CBS Gives Bad Bunny’s Grammy Performance Spanish Closed Captioning Amid Backlash

During Bad Bunny’s 2023 Grammys performance, viewers using closed captioning while watching the event’s live broadcast were faced with TV screens that read “[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH]” and “[SINGING IN NON-ENGLISH]” as the Puerto Rican rapper performed “El Apagon” and “Despues De La Playa.”

Then, during Bad Bunny‘s acceptance speech for best Música Urbana album, which was spoken partially in Spanish, the captions once again read “[SPEAKING NON-ENGLISH].”

Although it’s usually standard practice for live closed captioning to use these phrases as a catchall for all languages, many viewers found it in bad taste not to include actual lyrics to the show’s opening performance, making it feel like an afterthought to the network. Insiders suggest that although the lyrics for both songs are readily available online, they don’t account for ad-libs or expletives that may or may not be bleeped.

As the online reaction began to swell, CBS acted swiftly and updated the Spanish language closed captioning for  Bad Bunny’s opening performance just in time for the rebroadcast on the West Coast. The on-demand feed of the Grammys available now on Paramount+ includes closed captioning in Spanish as well.

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Bad Bunny made history at this year’s Grammys, with Un Verano Sin Ti becoming the first Spanish-language LP to be nominated for Album of the Year. (“Despues De La Playa” is a standout track from the album). However, Harry Styles walked away with the win for his record Harry’s House.

This served as his first Grammys performance following his performance at the Latin Grammys in 2021. Along with his three previous Grammy wins, Bad Bunny has been nominated for 26 Latin Grammys and has won five since his first nomination in 2017. Next, the artist looks to make Coachella history as the first Latin headliner for the upcoming festival in April 2023.