Rapper Bad Bunny kicks off 'SNL' 51st season days after his Super Bowl controversy: Here's all that you need to know

Bad Bunny kicked off the 51st season of “Saturday Night Live” with a few timely jokes about his next high-profile gig: the Super Bowl.

“I think everybody is happy about it — even Fox News,” the music superstar quipped in his monologue, referring to opposition in some quarters to his being named headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show.

He segued into a few sentences in Spanish, expressing Latino pride and joy over the achievement, after which he noted: “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!” Bad Bunny will be making history by performing entirely in Spanish, a landmark moment for Latino culture.

Launching a season that introduces some new faces in the cast, the show’s cold open featured a sketch mocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s presentation to generals earlier this week.

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“Weekend Update” host Colin Jost played Hegseth, highlighting the defense secretary’s remarks in which he said it’s “tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops” and said it was unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals at the Pentagon.

“No fatties, no facial hair, no body hair,” Jost’s Hegseth said. “Just hot, shredded hairless men who are definitely not gay. … “Because this is serious, we are facing the greatest threat to freedom and democracy the world has ever known. And we all know what that threat is.”

“Late night TV!” replied James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump, bursting in.

“‘SNL’ 51 off to a rough start,” Johnson’s Trump added. “Seventeen new cast members and they got the ‘Update’ guy doing the open.”

After a fanfare-filled 50th season celebrating the past, “Saturday Night Live” is looking to the future with a cast that includes five new featured players.  Several cast members have departed the show.

Bad Bunny is having what can only be described as an enormous week: in addition to hosting “SNL,” he’s coming off a historic residency in Puerto Rico, and on Sunday came the Super Bowl news.

Bad Bunny's monologue! pic.twitter.com/pjS0Ejckcg

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) October 5, 2025

The Super Bowl controversy

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” said Bad Bunny in a statement, as quoted by Variety. The rapper added, “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history."

His past remarks have resurfaced that led to the controversy where the rapper was quoted saying, “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times.”

“I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the US But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US,” added Bad Bunny.

“People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of — like, (expletive) ICE could be outside.”

What Donald Trump’s former manager said

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, responded saying, “There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else.”

He added, “I don’t care whose concert it is … if you’re illegal, you’re getting kicked out of the country.”

With added inputs from agencies