Puerto Rican singer and performer Bad Bunny took home seven Emmy Awards for his Super Bowl halftime show, making history as the first Spanish-language program to win in the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category. The show was held at Levi’s Stadium in February and marked a major milestone as it featured the first Latino solo artist to headline a Super Bowl halftime performance. Bad Bunny not only performed but also served as a producer for the special, which was titled The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny. The performance highlighted scenes from life on the island, including sugar cane fields, a neighborhood bodega, wedding celebrations, and the iconic pink casita that has become part of his recent live shows. The creative team behind the show intentionally shaped it to feel like watching a movie unfold in real time rather than a traditional stadium concert. Although the show wasn’t filmed as one continuous take, its visual storytelling approach was recognized with multiple Emmy wins.
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show won awards in several technical and creative categories including directing, lighting design, music direction, sound mixing, choreography, and technical direction, according to news.abplive.com. This win made the show the most-awarded Super Bowl halftime show in Emmy history, surpassing the 2022 hip-hop performance which had earned three awards, according to a report from telegraphindia.com. It also marked a historic moment for Latin music, as it was the first time a Spanish-language program received the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) Emmy.
Bad Bunny’s success in television came just months after he became the first artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year for a Spanish-language album. The Grammy win was for his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, which added to his growing list of achievements in the music industry.
The awards were presented during the first night of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The event was part of a two-night ceremony, with the main Primetime Emmy Awards scheduled for September 14.
Other major winners that evening included the show ‘The Traitors,’ which took honors for directing, hosting, picture editing, cinematography, and production design. Jimmy Kimmel was named best game show host, while Octavia Spencer won an Emmy for narrating ‘Lost Women of Alaska’. Mariska Hargitay collected Emmys for best documentary and directing for her work on ‘My Mom Jayne’, and she also said she was emotional about the recognition. Hargitay is already an Emmy winner for her role in ‘Law & Order: SVU’ and will host the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Wanda Sykes opened the evening’s ceremony with a joke about how the Emmys are now spread across three nights, comparing it to someone celebrating a birthday month. The Creative Arts Emmy ceremony recognized a wide range of talent across music, television, and entertainment, with 102 statuettes presented over the weekend.
The evening also saw Sabrina Carpenter win her first Emmy for Best Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for The Muppet Show. The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show was one of the standout winners among several programs and individuals recognized during the weekend’s ceremonies.
This historic Emmy win for Bad Bunny reflects not only his impact on music but also his growing influence in television and entertainment.
IMAGE: Bad Bunny in Los Angeles California on October 11, 2019 – Photo by Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com. Photo: Toglenn / Wikimedia, taken 2019-10-11, CC BY-SA 4.0