Latino TikToker’ creates sense of understanding with his skits – NBC Los Angeles

A Latino content creator who’s amassed millions of followers online has delivered laughs and a sense of understanding with his videos, which poke fun at his upbringing.

Abelardo Campuzano, a TikTok creator, garnered his following by posting videos in which he mimics scenarios that Hispanic parents often subject their children to. From choosing the hottest day of the year to cook soups to reenacting the way stoic fathers love the family pet they originally didn’t want, Campuzano makes parody videos based on his upbringing.

In his dozens of videos, the digital creator’s followers comment on how relatable those experiences are in their own Latino households. He credits his mother for being the inspiration for his videos, which began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had a conversation with my mom on the phone during those times and she would be mad at me,” Campuzano said. “She’s like, ‘You better be cleaning your room!’ I would get a little mad sometimes, so one day, I just decided, you know what? I’m going to put this on video and I’m just going to post it everywhere.”

Following the success and positive response from his first few videos, Campuzano continued making more based on different scenarios that Hispanic parents often experience.  He said he drew inspiration from his mother, father and other relatives.

Initially, he didn’t show his family his videos, but eventually, they caught wind of his success.

“After it started blowing up and growing into a big community, my tia, they started showing my mom in Mexico, ‘Hey, is this Lalito? Is this your son?’ and my mom was like, ‘Why have you been making videos of me?” the content creator said with a laugh.

What started as a fun outlet to create videos became an unexpected path to success for Campuzano, who shared he originally thought he would pursue a career as a professional athlete.

“I always visualized myself playing soccer,” he said. “When I moved to the U.S., that was the goal. I played one season with Chicago Fire and life just has so many different paths that somehow, one door will close and two more will open.”

Despite the unexpected change in his life, Campuzano said it’s a welcome one because of the sense of understanding and shared experiences people have expressed with his videos.

“When I started, I thought I was the only kid that went through these things, but when I started posting these skits, I started to see that there were thousands, hundreds of thousands of people that were relating to the content,” he said.

Although Campuzano pokes fun at the tough love that many Hispanic parents subject their children to, he said he understands that they mean well.

“I’m so thankful that my parents raised me in a certain way because that’s made me who I am right now,” he said. “If your parents are hard on you and they’re telling you every step of the way that you got to be doing, it’s because they love you. It doesn’t come from a bad place.”