Despite telling ICE to "quit their shitty ass jobs" earlier this week, Billie Joe Armstrong refrained from any provocative statements on the big stage
By Max Pilley 9th February 2026
Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt of Green Day at Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Green Day fans have reacted to the band avoiding political statements during their set at the Super Bowl opening ceremony.
Earlier tonight (February 8), the band returned to their Bay Area home to kick off the 60th NFL setpiece with a medley of their biggest songs, as a rollcall of previous Super Bowl MVPs paraded on the Levi’s Stadium field.
AdvertisementThey played ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’ and three tracks from ‘American Idiot’, including the title track, but there were no political comments from frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, and he even refrained from singing the tweaked lyric, “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda”, which has been present at recent shows.
This is despite the band playing an intimate warm-up show in San Francisco on Friday at which Armstrong called on any ICE agents in attendance to “quit their shitty ass job”, which is more in keeping with their long-running outspoken attitude to the Trump administration.
Official broadcaster NBC did mute Armstrong when he sang “The subliminal mindfuck America” during ‘American Idiot’, and it remains a possibility that any further comments were also edited out of the broadcast.
Some fans took to social media after the Super Bowl set to share their thoughts on the band avoiding politics while on the big platform. “Green Day had THE opportunity to be political and they rested on ‘American Idiot’ to make a statement?” wrote one X user. “That songs been out since the late 2000s! where was the same energy from the night BEFORE where they called out everyone involved in the epstein files?? so disappointed.”
RecommendedGreen Day had THE opportunity to be political and they rested on American Idiot to make a statement? that songs been out since the late 2000s! where was the same energy from the night BEFORE where they called out everyone involved in the epstein files?? so disappointed.
— meg🌙 (@validhateme__) February 8, 2026
See a range of other reactions here:
Green Day skipping a whole verse of ‘American Idiot’ and about 80% of the words to ‘Holiday’ — which is probably their most political song ever — is absolutely disappointing.
Shameful.
I’m angry.
Green Day literally sold out to the media.#SuperBowlLX
— Enrique Benítez (@aspiratas) February 8, 2026
Green Day saying absolutely nothing political during that performance is a sign how far we’ve really fallen in Punk Rock. #SuperBowl #SuperBowlLX #GreenDay
— 𝕬𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖁𝖊𝖎𝖑 (@AriesVeil) February 8, 2026
AdvertisementOkay well I’m disappointed in Green Day because that wasn’t political enough for what I needed
— Shayla Crawford (@shayla_c48569) February 8, 2026
Did green day really do nothing political for the superbowl or did i miss it.
— Lycan 🦕 (@JuniperFoxes) February 8, 2026
Green Day sounded good, but they cut out the political lines and did absolutely nothing cool. Oh well.
— big Yordan guy 🏆🏆 (@JordoGonzo) February 8, 2026
we all thought green day opening up for the super bowl was gonna be some big political statement but they really didn't do shit with it lmao
— nic (@dietxcokewhore) February 8, 2026
green day didn’t say anything political 🤦♂️ cowards
— chris (@yonkochrisj) February 8, 2026
Others were more supportive of Green Day’s position:
Just putting out there that in this US political climate Green Day doing "American Idiot" at the Superbowl is a wonderful act of rebellion & the meltdown could be even better than when certain groups realise Rage Against The Machine are political.
— Paul Wheeler (@paulwradio) February 8, 2026
Gotta give Green Day credit. They didn't make any political statements during their set. Good for them. I know it's the literal bare minimum to ask for, but for some reason a lot of people aren't capable of that.
— Timbo Sliçe (@TimboSlice8391) February 8, 2026
California governor Gavin Newsom was also at the San Francisco warm-up show, and he also declared Sunday ‘Bad Bunny Day’ in California, amid the right-wing backlash against the rapper’s selection for the halftime show.
Green Day are longstanding critics of the Trump administration, slamming the President and Elon Musk at Download Festival, where they asked the crowd to call Trump a “fat bastard”. As far back as 2016, they were leading chants of “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA”, and in 2024, they strongly advocated for Democrat candidate Kamala Harris.
Trump slated Green Day and Bad Bunny’s selection for the Super Bowl, calling them a “terrible choice” that only “sow hatred”. He also confirmed he would not be attending the event, despite having done so last year.
