About 90 minutes before Super Bowl LX kicked off Sunday, Jake Paul picked up his phone and fired off a tweet that might’ve been his most viral for all the wrong reasons.
Paul, a YouTuber who’s made a name for himself in boxing, announced that he was “purposefully turning off the halftime show” being performed by Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny, and his MAGA-influenced logic for doing so could not have been any clearer.
“A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America,” Paul wrote. “I cannot support that.”
As of Monday morning, Paul’s tweet had reached more than 60 million people on X and was re-shared more than 21,000 times, with users highlighting its hypocrisy since Paul lives in Puerto Rico, goes by the nickname “El Gallo de Dorado” after the Puerto Rican town he calls home, and waves the Puerto Rican flag when he promotes prominent Puerto Rican boxing champion Amanda Serrano.
More: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show brings powerful message, celebrities to world stage
A bluntly worded quote tweet from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., encapsulated the backlash directed at Paul.
“Didn’t you MOVE to Puerto Rico to avoid paying your taxes while kids across America go hungry?” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “Meanwhile Benito actually funds low income kids’ access to arts and sports programs, while you defund them. Of course you’re mad. He makes you look small.”
Even Serrano, who signed with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in 2021, took umbrage with Paul’s message, calling it “wrong.” So did his brother, Logan Paul – but only after expressing his own dissatisfaction with Bad Bunny.
Perhaps that’s what prompted Paul to do something uncharacteristic as he backtracked and attempted to clarify his remarks early Monday morning.
“The problem with my tweet is the word fake being misinterpreted,” Paul wrote on X. “He’s not a fake citizen obviously (because) he’s Puerto Rican and I love Puerto Rico and all Americans who support the country. Moreso Bunny is fake (because) of his values and criticism of our great country.”
Paul continued his backpedaling with another tweet.
“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.
“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. That’s the same reason I called out Hunter Hess.
“If you benefit from a country and the platform it gives you, but publicly disrespect it at the same time, that’s what I mean by being a fake citizen.
“And I agree love is more powerful than hate. Love America.”
Spearheaded by President Donald Trump, the anti-Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show sentiment was constant from right wingers since he’d been announced in late September, and the outrage from Trump’s MAGA followers only intensified in recent weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
More: What Donald Trump said about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show set
It’s no surprise that Paul would follow Trump’s lead. He’s been a staunch supporter of the President, having recently spent time with Trump in his luxury box (awkwardly next to Dana White) at the College Football Playoff championship game.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Jake Paul backpedals on Bad Bunny tweet after intense backlash
