Peruvian political streamer Víctor Caballero, known online as Curwen, launched a scathing verbal attack against veteran television host Magaly Medina on Wednesday following her broadcast of compromising footage involving his former fiancée.
The confrontation began after Medina dedicated a segment of her evening entertainment program to questioning Caballero's work as a political analyst while airing an ampay, a Peruvian term for secretly recorded exposure footage, that featured his partner, content creator Carla Campos Salazar.
Following the broadcast, Caballero announced the cancellation of his upcoming wedding to Campos Salazar, explaining that he was deeply affected by the situation. The breakup occurred shortly after Campos Salazar had published an affectionate message calling him lovely just hours before the footage aired on national television. In the wake of the public exposure, former Peruvian professional footballer Luis Cuto Guadalupe publicly expressed solidarity with the streamer, advising him to stay calm and promising that something better was ahead for him.
Political clash and television ethics
Medina, a long-standing figure on Peruvian television who hosts the evening celebrity gossip show Magaly TV, La Firme on the ATV network, is widely known for exposing the private lives of public figures. Caballero hosts Brutalidad Política, a popular digital political commentary channel in Peru that offers sharp critiques of government officials, legislative scandals, and public figures.
Refusing to stay silent, Caballero argued that Medina's on-air commentary went far beyond reporting on his personal relationship and represented a deliberate attempt to discredit his political analysis and journalistic work. To counter her criticism, the streamer retrieved archive broadcast footage showing Medina interviewing politician Keiko Fujimori during an electoral campaign.
Keiko Fujimori, the leader of the right-wing Fuerza Popular party and daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, has been a central figure in Peruvian politics for decades. Caballero highlighted Medina's accommodating stance during her interview with Fujimori to contrast it with the aggressive scrutiny she directed toward his online channel.
Caballero declared that he preferred being a cuckold to being a sycophant, adding that he would rather be betrayed than serve as a doormat for politicians merely to hold a small amount of power. In Peruvian Spanish slang, the terms used by Caballero carry heavy weight: cachudo refers to a betrayed partner, while sobón describes a flatterer who curries favor with authority figures.
Legal allegations and defamation conviction
Elevating his response beyond television gossip, Caballero brought up fiscal file 364-2024, an official investigation into alleged influence peddling within the Judicial Power of Peru. He publicly questioned whether Medina had received favorable treatment in connection with the judicial case, using the file to challenge her moral authority as a media commentator.
Caballero also brought up Medina's past legal troubles and her previous imprisonment for criminal defamation, directly addressing her record by noting that she was the person who had been convicted of defamation and sent to prison, not him. Medina previously spent time in a Lima prison following a high-profile defamation lawsuit brought against her by professional footballer Paolo Guerrero, who sued her over false reporting regarding his personal conduct while on national team duty.
Vow to continue political coverage
Despite the personal upheaval, Caballero vowed that Brutalidad Política would continue broadcasting across digital platforms, insisting that Medina had failed in her attempt to weaken his professional standing. He asserted that while she might have expected him to fall following the public exposure of his personal life, he remained indestructible, adding that if she produced 500 investigative reports against him, he would release 501 targeting her.
Dismissing the television host as small fry, the streamer remarked that while she considered herself a formidable shark in Peruvian media, she had inadvertently bitten another shark. Caballero maintained that his political commentary would proceed without interruption, signaling no intention to back down from the ongoing public feud.
