Víctor Caballero 'Curwen' biography: the viral communicator

A YouTuber who goes from complaining about mayonnaise to dissecting presidential campaigns in front of millions of people? Yes, that exists and he is Peruvian. Víctor Caballero, better known as Curwen, built a digital empire from scratch: he was born in Callao in 1990, and today he is one of the most influential political communicators in the country, with a channel that has been setting the agenda for more than a decade. Here we tell you his full story, his books, his controversies and the end of his engagement to Carla Campos Salazar.

Who is Víctor Caballero Rodríguez?

Víctor Ernesto Caballero Rodríguez is a Peruvian communicator, journalist, YouTuber and writer, born on October 8, 1990 in Callao. He is known for creating El diario de Curwen in 2014, a digital outlet of political analysis and satire, for his books Mototaxi (2019), Castillo y Señora K. La ofensiva final, and for his role as host on shows such as Todo Good. In 2026 he remains active between his channel and La República, after the end of his engagement to Carla Campos Salazar.

Víctor Caballero quick facts

Víctor Caballero's childhood and early years

Víctor was born and grew up in Callao, Peru's main port, in 1990. As a child he dreamed of being a detective, according to his own Instagram bio: “As a child I dreamed of being a detective. In secondary school I understood that I would make a living explaining things”. That sentence sums up his DNA well: curiosity, irony and a vocation for explaining.

As a young man he was conservative and even homophobic, as he himself confessed in 2025 in an interview with Epicentro. The change came at 20, when he read De profundis, by Oscar Wilde, a work written from prison by the Irish author. That reading reconfigured his view of the world and set him on the path to the progressivism and anti-fujimorismo that define him today.

As for formal studies, he first tried nursing and left it after a few months. He then enrolled in Political Science at Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, in Lima, but did not finish that either. His real school was the internet: years of voracious reading, videos and constant practice in writing and editing.

Víctor Caballero's professional career

In 2014, Víctor created Curwen, his alter ego: a character with an answer for everything, inspired by Harry from El retrato de Dorian Gray and by the surname of H. P. Lovecraft's Joseph Curwen. Under that mask was born El diario de Curwen, a YouTube channel devoted to Peruvian political affairs with an irreverent style that did not exist in the country.

The takeoff came in 2016, when his videos on topics such as the complaint against Ni Uno Menos or the “Comunicore” case bounced into traditional media. That year he also starred in a public dispute with Latina Televisión over a copyright claim that was finally resolved in his favour.

Key milestones:

• 2014: Creates the alter ego Curwen and launches El diario de Curwen on YouTube.
• 2016: His viral videos cross the digital border and reach the traditional press; he reports Latina over copyright and wins.
• 2018: Takes part as a speaker at TEDx Talks; establishes himself as a voice of alternative digital journalism.
• 2019: Publishes his first book, Mototaxi. Auge y caída de Fuerza Popular; the GfK study places him as the second most recalled Peruvian influencer in “News and politics”, only behind Mávila Huertas.
• 2019: Announces a pause on his channel and joins the newspaper La República as a columnist and content creator.
• 2024: Wins the Claro Luminary Awards; joins Todo Good, where he takes part in the Habla Good.
• 2025: Publishes Señora K. La ofensiva final; in September he returns to La República with a new political hosting show.
• 2025: Reports threats and extortion against him and his mother, with a “daily route mapped out”, according to Infobae.

His formula is simple to describe and hard to copy: serious research, acid humour and a unique ability to explain Peruvian politics the way someone tells gossip among friends. At Famosix we consider him the clearest example that young Peruvian journalism is being made (and making history) first on YouTube and then in the media.

Víctor Caballero's standout works, shows and projects

Víctor Caballero's personal life

Curwen's love life became a national trend in January 2025, when he confirmed on Habla Good that he was on “romantic dates” with Carla Campos Salazar, a 24-year-old graphic designer and influencer. The age difference (11 years) sparked debate, but the couple answered with facts: in October 2025, during a trip to Punta Cana, he proposed.

“I want to tell you that Tonino helped me a lot, he was the one who helped me choose the ring”, he said on Todo Good, when the marriage was still on. However, in August 2026 the show Magaly TV, la firme aired a paparazzi scoop of Carla with content creator Alonso Grimaldo at a club in Miraflores. She publicly denied that there had been a kiss or infidelity, but Curwen decided to walk away from her and the engagement was broken off, with the wedding suspended.

Before Carla, Curwen was linked to comic actress Gabriela Serpa, with whom he had a first televised date in 2024 that generated chemistry and rumours, but which did not go beyond friendship.

His religion is agnosticism, according to his public profile. He lives in Lima, close to his mother, whose health worried him in 2025 after an accident he described on social media as “really tough, but I am feeling much better now”.

Víctor Caballero trivia

• His name hides two literary tributes: Harry comes from El retrato de Dorian Gray and Curwen from El caso de Charles Dexter Ward by Lovecraft. His alter ego is a double tribute to the literature that shaped him.
• He was homophobic and a book changed him: He himself confessed that reading De profundis by Oscar Wilde at 20 transformed him. “I read De profundis”, he said in 2025, and since then he has been an active defender of the LGTBIQ+ community.
• He dreamed of being a detective: His Instagram bio reveals it: “As a child I dreamed of being a detective. In secondary school I understood that I would make a living explaining things”.
• He dropped nursing and Political Science: He tried two university degrees and finished neither; his real university was El diario de Curwen.
• A GfK study validated him in 2019: He was the second most recalled Peruvian influencer in “News and politics”, only behind Mávila Huertas, the historic TV journalist.
• He made the headlines because of mayonnaise: The video that made Carla Campos fall for him was one where he complained about the mayonnaise of a fast food chain. Without meaning to, that clip changed his love life.
• His book Mototaxi was a pioneer: According to him, it is “the first book that talks about Fuerza Popular”, an unprecedented chronicle about fujimorismo.

Víctor Caballero in 2026

In 2026, Curwen is at his most relevant. In September 2025 he returned to La República with a new political hosting show, after a year away focused on Todo Good and his books. His YouTube channel and his social media remain a compulsory reference in every electoral moment: even in the presidential debate of April 2026, a candidate mentioned him in the middle of a clash with Keiko Fujimori and López Aliaga.

In August 2026, in the middle of the media coverage of his personal life, Curwen aired a special episode of his political analysis segment “Brutalidad política” in response to a report by Magaly Medina, in which he also shared details of a prosecution file linked to the Chibolín case in which Medina herself appeared as a person under investigation, showing that his profile as a political communicator remains active even in the middle of showbiz. He also keeps publishing analysis and columns in La República, and is preparing for the 2026 electoral cycle, where his voice will once again be among the most listened to and the most questioned at the same time.

At Famosix we will keep documenting his next steps. If you found this story interesting, we also recommend the biography of Carla Campos Salazar, his former partner, and the ranking of Peruvian YouTubers.

Conclusion

Víctor Caballero is living proof that in Peru you can do serious journalism without asking the traditional media for permission: he built an audience in the millions explaining politics with humour, wrote three books and in 2026 was back in the news for the end of his engagement. His story, from Callao to the headlines, is only at its most entertaining chapter. Come back to this article, which we update with every new development.

Sources consulted

• La República: Curwen decides to walk away from Carla Campos Salazar
• La República: Carla Campos Salazar makes a serious accusation after the end of her engagement to Curwen
• Infobae: Alonso Grimaldo reveals details of the paparazzi scoop with Carla Campos, Curwen's girlfriend
• La República: latest news about Curwen and his work as a columnist