Activist and influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina has once again stirred up controversy on social media after launching harsh criticisms against Cuban presenter Alexander Otaola during an interview on the podcast “Destino Tolk.”
In his statements, Espina downplayed Otaola's influence and accused him of building his fame on conflicts with other content creators.
“When I started on social media, I was making my usual content about migration and politics, and then my Cuban followers began to tell me, ‘Have you seen this guy who's talking about you?’ I really had no idea. Honestly, no one knows Otaola outside of his community.” Espina stated during the segment.
With a direct tone, the young man of Uruguayan origin questioned the real impact of the presenter among Hispanic audiences in the United States. “If you ask a Mexican, a Honduran, a Guatemalan who this guy is, I thought he was a crazy person who escaped from a circus because there are many characters on social media,” he added with a laugh.
Espina also remarked on how he has been attacked multiple times by Otaola from his program: “Over the years, he has featured me on his show many times for different reasons, but honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with that man. I make videos about him and people ask me: who is this guy?”
Moreover, he compared their social media reach: “I told him in a video: what hurts him about me is that I came to social media and in five years I already have 15 million followers. You go to their channels, they’ve been on social media for what, like 10 years and they don’t get past half a million.”
No obstante, Espina también reconoció que parte del respaldo que ha recibido por parte del público cubano tiene relación directa con esta polémica. “All Cubans who recognize me shake my hand and say: thank you for standing up to Otaola”, he commented, referring to the support he has received on the street.
Espina talked about the latest confrontation he had with Otaola, in which Otaola told him that if he wanted to be invited to his program, he would have to pay 50 thousand dollars. The activist agreed to pay the money if it were donated to a Cuban cause, but Otaola refused, arguing that the payment was for his time.
“I have never met him in person, but honestly, I think he is afraid to have me on his show”, he added confidently.
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