Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show lands record nine Emmy nominations
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The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny has received nine Primetime Emmy nominations, the most ever earned by a Super Bowl halftime performance. Announced on Wednesday 8 July, the tally surpasses the previous record of six nods held by Lady Gaga's Super Bowl LI show in 2017. The achievement underscores the growing awards recognition of the halftime slot as a marquee live entertainment event.
The show, which aired on NBC and featured guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, is nominated for outstanding variety special (live), with Bad Bunny recognised as both lead performer and producer alongside executive producers including Jay-Z, Desiree Perez and Noah Assad. It is the seventh consecutive halftime show to be nominated in that category, following performances by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, The Weeknd, the 2022 all-star hip-hop show (the only halftime show to win it), Rihanna, Usher and Kendrick Lamar. In the category it competes against the Golden Globes, Grammys, Oscars and Tony Awards. Earlier in the year, Bad Bunny also won three Grammys, including a historic album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first non-English album to take that prize.
- Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show earns record nine Emmy nominations.
- It beats Lady Gaga's previous record of six from 2017.
- Seventh straight halftime show nominated for outstanding variety special (live).
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Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, headlined the Super Bowl LX halftime show earlier this year, performing alongside guest stars Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. The show was broadcast on NBC and produced with backing from figures including Jay-Z, Desiree Perez and Noah Assad. Super Bowl halftime shows are televised each year during America's biggest sporting event and have become known as much for their large-scale entertainment as for the football itself.
The Primetime Emmy Awards are US television's top honours, handed out annually across many categories. Halftime shows have been recognised in the "outstanding variety special (live)" category for several years running, competing against other major live broadcasts such as the Grammys and Oscars, though only one halftime show has previously won it. Bad Bunny had already drawn attention this year by winning three Grammy Awards, including album of the year for a Spanish-language record, a first for that prize.
This background matters because it explains why a nine-nomination haul is being treated as a notable milestone: it would be the highest number of Emmy nominations any Super Bowl halftime show has received, surpassing a record set by Lady Gaga's 2017 performance.
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Originally published by Billboard as “Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show at the 2026 Super Bowl Receives 9 Emmy Nods — That’s a Record”.