LGBTQ Ally Bad Bunny to Headline Halftime Show, Bi Singer Billie Joe Armstrong to Perform Pregame with Green Day, and LGBTQ Icon Brandi Carlile to Sing “America The Beautiful” 

GLAAD:  “Inclusion is good for the world and it’s great for business growth. Most LGBTQ sports fans are more likely to purchase from brands that support causes they care about. Over 20% of Gen Z is LGBTQ, so inclusion and visibility are keys to future proofing. 

When the NFL elevates and celebrates inclusive talent and values, it trickles down to high school fields and stands, and pee-wee games across the country. Belonging, safety, and the freedom to be ourselves are essential to everyone’s success.”

Super Bowl LX and events leading up to it will feature notable visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ people and allies.

Musical Performers:

• Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
  • Bad Bunny is an outspoken LGBTQ ally (straight and/or cisgender person who supports LGBTQ people) and has included LGBTQ and gender nonconforming artists and expression in his videos.
  • Honored with the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2023, presented to LGBTQ allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues. VIDEO
  • Accepted the GLAAD Vanguard Award from Ricky Martin, a fellow native of Puerto Rico who came out as gay in 2010.
  • Bad Bunny was born in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since 1898 and its residents considered U.S. citizens since 1917.
  • “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement shared by the NFL about his Super Bowl performance. “This is for my people, my culture, and our history.”
• Brandi Carlile will perform “America the Beautiful” in the pregame ceremony
  • Brandi is an out queer woman, married her wife Catherine in 2012, and mother of two children.
  • She actively campaigned for marriage equality in her home state of Washington before voters passed it into law in 2012.
  • Brandi told Parade: “When you’re born and raised in this country, it’s like you use the Super Bowl as a barometer to gauge when something’s huge. So, you’re like, oh my God, this thing is so big. It could be the Super Bowl. You know, it is actually the definition of massive. That’s not a crystal ball that queer people get to touch very often… (“America the Beautiful”) upholds and embraces the idea of America and what America is supposed to be for everyone.”
• Green Day will perform in the pregame ceremony. The band, featuring bisexual lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, is from the East Bay, home of Super Bowl LX.
  • Armstrong presented the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist to Renee Rapp in 2024.
  • Armstrong is an outspoken supporter of equality and critic of the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Donald Trump.
• Coco Jones will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem, which was written by a leader of the NAACP in 1900, became an anthem of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, and has been performed at the last five Super Bowls.
  • Jones is an LGBTQ ally and has collaborated with out artist Renee Rapp.

A Night of Pride

• On Friday, February 6th, GLAAD and the NFL host the fifth annual A Night of Pride to celebrate inclusion, authenticity, and belonging in sports.
• The annual event is one of the NFL’s signature LGBTQ-focused moments of Super Bowl week.
• “Football is for everyone,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said.
• GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis will highlight the business and safety imperatives of including LGBTQ players and fans in all aspects of sports: “Over 20% of Gen Z is LGBTQ, so inclusion and visibility are keys to future proofing. When the NFL elevates and celebrates inclusive talent and values, it trickles down to high school fields and stands, and pee-wee games across the country. Belonging, safety, and the freedom to be ourselves are essential to everyone’s success.”
• The 2026 event will feature standout performances from LGBTQ artists including Young Miko, Grammy winner Durand Bernarr, Ruby Ibarra and DJ Lady Ryan.
• A Night of Pride will be hosted by NFL Network’s Kimmi Chex.

Inclusive Advertising and Corporate Support Facts

• LGBTQ people have consistently been included in Super Bowl advertising, with a high of 11 ads in 2020. LGBTQ storytelling as part of the ads has declined since 2020 while out LGBTQ talent have appeared.
• In Super Bowl LX:
  • Bravo host Andy Cohen will appear in a commercial for Nerds candy, telling the Today Show it will air in the second quarter of the Super Bowl
  • Lady Gaga will debut her cover of the Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood title song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” for Rocket and Redfin
  • Bowen Yang is confirmed for an ad for Ritz crackers with Scarlett Johansson and Jon Hamm
• LGBTQ consumer spending power is estimated to be $1.4 trillion in the U.S. alone. (LGBT Capital)
• The LGBTQ community has influence across major consumer categories. This means, LGBTQ people are deeply familiar, frequent recommenders across broad social networks, highly trusted, and word of mouth leaders for products and services.The LGBTQ community over indexes the general population for being influential in many categories, among them:
  • Beauty (159 Index)*
  • Gaming (159 Index)
  • Music (151 Index)
  • Soft Drinks (146 Index)
  • New Technology (141 Index)
  • New Food (139 Index)
  • TV Shows (135 Index)
  • Movies (134 Index)
  • Snacks (133 Index)
  • Fashion & Clothes (132 Index)
  • Home Electronics (115 Index)

* How to read: LGBTQ adults are 59% more likely to be influential in the Beauty category. Source: MRI-Simmons 2025 Q4 Trending Topics

Winter Olympics

• The first competitions are underway for the Milan Cortina Games, including USA v Czechia hockey, featuring at least four out LGBTQ players, including Captain Hilary Knight and two more from Team USA.
• 44 out LGBTQ Olympians from around the world will be competing in the Winter Games, including 8 from the U.S., as tracked by Outsports
• Out speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy, the only out male Olympian on Team USA, told GLAAD he gets support from other out athletes including teammate Brittany Bowe and from fans: “I’ve gotten quite a flood of messages on social media, which has been amazing to see of people reaching out in support and just saying how awesome it was to see queer athletes at the Olympics.”
• GLAAD’s hub featuring reporter resources and updates about the Olympics