SoCal ties front and center in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show
A day after one of the most talked-about Super Bowl halftime shows in NFL history, excitement remains high in Southern California, which had several ties to the electric performance from Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny.
Among the connections to The Southland are a beloved Highland Park taco shop, a young actor from Orange County who was gifted a Grammy, and a local couple tying the knot on national television.
The show, a blend of culture, community and music, also put the spotlight on Villa's Tacos, a beloved taqueria known to Angelenos for their blue corn tortillas and queso tacos.
Since Chef Victor Villa and his taco stand were shown in the performance as Bad Bunny dances by, business at Villa's Tacos has been nonstop.
"I saw something with Villa's Tacos on it, and right away I was like, 'I gotta try the tacos the next day,'" said Richard Espiritu, who stood in line four hours before the restaurant opened on Monday.
Villa proudly posted on Instagram after the halftime show ended, proudly relaying the story of his business, which began in his grandmother's front yard before being put on the global stage.
When speaking with CBS LA, Villa called the show the opportunity of a lifetime.
"Man, it means everything, it was an honor, it was a pleasure, and it was one for the books being able to represent my community," Villa said. "I just kept on going, I never gave up. You know, every taco along the way got me here to this moment on the biggest platform there is."
His parents share that feeling of pride.
"It's so unreal, you know. Like, watching him on TV, we had the family, my mom, the tias, the tios, grandparents, nephews," said Marilu Villa, Chef Victor's mother.
"Last night was exceptional," said Villa's father, Victor. "It was magical."
He says that he's still unsure why he was picked for the show, but is beyond thankful for the opportunity.
"Why me, you know? I just know the casting director reached out to me and was like, 'Hey, they're asking for you,'" Villa recalled.
The electric show also featured the real wedding of two Southern California natives, including Elly Aparicio, the bride, who graduated from a Covina Valley Unified School District high school. A representative for Bad Bunny's public relations team confirmed with Variety that the wedding was real and happened after they invited the singer to attend their wedding.
The groom, a Cal State Fullerton graduate named Tommy Wolter, shared a photo of the couple on social media, thanking Bad Bunny for the opportunity.
"An unforgettable dance with the love of my life. Cannot thank @badbunnypr enough for this beautiful opportunity of a lifetime," his post said.
Orange County was also represented later in the show, when Bad Bunny handed one of his recently earned Grammy awards to Lincoln Fox Ramadan, a 5-year-old actor from Costa Mesa.
Fox was cast as a younger version of the singer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. During the performance, the singer kneels down to hand Fox the award and pats his head before continuing on.
He shared his own post on Instagram after the show, calling it "an emotional, unforgettable day being cast as the young Benito — a symbolic moment where the future hands the past a Grammy. A reminder that dreams come true and that it's never too early to dream big."
Fox also shared a message with Liam Ramos, the 5-year-old Minnesota boy who was detained by federal immigration agents before his release.
"We all deserve peace and love in America, a country built by and home to so many hard-working immigrants," Fox's post said.
Fox and his mother spoke with CBS LA on Monday, where she noted how proud she was of her son.
"My heart was racing," Fox's mother said. "It was actually Bad Bunny's real Grammy that he got, and everyone kinda ran after him going, 'No, no, no, we need that back.' And he was like, 'I wanna bring this to school, I need to show my friends the trophy.'"
Social media was flooded with homegrown pride throughout the evening, as people at Super Bowl and halftime show watch parties noted local artists and musicians who were also featured, including Suemy Gonzalez, a USC alumnus, who is also a Latin Grammy-nominated artist.
"I'm on cloud nine still. I still can't believe I was a part of this historic event, "Gonzalez said. "Every musical moment in my life came down to this particular moment. ... I am proud to be a Latina musician and I'm happy to be un ejemplo, an example, that anything can be done."
