Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny wiped his entire Instagram page clean on Sunday, sparking a frenzy of speculation about his next move.
The artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, removed all posts—including his profile picture—hours after his widely-praised Super Bowl halftime performance, leaving only a link to his latest album in his bio.
Is this a calculated move before a new release, or a response to the mixed reactions following his Super Bowl appearance? The internet is buzzing with theories.
A Star-Studded Show, and a Backlash
Bad Bunny’s performance, a vibrant celebration of Latin music and culture, resonated with millions of viewers. However, it also drew criticism from some conservative circles, particularly those supporting Donald Trump. The show was largely performed in Spanish and culminated in a call for pan-American unity.
Trump himself took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to denounce the performance as “absolutely terrible” and “an affront to the Greatness of America.” He stated it “makes no sense” and doesn’t represent American standards.
Some Trump supporters actively protested the halftime show by tuning into an alternative performance hosted by Turning Point USA, dubbed an “All-American” show. Despite the effort, the alternative show drew a comparatively small audience of approximately four million viewers, while Bad Bunny’s performance is projected to have reached 128 million.
Bad Bunny deleted all posts off his Instagram page after he gave a heartfelt performance at the Super Bowl Sunday (Getty Images)
Social Media Reacts
The backlash prompted a swift reaction online. Professional boxer Jake Paul initially joined the criticism, but later retracted his comments after a rebuke from his brother, Logan Paul.
Many social media users speculated that Bad Bunny’s Instagram purge was a damage control tactic in response to the negative attention. One user on X wrote that the singer “knew he would get millions of angry replies!!!” Another suggested the backlash was significant, particularly in certain online spaces.
Bad Bunny deleted all pictures from his Instagram after his Super Bowl halftime show, including his profile picture (Instagram/Bad Bunny)
A Pattern of Purges?
However, many fans pointed out that Bad Bunny has a history of deleting his Instagram posts before major announcements. Some believe this signals the arrival of new music.
“He always does that when he closes a chapter in his career, and it means something big is coming,” one fan wrote on X. Others echoed this sentiment, suggesting a new album is on the horizon. “The Super Bowl was the finale. The blank grid means a new era is officially here.”
Bad Bunny’s most recent album, I should have taken more photos, released last year, made history as the first Spanish-language record to win Album of the Year at the Grammys.
