A Cuban resident in the United States known on TikTok as @el.rey.cubano became the star of one of the most talked-about videos of the week after posting his reaction to riding a roller coaster, a clip that gathered 785,000 views in just a few days and sparked a wave of laughter among the Cuban diaspora.
The video, lasting 51 seconds, was published on July 19 and also recorded 38,300 likes, 2,867 comments, and 11,700 shares, figures that place it among the creator's most viral content.
The profile of @el.rey.cubano describes him as a Cuban living in the U.S. with his partner, entertaining his audience with his antics and clashes with the realities of the first world, a formula that clearly resonates with thousands of followers.
The overflowing expressiveness, genuine fear, and Cuban exclamations in response to an attraction that seems routine for many Americans are the ingredients that explain the clip's virality.
This type of content functions as identity humor: the spontaneity of Cuban life comically contrasts with the way leisure is experienced by those who grew up in the American context, and that difference creates a strong sense of identification among the diaspora.
It's not the first time a video like this has shaken social media. In January 2025, a Cuban regretted getting on a roller coaster with his wife, and his screams — "Oh my God, holy Mary, sir!" and "This is the last time in my life I'll ride this!" — became catchphrases in the comments.
In March of that same year, another Cuban went viral for describing with terror an attraction in a park on the island with the phrase "I wouldn't go up there even if I were dead; that doesn't exist for me."
The trend continued in June 2025, when a Cuban woman exclaimed "Oh Lord, forgive me!" on an extreme ride, and in October, the reaction of a young woman generated the viral remark "tell me you're Cuban without saying it".
The phenomenon of Cubans in the U.S. documenting their adaptation to the first world with humor and authenticity has established itself as a distinct subgenre within TikTok since at least 2024, with numerous viral cases that demonstrate the power of Cuban expressiveness to create community and laughter on both sides of the Florida Strait.
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