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During his first speech as emcee of the first episode of SNL, Bad Bunny responded to controversial comments made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding his scheduled Super Bowl halftime performance.

This young Puerto Rican singer joked that "all people" was pleased about his planned performance, "including Fox News."

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

A quick montage came after showing commentators from the network appearing to endorse the artist for president.

An Important Statement for Latinos

During his monologue, Bad Bunny spoke in Spanish to speak to "Latinos everywhere across the globe and here in the U.S.."

He stated that being chosen for the halftime show was not just a personal achievement but an accomplishment for all people, demonstrating that their impact in the U.S. will never 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 upcoming game and threatened that immigration officers "will be all over" the event.

She also claimed the league would "not be able to sleep at night" for selecting Bad Bunny.

Tour Omission and Live Shows

Previously, Bad Bunny explained that concerns of ICE raids at his concerts led to him excluding the U.S. from his upcoming global tour.

Recently concluding a lengthy performance run in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which reportedly attracted around 600,000 fans.

"The shows were incredible, and the fans were amazing," he noted during his SNL monologue.

SNL Sketches and Topical Humor

In other sketches of the premiere episode, cast member Colin Jost portrayed former Fox News host Pete Hegseth.

That segment included a tirade about the armed forces, mockingly referencing Hegseth’s prior comments about diversity and body-shaming within the military.

Also, actor a cast member appeared briefly as a "unofficial watchdog" of the show, claiming he was there to make sure "they don’t say anything too mean about me."