Yaco Eskenazi biography: from football to Peruvian TV

At 19, a knee injury closed the door of professional football for him. Almost three decades later, Yaco Eskenazi is one of the most recognizable faces on Peruvian television: he came through Universitario's youth divisions, acted in soap operas, competed on Esto es Guerra and today hosts his own shows. Along the way he married Natalie Vértiz in a wedding broadcast live on free-to-air television. Here you will find his full story with verified facts: where he came from, how he reached the screen, what is behind the nickname and what he is up to in 2026.

Who is Yaco Eskenazi?

Yaco Eskenazi is a Peruvian television host, actor and former footballer, known for his time on Esto es Guerra and for hosting shows such as Mi mamá cocina mejor que la tuya y La Granja VIP. He is married to model and presenter Natalie Vértiz, with whom he has two children.

Yaco Eskenazi's personal details

Yaco Eskenazi's childhood and early years

Jacobo Eskenazi Álvarez was born on December 14, 1979 in Callao, into a family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. He is the son of Raúl Eskenazi Becerra and María Luisa Álvarez. He studied hospitality and tourism, a degree he never finished because sport called him first.

From a young age he showed talent in football. He trained in the youth divisions of Universitario de Deportes and had spells at Sport Boys and Deportivo Municipal. At 19, a knee injury cut short his sporting career before he could establish himself in the first division. That setback, which could have been the end, turned out to be the beginning of something different.

After a season in the United States, he returned to Peru with a different course: television.

That turn has more merit than it seems. A footballer who gets injured at 19 does not have a second career waiting for him; most fall by the wayside. Eskenazi had to start from scratch in a field where he knew nobody and where his sporting credentials did not count for much.

Yaco Eskenazi's professional career

The leap to the small screen was not immediate. Yaco began appearing on América Televisión variety shows, where he gradually gained visibility as a model and entertainment figure.

His acting debut came in 2007 with the comedy series Así es la vida, where he played the character Diego Cunio Pérez-Brito. He continued his acting training at the Taller de Roberto Ángeles, one of the most respected acting teachers in Peru.

The turning point came in 2012, when he joined the reality show Esto es Guerra on América Televisión as a contestant. The format turned him into a national figure and allowed him to develop his hosting side. He returned to the show in 2015 and again in 2017, establishing himself as one of the reality show's historic faces.

Competition reality shows worked during those years as the most effective entry door to Peruvian television, and also as its trap: many contestants never managed to get out of the format. Eskenazi's case is one of the few where the transition worked. He went from competitor to host, which is the difficult move, and he did it leaning on previous acting training that most of his castmates did not have.

Mi mamá cocina mejor que la tuya, which he hosted between 2017 and 2021, was the period that finally defined him as a presenter. Four years fronting the same slot is a high figure in Peruvian television and gave him the craft he would later apply in bigger formats.

Main milestones of his career:

• Acting debut in Así es la vida (2007)
• Participation in Esto es Guerra (2012, 2015, 2017)
• Hosting Versus de colegios (2014)
• Hosting Mi mamá cocina mejor que la tuya alongside Ethel Pozo (2017–2021)
• Hosting Estás en todas on América TV
• Champion of the eighth season of El gran chef: famosos (Latina, May-July 2024), after leaving América Televisión to join the show
• Hosting La Granja VIP on Panamericana TV (February–May 2026)
• Return to El gran chef: famosos as a guest champion in the final season “El Último Campeón” (2025-2026)

Yaco Eskenazi's standout shows and projects

Soap operas and series:

• Mi amor, el wachimán (2012–2014) — character: Aurelio Gargurevich
• AKdemia (2010)
• Así es la vida (2007)

Films:

• Once machos and its sequel — leading roles

Hosting:

• Mi mamá cocina mejor que la tuya — the cooking show that established him as a host
• Estás en todas — entertainment magazine
• La Granja VIP (Panamericana TV, February–May 2026) — international rural cohabitation format, until his departure from the show

Yaco Eskenazi's personal life

In 2013, Yaco met Natalie Vértiz, a model, former Miss Perú 2011 and television host, during his time on Esto es Guerra. The relationship moved fast: their first son, Liam, was born on March 17, 2014. They married on July 11, 2015 in a ceremony broadcast live by América Televisión, with much of the Peruvian showbiz world in attendance.

In August 2021, the family grew with the arrival of Leo, their second son. Today, the Eskenazi-Vértiz family is considered one of the most stable and best-loved couples in local showbiz.

The family also maintains ties with the Jewish community in Peru, an important part of Yaco's identity since his childhood in Callao.

At Famosix we record only what the two of them have made public. Eskenazi and Vértiz have shared their family life with a degree of openness —the wedding was broadcast live—, but that does not turn every rumour about them into verifiable information, and we prefer to leave out what is not.

Yaco Eskenazi trivia

• A real former footballer: he played as a striker for Sport Boys and Deportivo Municipal, and was called up to the under-17 national team in 1996.
• His real name is Jacobo: “Yaco” is the nickname everyone has always known him by.
• Ashkenazi Jewish descent: his father comes from a family of Jewish immigrants, a heritage Yaco acknowledges openly.
• He studied hospitality: before television, he thought his future was in the tourism industry.
• Formal acting training: he trained at the Taller de Roberto Ángeles, a reference point of Peruvian theatre.
• His wedding was televised: few Peruvian hosts can say their marriage was broadcast live on free-to-air television.
• The “Yaco y el Loco” channel: together with comedian Wagner, he runs a digital space with entertaining and reflective content.

Yaco Eskenazi in 2026

2026 started strongly for Yaco. In February he was confirmed as host of La Granja VIP, the international rural cohabitation format that came to Peru through Panamericana TV. The project reunited him with Ethel Pozo, his former colleague with whom he had had a personal falling-out.

Yaco himself explained publicly that before accepting the project the two of them resolved their differences: “We talked like adults and it was sorted out”, he said. The pairing worked until, at the end of April, Eskenazi announced live his definitive departure from the show, with a final broadcast on Saturday May 2, 2026, citing personal and professional commitments, among them a tour with comedian Wagner, known as “El Loco”.

In parallel he keeps up Yaco y el Loco, the digital channel he shares with comedian Wagner. That move towards his own content is the same one several Peruvian television figures are making: free-to-air still provides reach, but the digital format allows them to work without depending on a channel's schedule.

At Famosix we consider that Yaco represents something uncommon in Peruvian entertainment: a figure who has managed to move through sport, acting, reality shows and hosting without losing credibility. His public handling of personal conflicts positions him as a reference point for a new generation of hosts. You can see other figures in the field in our ranking of Peruvian reality TV stars.

Conclusion

Yaco Eskenazi is proof that the most interesting careers do not follow a straight line. From football to acting, from reality shows to hosting and now to digital content, each stage has reinvented him without losing his essence. At Famosix we follow his career closely, along with that of the other figures of Peruvian television, in our ranking of Peruvian celebrities.

Sources consulted

• La República: Yaco Eskenazi surprises everyone by announcing live his departure from La Granja VIP Perú
• Infobae: Yaco Eskenazi leaves La Granja VIP and sparks controversy
• Wikipedia: Yaco Eskenazi