Jake Paul's reaction to his fiancée Jutta Leerdam's Olympic gold has been met with scathing comments, and it all links back to what he said about Bad Bunny's Super Bowl set.
Puerto Rican singer and rapper Bad Bunny headlined the Super Bowl halftime show this weekend, delivering a historic performance sung mostly in Spanish.
The 13-minute set at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was a tribute to Latin American and Hispanic culture and one poignant moment during the performance saw the rapper say: "God bless America", before listing all the nations of Central, South and North America as dancers carried their flags.
He also included a billboard with the message: "The only thing more powerful than hate is love."
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Viewers and several prominent figures, including Trump, spoke out against Bad Bunny. Paul even called on his fans to boycott the halftime show on Sunday.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “Purposefully turning off the halftime show. Let's rally together and show big corporations they can't just do whatever they want without consequences (which equals viewership for them).
“You are their benefit. Realise you have power. Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing, who publicly hates America. I cannot support that.”
Many social media users remembered this comment when Paul was pictured in tears yesterday (9 February) as his Dutch fiancée Jutta Leerdam won gold for the Netherlands in speed skating.
“Rooting for another country? What a fake American,” one person commented on X under a post about Jake supporting Jutta’s win.
Another person chimed in: “Called Bad Bunny a fake citizen then roots for the Netherlands."
However, some people have defended Jake, stating that he should be able to support his fiancée’s win.
Paul’s comments ignited backlash at the time too, including from his own brother.
“I love my brother but I don’t agree with this,” Logan said on X, directly quoting his brother’s post. “Puerto Ricans are Americans & I’m happy they were given the opportunity to showcase the talent that comes from the island.”
Some fans were also shocked by Jake’s comments because he moved to Puerto Rico in 2021.
Jake later backtracked and said: “To clarify: I wasn’t calling anyone a ‘fake citizen’ because they’re from Puerto Rico. I live in Puerto Rico, and I love Puerto Rico. I have used my platform to support Puerto Rico time and time again and will always do so.”
He claimed: “But if you’re publicly criticizing ICE who are doing their job and openly hating on America, I’m going to speak on it. Period.”
During his Grammy Award acceptance speech this month, Bad Bunny spoke out against ICE.
"Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ICE out," he said, referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens – we're humans.”
The Tyla Team