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Leave it to Bad Bunny to end Saturday Night Live's historic 50th season with a bang. On Saturday, May 17, the Puerto Rican global superstar took the SNL stage for a third time, delivering a visually electric performance that had both feet planted in history and a head firmly in the clouds.
Kicking off with "NUEVAYoL," a standout from his chart-topping album Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should've Taken More Photos), Bad Bunny stunned fans with a tribute to the iconic 1932 photograph Lunch atop a Skyscraper, the one with the 11 ironworkers casually eating lunch on a steel beam high above Manhattan.
© Bettmann ArchiveOnly this time, it was Benito and his crew reimagining the daring image in a way that felt both reverent and revolutionary.
A Bronx Ballet of Beats and Beams
Filmed at the very same 30 Rockefeller Plaza that served as the backdrop for the original photo and SNL itself, the performance transformed the stage into a dizzying steel-beam catwalk. Bad Bunny, rocking worker gear with his signature swag, delivered "NUEVAYoL" with a fierce blend of reggaetón and nostalgia.
© Will Heath/NBC via Getty ImagesThe track pays homage to New York's vibrant Puerto Rican community, particularly the Nuyorican experience, and the performance turned that homage into a cultural mic drop. Visually, it was a love letter to New York, blue-collar pride, and Bad Bunny's skyscraper-high rise in global pop culture.
A Bathroom Stall That Got Steamy Fast
Just when fans thought things couldn't get any more cinematic, Benito reappeared later in the night for a second performance, this time with Puerto Rican artist RaiNao. The duo performed "PERFuMITO NUEVO" in a graffiti-drenched bathroom set that felt like a cross between a dive bar and a Gen Z music video.
© Will Heath/NBC via Getty ImagesRaiNao's haunting vocals echoing through a neon-lit stall. Then came Bad Bunny, mysteriously seated behind a door, flirting with both the camera and RaiNao. It was pure telenovela in trap beat form. It was playful, provocative, and perfectly weird, just the kind of weird SNL loves.
Bad Bunny proved that he's got solid comedic chops when he wasn't busy singing or reimagining historical photos. He joined host Scarlett Johansson in several sketches, flexing his timing and charm. One sketch saw him as an exasperated bar patron dealing with his dramatic girlfriend, while another had him heroically trying to land a plane as an impromptu air traffic controller.
© Holland Rainwater/NBC via GettyFrom Skyscrapers to Sold-Out Stadiums
Bad Bunny's SNL spotlight comes as he continues to dominate in every arena possible. His sixth studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 following its vinyl release, proving that physical media isn't dead when your fanbase is this rabid.
© Holland Rainwater/NBC via GettyBut wait—there's more. He's kicking off a red-hot residency at San Juan's Coliseo de Puerto Rico this summer, starting July 11. That's 15 shows. 400,000 tickets sold in just four hours.
© Will Heath/NBC via Getty ImagesFrom recreating skyscraper legends to steamy stall serenades, Bad Bunny turned SNL's 50th season finale into a genre-blending, platform-defying spectacle. He didn't just perform; he made a statement.
