Boxer and influencer Jake Paul explained that he wasn’t calling Bad Bunny a “fake citizen” in his tweet that criticized the Puerto Rican singer’s Super Bowl 2026 halftime show on Sunday.
Paul, who purchased a $20 million mansion in Dorado, P.R., in 2023, said in his initial tweet that he was “purposely turning off the halftime show” and couldn’t support it because Bad Bunny “publicly hates America.”
“To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico. I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so. But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it. Period. That’s the same reason I called out Hunter Hess,” Paul wrote, mentioning the U.S. Olympic skier who expressed “mixed emotions” about representing America.
“If you benefit from a country and the platform it gives you, but publicly disrespect it at the same time, that’s what I mean by being a fake citizen,” Paul continued. “And I agree love is more powerful than hate. Love America.”
In another tweet, Paul explained that his words were misunderstood.
“The problem with my tweet is the word fake being misinterpreted he’s not a fake citizen obviously bc he’s Puerto Rican and I love Puerto Rico and all Americans who support the country Moreso Bunny is fake bc of his values and criticism of our great country,” Paul wrote.
Paul’s initial tweet was flagged by X with a note that said he’s been living in Puerto Rico since 2021 and that people who live there are U.S. citizens.
Many were critical of Bad Bunny because he performed his entire 13-minute set in Spanish — and he publicly spoke out against ICE.
The six-time Grammy winner presented a message of unity in his show, which paid homage to his Latin culture.
President Donald Trump also slammed Bad Bunny’s halftime show, calling it “an affront to the Greatness of America.”
Before that, Paul sat with U.S. Vice President JD Vance as they watched the U.S. women’s hockey defeat Finland, 5-0, at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday.
