Green Day has faced criticism for focusing solely on music during their appearance at the Super Bowl’s Kickoff Performance. However, a social media post has led to speculation about whether their choice not to criticize the current administration was a politically motivated statement.

Why Didn’t Green Day Get Political in Their Super Bowl Kickoff Performance?

While Green Day has not publicly commented on their motivations for the Super Bowl performance, actor/director Thomas Sadoski shared a theory on Instagram regarding their decision to refrain from political statements during a significant viewing opportunity.

Sadoski, known for his role in HBO’s The Newsroom and films like Wild and John Wick, is also a founding ambassador of War Child USA and serves on the Board of Directors for INARA (International Network for Aid, Relief & Assistance) as well as the International Advisory Council for Fortify Rights.

In his post, Sadoski stated:

I see many people criticizing Green Day.

For what it’s worth: perhaps Green Day recognized that white boys making controversial statements would dominate media coverage, overshadowing the true message of the evening: Bad Bunny‘s performance filled with honesty, grace, pride, dignity, joy, and beauty.

Sometimes, the most “punk” action is to give the mic to voices that are often unheard and make people confront that.

The actor also quoted The Clash‘s Joe Strummer, adding, “If you aren’t thinking about man and God and law, then you aren’t thinking about anything.”

What Was the Message of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance?

From the moment Bad Bunny was announced as the Super Bowl halftime performer, there was backlash regarding his background and potential political motivations. Previously, Bad Bunny chose to perform a residency in Puerto Rico, deliberately avoiding U.S. dates due to concerns about his shows becoming targets for ICE raids.

Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, both Spanish and English are co-official languages of the Commonwealth. Much of Bad Bunny’s music has been performed in Spanish throughout his career, leading some to feel that a Spanish-language halftime performance would be un-American. The backlash escalated to the point where TurningPointUSA proposed an alternative All-American halftime show out of fear of an anti-American statement.

However, Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show celebrated his Puerto Rican heritage and its significance in America’s narrative.

While performing almost entirely in Spanish, he switched to English at one point to express “God Bless America.” With Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, and numerous dancers joining him during the halftime show, the presentation conveyed a message of unity.

READ MORE: Rockers React to Bad Bunny’s Performance at the Super Bowl Halftime

The U.S. and Puerto Rican flags were displayed side by side as he spiked a football inscribed with “Together we are America” after naming various nations in North America and South America.

The performance concluded with a visible message in English stating “The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate Is Love.”

Green Day Did Have Something to Say at a Separate Super Bowl-Related Event

Despite sticking to music during their Super Bowl kickoff performance medley, Green Day also played at an invite-only Spotify-sponsored Super Bowl party at San Francisco’s Pier 29 last Friday (Feb. 6) as part of the weekend festivities.

During that full concert performance, they expressed their views openly. Frontman Billy Joe Armstrong delivered a powerful warning to ICE agents about their fate “when this is over.”

“And this goes out to all the ICE agents wherever you are. Quit your lousy job. Quit that terrible job you have,” Armstrong began while leaning toward the crowd and speaking slowly for emphasis.

The crowd cheered as he continued: “Because when this is over – and it will be over eventually – Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, JD Vance, Donald Trump will drop you like a bad habit. Come on this side of the line.”

This indicates that while Green Day chose unity during their Super Bowl kickoff performance, they did voice their opinions at another event during Super Bowl weekend.

Check out some rockers who supported Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance in the gallery below.