This Puerto Rican Deaf Performer Will Be Joining Bad Bunny During Super Bowl Halftime Show
Photo by Eric Rojas.
Bad Bunny is coming to, perhaps, the biggest stage in the U.S. The Puerto Rican superstar is set to headline the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. And he won’t be the only performer from the island during the performance. Instead, he will be joined by another Puerto Rican, Celimar Rivera Cosme, who will be performing the Apple Music Halftime Show in sign language.
Cosme recently performed during his Puerto Rico residency. But she went viral in 2022 after posting a video on social media about how the deaf community also wanted to enjoy his concerts. A week later and Rimas Entertainment, his label, reached out asking how they can better serve the community according to Billboard.
Now she’s heading to the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
During Super Bowl LX, Fred Michael Beam will take care of the National Anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” while Julian Ortiz will do “America the Beautiful.” Together they will deliver the signed performances in American Signed Language (ASL) and Puerto Rican Signed Language (LSPR). Ortiz is also Puerto Rican.
For those not in the know about Puerto Rican Sign Language (PRSL) it’s a dialect of American Sign Language (ASL). It dates back to the 1900s according to Cafe con Lenguaje. And while most deaf and hard of hearing people on the island speak ASL, there are signs unique to Puerto Rico.
The 2026 Super Bowl LX Halftime Show will take place during the big game that marks the end of the NFL season. This year, it will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026.
Bad Bunny had announced he would not be performing in the U.S. before the Super Bowl Halftime Show was announced, saying in a i-D interview, that he was skipping U.S. tour stops out of concern over potential ICE raids near venues. After this, however, the singer posted, “I’ve been thinking about it these days and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
This isn’t the first time Bad Bunny has appeared during a Super Bowl Halftime Show. In 2020, Bad Bunny made a cameo appearance during the Shakira & Jennifer Lopez halftime show. This time, he’s the main star. And there will be a lot of our communities present in the game as well, no matter which teams make it to the game.