The clown who didn’t leave the party
Early Thursday morning in Playa del Carmen turned ugly. An armed attack, a fire and a man known as “Chuponcito” lost his life. In a matter of hours, the name began to trend with a terrifying question: had the famous comedian been killed?
Panic spread like wildfire on X (yes, before Twitter) and Instagram. Phrases like “Muere Chuponcito” filled the timelines, mixing genuine fear with that digital morbidity that characterizes us.
Spoiler alert: he is alive
Here comes the plot twist. The deceased was another person who used the same nickname. The real Chuponcito, José Alberto Flores, was safe. And like a good public figure of this era, it didn’t take long for him to show signs of life.
His method was impeccable: a video on Instagram. No boring press releases. Straight to the stories, with the humor that characterizes it.
“One day you are happy and the next day ‘chin’, it’s Monday”,
he is heard saying in the clip, joking even in the midst of the information chaos. A perfect proof of life for his followers.
These cases are our daily bread now. A nickname, a tragic coincidence and social networks do the rest, putting together puzzles with the wrong pieces. The speed with which fear spreads remains alarming.
Luckily, this time the ending was happy (or at least not tragic for the protagonist we all knew). Chuponcito is still here to tell it, and with a joke prepared.




