Shakira has some heartfelt words for her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show supporting act-turned 2026 headliner.

In a Variety interview published Tuesday, Oct. 21, the "Hips Don't Lie" singer called the NFL's announcement that reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny would headline next year's Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show long overdue, adding that "It’s about time!"

On Feb. 2, 2020, the Puerto Rican rapper joined the Colombian singer on stage in Miami during Super Bowl LIV, whose halftime show was co-headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. Both Bad Bunny and J Balvin joined as surprise acts.

Shakira applauded Bad Bunny for helping push Spanish-language music further into the mainstream and said she can't wait to watch his headlining set at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8.

"I remember when we did ours that even having part of our set in Spanish was a bold move," Shakira told Variety. "Acceptance as part of the mainstream has come so far from when I started. I hope and like to think that all the times my music was met with resistance or puzzlement from the English-speaking world before it was embraced helped forge the path to where we are now."

She continued: "And I’m so proud that Bad Bunny, who represents not only Latin culture but also how important Spanish-language music has become on a global scale and how universal it has become, is getting to perform on the biggest stage in the world. It’s the perfect moment for a performance like this."

Donald Trump was among the critics of NFL's choice to spotlight Bad Bunny

The NFL's announcement also outraged plenty of Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who said he found it ridiculous that an artist he had never heard of would lead one of the world's largest stages.

Trump told NewsMax's Greg Kelly that he had "never heard" the artist in an Oct. 6 interview after the conservative news host alleged that Bad Bunny "hates ICE" and "accuses everything he doesn't like of racism."

"I don't know who he is. I don't know why they're doing it, it's, like, crazy," Trump replied. "Then they blame it on some promoter that they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it's absolutely ridiculous."

A Change.org petition to replace Bad Bunny with a musician who "embodies the heart and soul of American music," George Strait, has gathered nearly 60,000 signatures as of Oct. 21.

Bad Bunny, who was Spotify's most-streamed artist from 2020 to 2022, has long criticized the Trump Administration amid widespread immigration raids and rollbacks to immigrant protections.

Last month, he said he would not bring his upcoming "Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour" to the U.S., partly due to Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns.

On Oct. 4, while "Saturday Night Live," he mocked Fox News' outrage at the NFL's choice.

"You might not know this, but I'm doing the Super Bowl halftime show and I'm very happy," he said, then joked, "I think everyone is happy about it, even Fox News."

Contributing: Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shakira celebrates Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl halftime show: 'It’s about time'

Reporting by Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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