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In his first speech as emcee of the season premiere of SNL, Bad Bunny addressed controversial statements made by Trump administration official Kristi Noem regarding his upcoming 2026 Super Bowl show.

The 31-year-old Latin music icon quipped that "everyone" was excited about his scheduled show, "even Fox News."

“Happy to return. I’ve hosted twice now and appeared four times,” he said. “I’m doing the Super Bowl half-time show. I’m very happy and I think everyone is happy about it.”

A short video clip followed featuring commentators from the network seeming to support Bad Bunny for president.

A Message for the Latino Community

In his monologue, Bad Bunny spoke in Spanish to address "all the Latinos and Latinas in the entire world and here in the United States."

He expressed that his Super Bowl selection was more than a individual success but an accomplishment for the entire community, demonstrating that their impact in the U.S. cannot be removed.

Afterwards, switching to English, he remarked, "For those who didn’t catch that, you’ve got a few months to pick up some Spanish."

Conservative Backlash and Noem's Comments

News of the artist’s halftime show sparked anger among some conservatives, particularly from Kristi Noem.

During a podcast appearance, she stated that only Americans ought to go to the 2026 Super Bowl and threatened that ICE agents "would be present throughout" the stadium.

She also claimed the NFL would "not be able to sleep at night" for choosing the performer.

Tour Omission and Recent Success

Earlier, the singer revealed that fears of ICE raids at his concerts led to him excluding the U.S. from his forthcoming world tour.

He just wrapped a three-month concert series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which reportedly attracted hundreds of thousands of fans.

"My residence was beautiful, everyone loved it," he said during his SNL monologue.

SNL Sketches and Topical Humor

In other sketches of the premiere episode, comedian Colin Jost impersonated commentator the media figure.

The sketch included a rant about the armed forces, sarcastically referencing Hegseth’s recent statements about inclusion and appearance within the troops.

Additionally, Trump impersonator a cast member appeared briefly as a "self-appointed monitor" of the program, saying he was there to make sure "SNL doesn’t cross the line with jokes about me."