Bad Bunny just took home Artist of the Year at the 2022, MTV Video Music awards, making history as the first non-English language performer to win the prize. While this major feather in Bad Bunny’s cap made headlines, it was his performance immediately after accepting the award that created quite the stir.
During the Puerto Rican star’s performance from Yankee Stadium during the awards, he surprised the fans when he planted a big kiss on his backup dancers. While performing his hit song “Tití Me Preguntó” he leaned over to give his female backup dancer a kiss. He then turned the other way and gave his male backup dancer the same sentiment and the crowd went wild.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch1EgFjokTh/
The move was reminiscent of Madonna kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 VMAs.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, AKA Bad Bunny, is known for challenging social and gender norms by challenging toxic masculinity in the Latinx community.
In his Playboy cover story, Bad Bunny said:
I think that sex is a giant world, and everyone is free to see it as they want and do it with whoever they want, however they want, with infinite possibilities. In the end, we are human beings. Everybody feels, everybody falls in love with whoever they’re meant to.
Bad Bunny is also no stranger to showing fans a little more of himself, giving them a look at his Puerto Rican gifts whenever he has a chance.
Is Bad Bunny not wearing any underwear? 😍
pic.twitter.com/mtrxscdMJi— Saúl Alejandro (@SaulAlejandr00) July 31, 2022
In March 2020, he made another big statement by dressing in drag for his “Yo Perreo Sola” music video.
He told GQ:
It depends on my state of mind. Everybody has to feel comfortable with what they are and how they feel. Like, what defines a man, what defines being masculine, what defines being feminine? I really can’t give clothes gender.
To me, a dress is a dress. If I wear a dress, would it stop being a woman’s dress? Or vice versa? Like, no. It’s a dress, and that’s it. It’s not a man’s, it’s not a woman’s. It’s a dress.
Bad Bunny was up against Drake, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X and Lizzo for Artist of the Year. In addition, Bad Bunny was also nominated for Album of the Year for Un Verano Sin Ti, Best Latin Song for “Tití Me Preguntó,” and Song of the Summer for “Me Porto Bonito” alongside Chencho Corleone.
Prior to 2022, Bad Bunny had been nominated for a total of five VMAs, including Song of the Summer in 2018, Best Latin Video in 2019 and 2020, and two Best Latin Video nods in 2021.
The 2022 VMAs aired live Sunday night from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In April, Sony Pictures announced that Bad Bunny would play El Muerto, the first Latino character to lead a Marvel live-action film. El Muerto is a super-powered wrestler from the Spider-verse.
The star is currently on the road for his Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest tour. He also recently starred in the action comedy Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
