Influencer Alix Earle defends cameo in Bad Bunny’s halftime show after critic calls it ‘undeserved’

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance was filled with well-known faces, from Ricky Martin to Jessica Alba. However, many viewers were shocked to see social media influencer Alix Earle dancing in the background of the rapper’s show-stopping medley.

While some of the Grammy winners’ halftime guests, like Cardi B, were expected during the show because of their connection to Bad Bunny, the Hot Mess podcast host sparked confusion and backlash from viewers, who didn’t understand why she was included in the star-studded entourage.

“Alix Earle being a guest in Bad Bunnys half time is so odd,” one person wrote on social media.

Another commented on Earle’s TikTok video of behind-the-scenes clips of her at the game, “You’ve never once used your platform and voice for the messages bad bunny sends. This is unbelievable and undeserved.”

The latter comment led Earle to defend herself, responding, “I have, and being invited to do this was such an incredible experience and so special.”

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open image in gallery

The influencer’s halftime show appearance comes amid her increased time in the public eye.

Last year, Earle competed on season 34 of Dancing with the Stars, where she finished in second place.

A few months after the season finale, it was announced that the influencer was getting her own reality show on Netflix. Some social media users assumed that this was why Earle was in the halftime show, to drum up exposure before the show comes out.

“For everyone asking why Alix Earle was in La casita, David Grutman was there and probably brought her along (he owns a restaurant with Bad Bunny and is now working with Alix on something),” one person on X suggested.

The series, which does not yet have a confirmed title, will focus on the 25-year-old and her family and friends.

In a statement via Netflix, Earle said: “I share a lot of my life on social media, and people think they know everything there is to know about me and my family, but honestly, there’s still so much more.”

She added: “We are so happy to partner with Netflix on this show about our fun, loving, sometimes chaotic modern family, and how we always show up for each other through it all.”

Earle, who first found fame through social media while still a college student at the University of Miami, has now amassed over 13 million combined TikTok and Instagram followers. She first started posting “Get Ready With Me" videos on TikTok in February 2020, and was being paid for sponsored posts by the summer of 2022. The following year, she launched a podcast, Hot Mess with Alix Earle.

According to Netflix, who describe Earle as “Gen Z’s ultimate ‘It’ girl,” the upcoming show will offer her fans “an unfiltered look at her life like never before.” Featuring “Earle’s blended family, including her sister and fellow creator Ashtin Earle, as well as her vibrant group of friends, the series will document the real-time messiness of a young woman in transition.”

The unscripted series is expected to arrive on screens later this year.