Bad Bunny’s Sign Language Interpreter on the Halftime Show and Making Puerto Rico Proud: ‘We’re a Small Island, but We Fight Very Hard’

While a national audience watched Super Bowl LX, a separate, significant viewing event was organized at San Juan's Eco's Sports Park. Puerto Rico's Deaf community, accompanied by family, friends, and interpreters, gathered not only for the football game but to celebrate a historic first for the island. This year's halftime show, headlined by Puerto Rican global icon Bad Bunny and featuring its first Spanish-language setlist, also included the event's inaugural performance in Puerto Rican Sign Language (LSPR) by interpreter Celimar Rivera Cosme. This move represented a conscious effort to localize the experience for a specific cultural and linguistic group, moving beyond the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters featured in prior years.

The NFL selected Rivera Cosme through a direct outreach in November, following recommendations from Deaf community advocates. Her selection came after a demanding audition process that required multiple video submissions of her interpreting Bad Bunny's music. A seasoned professional from the mountain town of Naranjito, Rivera Cosme was a natural choice; she had previously interpreted for Bad Bunny during his 2022 "El Último Tour Del Mundo" and his massive 31-show San Juan residency in 2023. That residency, held at the iconic Coliseo de Puerto Rico—a 18,500-seat arena locally nicknamed "El Choli"—was a cultural and economic landmark for the island. It drew over 600,000 attendees and reportedly generated an estimated $250 million in local economic impact. Her involvement in those concerts began when advocates requested accessibility accommodations, leading promoters to contact her directly.

For deaf viewers, Rivera Cosme's use of LSPR was essential to authentically conveying the spirit of Bad Bunny's performance. LSPR is a distinct language that developed from ASL in the early 20th century, possessing its own unique vocabulary, rhythm, and cultural references. This linguistic specificity was critical for songs like "Tití Me Preguntó," where the LSPR sign for the distinctly Puerto Rican term "Tití" (aunt) carries a different cultural weight than the more generic sign for "aunt" in ASL. As linguist Dr. Elena Marquez explains, "High-profile use of a minority sign language like LSPR is not just about access—it's an act of cultural preservation that counters linguistic erosion." This visibility is particularly urgent given that LSPR is considered endangered, with ASL increasingly dominant, and with a 2022 CDC report estimating about 220,000 of Puerto Rico's 3.2 million residents experience deafness or serious hearing difficulty.

During the halftime show, Rivera Cosme performed from a prime position in the first row near the field at Levi's Stadium—a notable upgrade from the less visible placements of interpreters in past Super Bowls. One of the stadium's six massive jumbotrons was dedicated solely to her feed. While the main NBC television broadcast did not include her, a dedicated online stream offered a split-screen view, allowing viewers to watch her and Bad Bunny perform in sync. She described the stadium atmosphere as intensely positive and competitive, with the crowd in her section offering enthusiastic cheers of support. Her favorite song to interpret was "Café con Ron," due to its lyrical homage to the Puerto Rican countryside, which resonated with her own roots in Naranjito.

In a symbolic collaborative moment, Rivera Cosme was joined on stage by ASL interpreter Julian Ortiz, who had performed "America the Beautiful" earlier in the broadcast. She noted this was a deliberate nod to shared Puerto Rican heritage, as Ortiz's parents are from the island. She taught him specific LSPR signs for their joint performance, emphasizing unity and teamwork. Reflecting on the event's impact, Rivera Cosme stated, "This exposure is for the entire Deaf community in Puerto Rico. We are a small island, but we fight very hard for a place on the biggest stages." She hopes the performance bolstered pride for all Latinos, especially during the finale where Bad Bunny named countries across the Americas and proudly shouted out Puerto Rico. For Rivera Cosme, who once abandoned nursing studies after being told her deafness was an impediment, this historic moment stands as a powerful affirmation of her community's language, culture, and rightful place in the spotlight.