The Cuban comedian Andy Vázquez published a video on TikTok addressed to Samantha Hernández this Thursday, amidst the controversy sparked by her comments regarding her refusal to discuss Cuban politics. He urged his followers to stop attacking her while giving a "lesson" on the reality of the island.
The controversy began between March 9 and 11, when a viral video by Samantha Hernández, who has over 1.2 million followers on TikTok, circulated. In the video, she explained that she doesn't talk about politics because "I don’t know, I don’t have information, I know the basics," that the Cuban debate on social media is a "business" or "circus" to go viral, and that "not even 50 thousand influencers" would change the reality of the island. Her statements generated a wave of criticisms from Cubans in exile and within Cuba.
Andy Vázquez, known for his characters Facundo Correcto and Lina la Javá, chose a conciliatory yet educational tone. "Stop attacking Samanta, please. What you need to do is help her," he said in the video. Rather than joining the attacks, he took the opportunity to explain to the influencer the fundamentals of the Cuban crisis.
"In Cuba, there is a dictatorship that has been imprisoning those who raise their voices for 67 years," said the comedian, who went into exile in the United States around 2020 after being censored by the regime for a satirical sketch about food lines at the Cuatro Caminos Market.
In his message, Vázquez mentioned specific cases of repression: the harassment by State Security towards the TikToker and activist Anna Bensi (Ana Sofía) and her mother, Caridad Silvente, who was interrogated at a police unit in Alamar and was given a formal accusation and placed under house arrest. He also cited young Christians harassed by the regime, political prisoners Luis Manolo and Michael Osorno, and the members of the group El4tico, detained in Holguín since February 6.
"No need to know about politics, my dear. You say you don't know how to talk about politics, but you know that in Cuba there are mothers who can't get milk for their children, that there are no medicines, that there's a president who was appointed without an election, and that no one chose," Vázquez said to Samantha. And he concluded with a phrase that summed up his intention: "I'm not attacking you, I'm teaching you".
This Thursday, Samantha Hernández responded on Instagram Stories acknowledging the reality in Cuba. "Of course I know there is a dictatorship in Cuba, of course I know that people are going hungry, that there are blackouts, that there is no electricity or water, that there are no medications; that if you speak out, you get arrested," she wrote. She justified her silence by arguing that she fears being taken out of context: "I know that many people record the screen and cut a piece to spark conversation and go viral."
The debate generated divided reactions. The influencer Kenny Robert defended Samantha against the criticism, arguing that no one is obligated to speak on politics and that it is better to recognize one's own limitations. On the other side, a Cuban in the U.S. identified as Gaby was adamant: "Anyone who has a platform and does not speak is complicit."
The controversy arises in a context of increasing repression in Cuba: Prisoners Defenders reported 1,214 political prisoners in February 2026, and the OCDH denounced 231 repressive actions in that month alone. This is not the first time Samantha has stirred controversy on this topic: in June 2025, during the podcast Farándula 305, she stated: "I didn't protest in Cuba, and I won't ask others to do so... The one who will be imprisoned is not me."
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