Bad Bunny is used to moving crowds across the mainland United States. This time, he says the current climate made that feel like the wrong call.
In a new interview, the Puerto Rican superstar explained why his latest touring plans deliberately skip the U.S.: he worried that Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity could spill into the concert experience for his audience—many of whom are Latino—and he didn’t want fans showing up with that fear hanging over them.
Why he says he left the U.S. off the itinerary
Asked directly whether concerns about immigration enforcement influenced his decision, Bad Bunny said yes—and stressed the choice wasn’t rooted in hostility toward American fans. He noted he has performed in the U.S. many times, and that those shows were successful and meaningful to him because of the connection with Latino communities there.
His point was practical, not performative: he didn’t want a scenario where fans arrived at a venue and felt unsafe or targeted because of what could be happening outside.
The “come to Puerto Rico” alternative
The comments come in the context of a year where Bad Bunny leaned hard into Puerto Rico as the center of gravity for his live work.
He spent summer 2025 in San Juan with a 30-show residency titled “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” (“I Don’t Want to Leave Here”), framing it as a choice to stay home and build a cultural moment on the island rather than defaulting to the usual U.S.-heavy touring cycle.
In the same interview, he argued that U.S.-based fans still have options: they can travel to Puerto Rico for the residency-style experience, or catch him in other countries on the upcoming world tour.
What the tour looks like without U.S. dates
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour is scheduled to begin Nov. 21, 2025, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and then continue through Latin America, Europe, and other regions.
The headline, though, is what’s missing: the tour plan does not include mainland U.S. stops—by design, according to his explanation.
The wrinkle: he is still returning for the Super Bowl
Skipping a U.S. tour doesn’t mean skipping the U.S. entirely.
The NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation have officially announced Bad Bunny as the headliner for the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, scheduled for Feb. 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
That makes his position pretty clear: a broad U.S. tour felt like too much risk for his fanbase right now, but a single, tightly controlled U.S. appearance is still on the table.
What his decision signals
Even if you strip away the celebrity angle, his rationale lands because it’s specific: he’s not claiming persecution, and he’s not marketing fear. He’s saying the environment around public gatherings matters, and if the crowd you draw is the same crowd that might feel pressure outside the venue, that changes the ethical math of touring.
Whether other major artists follow that logic—or whether this remains a Bad Bunny-specific line in the sand—will depend on how the touring industry reads audience safety, optics, and liability in the year ahead.
