By Deep Scroll Staff 
When one of the world’s biggest stars graced the stage at the Super Bowl on Feb. 8, it felt as though the entire world went into a frenzy. Latin pop star Bad Bunny delivered an outstanding performance, from highlighting Latine businesses to referencing Puerto Rican culture throughout the 13-ish minute medley. One specific part of the half-time show, however, had Latin and Central America leaping with joy.
In the middle of the show, actors raced down the stage, each holding a flag from each country in the Americas. To the delight of many Belizeans, our own red, white, and blue flag flashed on the television screen. Belizean Facebook feeds exploded–almost every Belizean reposted the photo, their pride in being recognized on the global stage clear as day.
Bad Bunny began listing the countries by name, adding spark to the blaze. However, one name was notably not mentioned: Belize, and the discourse ignited another heated debate on Facebook. Still, the majority of us were still glad we were mentioned at all. We’re used to being ignored in this corner of the world. The fact that our flag was seen by 125 million viewers was enough for many.
That didn’t stop people from bringing it up, though. And now celebrities have even joined the discourse. In their podcast, the cast of the beloved Fox show ‘New Girl’ discussed the “snub.”
In their “The Mess Around” podcast uploaded on Feb. 17, ‘New Girl’ actors Hannah Simone (Cece) and Lamorne Morris (Winston) broached the topic. At around the 50 minute mark, Simone asked Morris, “Do you know why Bad Bunny didn’t say Belize?”
Morris, who has Belizean roots, replied, “I don’t know, he had the flag. That was cool. That was good enough for me.”
This is when Jake Johnson (Nick), who happened to be a guest on the podcast, chimed in.
“My family down in Belize wasn’t happy about it,” he joked. Morris was quick to clock him, asking, “What family do you have in Belize, Jake?”
Johnson jokingly lists out his “family” in an accent before Morris clowns him for trying to sound Caribbean.
“We were hurt, I was down on the island,” Johnson continued. “When I heard Bad Bunny and I thought, ‘Come on, man. I did not like.’”
Morris asked, “Where are you from again?” Johnson again jokingly responds, “Belize.”
At the end of the segment, Morris added, “Bad Bunny, next time you’re on camera, man, make sure to shoutout Belize.”
The podcast clip earned 2.9 million views on TikTok alone, and 320,000 on Instagram, where many Belizeans saw it fit to correct people in the comments section about Belize facts. The Belize mention comes at the heels of the nation getting some more-than-usual recognition lately.
After the Bad Bunny performance, the flag was seen at a Shakira concert, as well as Cardi B’s. It feels like some sort of overdue acknowledgement is in the works. After all, Belize’s economy is primarily driven by tourism, so any shoutout helps. As for our fellow Belizeans, they couldn’t be more excited that more folks are getting to know our beautiful country.
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