles Super Bowl Halftime Show Backlash In <i>SNL</i> Season 51 Premiere! appeared first on Perez Hilton.