Bad Bunny kisses female and male dancers at the VMAs, celebrating his label-less sexuality

Puerto Rican rapper-singer Bad Bunny has always been unabashed about his style and identity. Today, at the MTV Video Music Awards, the 28-year-old not only became the first non-English artist to pick up the Artist of the Year award but he also raised eyebrows after he kissed a female and a male backup dancer in the middle of his performance. 

What went down at the VMAs: This year’s VMAs didn’t offer many suprises with the usual suspects picking up their “astronaut figurines” ranging from Taylor Swift to BTS to Lil Nas X. A major highlight was definitely reggaeton icon Bad Bunny winning over the likes of Drake, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, and others to win the Artist of the Year award. 

Always proud to showcase his Puerto Rican roots and the Spanish language, Bunny even accepted his award in his native tongue. 

As he performed his hit Titi Me Pregunto (Auntie Asked Me), Bunny kissed a female backup dancer and then went on to do the same with a male one. The surprise moment came out of nowhere and the Internet has naturally gone abuzz with reactions. 

Bunny’s gender non-conforming origins: Right from the time when he went mainstream, Bad Bunny has established that he doesn’t really care about his expression of gender and sexuality. His self-proclaimed motto has been haciendo lo que quiera (doing whatever he wants). This can be seen from his frequent cross-dressing; a prime example being his appearance on the cover of the August 2022 edition of Harper’s Bazaar in which he paired a white blazer with a white couture skirt. 

His gender non-confirming style was also evident in the video for Yo Perreo Sola in which he dressed in drag. Rapping about everything from breakups to partying to even serious issues like domestic violence, Bad Bunny’s music mirrors his fashion sense; it is unpredictable, diverse, and very “him”. 

Is Bad Bunny bisexual? As for his sexuality, it has been a topic of much speculation right from his 2018 breakout hit Caro (Expensive). The song is meant to celebrate self-worth as he asks his listeners to recognise how ‘caro’ they are. The accompanying visual starts off with Bunny getting his nails done and then he is replaced by a female version of himself (played by model Jazmyne Joy). Towards the end, both versions end up kissing each other. 

His fans have gone on to have multiple interpretations of the video adding that this might be Bad Bunny’s way of celebrating not just self-love but also his gender fluidity which otherwise his fashion style evokes.

When asked if he’s bisexual, Bad Bunny has mentioned that he doesn’t subscribe to any labels. To quote him from an LA Times interview, “It [bisexuality] does not define me. At the end of the day, I don’t know if in 20 years I will like a man. One never knows in life.” 

What the VMAs moment might mean for his identity: An outspoken queer ally who doesn’t shy away from calling out the homophobia in the Latinx community, Bad Bunny is redefining modern-day Latin American masculinity. The viral moment from the VMAs is drawing comparisons with Madonna kissing Britney Spears all the way back in 2003 VMAs. 

Google searches on “Is Bad Bunny bisexual” are bound to rise but ultimately, the performance is just another proclamation of his identity. Whether the two on-stage kisses establish him as bisexual or not, that might not really matter given Bunny is never the one for labels (at least so far). 

Reactions so far: Bad Bunny himself hasn’t given any comment on the performance yet but many on social media have been offering wholesome reactions so far.

Some are even calling him a more genuine ally than Harry Styles, another celebrity with gender non-conforming fashion and vague sexuality labels, who has often been alleged of queerbaiting (a topic that demands a whole other discussion).

Some are even in the “It should’ve been me” mode, expressing their desire to be kissed by the Caro hitmaker!