A Cuban resident in the United States identified as Gaby (@mrs_wong1 on TikTok) published this Thursday a video questioning influencer Samantha Hernández and other Cuban content creators in exile who refrain from speaking out about the situation in Cuba, stating that anyone who has a platform with a majority of Cuban followers and remains silent "is also an accomplice."
The controversy erupted days ago when Hernández published a viral video in which she stated that she does not talk about politics because "I don’t know, I don’t have information, I know the basics," and added that social media does not change the reality in Cuba: "The world already knows what is happening in Cuba. Not even 50,000 influencers can change that." Her statements sparked a wave of criticism towards Samantha Hernández for her stance on social media.
This Thursday, Hernández responded to her critics in Instagram stories, acknowledging that she is aware of the reality of the island: "Obviously, I know that there is a dictatorship in Cuba, obviously I know that people go hungry, that there are blackouts, that there is no electricity or water, that there are no medications; that if you speak out, you get jailed." However, she justified her public silence by arguing that she prefers not to be taken out of context or go viral in a malicious way.
In her video, Gaby replied with irony to that argument: "Hello, my name is Gaby, I am an infladencer and I don't like to talk about politics because I don't feel very well-versed in the topic. I find it interesting that I'm saying this from my home, here in the United States." The Cuban emphasized that it is not necessary to be a political expert to know that Cuba has been under a dictatorship for over 67 years.
Gaby also pointed out that Hernández and other influencers promote shipping agencies to Cuba, many of which are owned by the Cuban government, without showing the reality of the repression.
The debate takes on special significance in contrast to what is happening on the island. In March 2026, State Security summoned the mother of Anna Bensi —a 21-year-old TikToker who speaks openly from Havana— and branded her as a "counter-revolutionary." On February 6, young individuals Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez, from the El4tico collective in Holguín, were arrested on charges of "propaganda against the constitutional order" for publishing critical content.
Regarding this case, the Holguín Prosecutor's Office upheld the provisional imprisonment of the youths from El4tico, a decision that the U.S. State Department condemned publicly. The discussion about the role of Cuban influencers and their political responsibility thus transcends social media to touch upon the reality of repression on the island.
The influencer Kenny Robert spoke out this Thursday in support of Hernández on Instagram, arguing that not everyone is well-versed in political matters and that it is better to acknowledge one's own limitations. "Defending Cuba also means defending respect among ourselves," he wrote.
Gaby, however, rejected any middle position: "I don't believe we are at a moment to be gray. You are either white or you are black, you are either with the people or you are against them." From the prison in Holguín, Kamil Zayas had sent a message in the same vein: "Don't give up. Let's build a just people." This debate about empathy among Cubans in exile reflects an increasingly visible fracture within the community.
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