Yes, Tomi Lahren, Puerto Ricans are Americans — including Bad Bunny

Tomi Lahren’s viral slip-up reminded many that, even in 2025, people still don’t understand Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

News flash: Bad Bunny, like all Puerto Ricans, is a U.S. citizen. 

During the latest episode of Tomi Lahren’s podcast, “Tomi Lahren is Fearless,” the 33-year-old Fox News host had to be reminded of that fact.

When the topic of Bad Bunny being named the next Super Bowl headliner came up during her discussion with progressive pundit Krystal Ball, Lahren stated, “He’s not an American artist.” 

Ball quickly corrected her, replying, “He’s Puerto Rican… that’s part of America, dear,” per Complex.  

Lahren then switched gears, criticizing the Grammy winner’s anti-ICE stance, to which Ball countered, “America agrees with him on that.”

The flub arrives amid growing backlash from the right following the 31-year-old Puerto Rican artist’s Super Bowl announcement. Critics have hurled a mix of misinformation and racially charged commentary, with many, like Lahren, incorrectly claiming he isn’t American. ICE even announced plans to be present at the Super Bowl, and President Donald Trump publicly voiced his disapproval.

But the outrage itself stems from a misunderstanding of basic civics. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, which means everyone born there is an American citizen. The same is true for residents of other U.S. territories, including the U.S. Virgin Islands — which encompasses St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John — as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

While citizens from these territories don’t have full voting representation in Congress and can’t vote in presidential elections while living on the islands, they are legally and constitutionally Americans.

The only U.S. territory where residents aren’t automatically citizens is American Samoa, where the people are classified as U.S. nationals rather than citizens. (There are also 11 other uninhabited territories belonging to the country.) 

As for Bad Bunny, the superstar has brushed off the criticism with characteristic flair. While hosting “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, October 4, he joked about his critics while delivering part of his monologue in Spanish, quipping, “And if you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn.”

He even poked fun at the controversy surrounding his upcoming Super Bowl performance, adding, “I think everybody’s happy about it — even Fox News.”

Bad Bunny, who has never shied away from calling out Trump or his administration, has continued to be outspoken about immigration and ICE. Earlier this fall, he announced his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour,” set to kick off in November 2025, and revealed it will include no stops in the continental United States — a decision he said was made to protect his fans from potential ICE raids.

Speaking to Rolling Stone at the beginning of the year about his purpose as an artist, he reflected, “What’s the point in being here? To show the world who I am and what my culture is, where I grew up. To talk a little about myself so they can get to know me a little more — and that’s me: I’m Puerto Rican.”