Full Breakdown
El Temach and the Latin American Manosphere: Influence, Money, and Backlash
5/28/2026, 1:13:24 PM
El Temach's Rise and Controversial Content
Luis Castilleja, an aspiring actor, rebranded as El Temach and now has over 11 million followers. His videos mix advice with misogynistic language targeting women, single mothers, and “gold-diggers.” Castilleja denies misogyny, saying he highlights men’s “invisible” problems.
Manosphere Growth in Emerging Markets
A BBC probe of 15 influencers across Latin America, Africa and East Asia found follower counts tripled in three years. Researchers link the surge to gender-equality advances that men view as threatening.
Influencers and Their Audiences
El Temach and Kenyan Andrew Kibe dominate the niche. Mexican Gen Z follower Julián, 19, has liked over 3,000 manosphere videos and cites El Temach’s claim that feminism hides men’s issues. Kenyan Ryan follows Kibe’s TikTok, whose hashtag exceeds 500 million views, and calls Kibe a surrogate father.
Monetization
From April 2025-26 El Temach earned $1.5 million (£1.1 million) from video views, $200-300 k (£149-£223 k) from YouTube Super Chats, and $800 (£595) per workshop attendee, plus merchandise. Kibe earns from merchandise and a crypto coin, urging fans to send money via Kenya’s M-Pay app.
Social Impact
King’s College London surveyed 23,000; 57 % of Gen Z men say women’s equality discriminates against men. Mexico City doctor Fernanda says her partner forced her to watch El Temach videos for four hours, threatened lethal violence, and used the content to justify controlling behaviour.
Responses and Opposition
Official Statements
El Temach’s team called the allegations “unfounded.” Kibe denied misogyny, saying “No man hates a woman. We love you — we are like gods to you, worship us.” El Temach posted, “BBC and Miss Jacqui … we don’t need your permission to be men.”
Criticism
Ali Siles (UNAM) says the content “focuses on men dismissed by society” but does so “at the expense of women.” Awino Okech (SOAS) calls women “the problem.” Alex Castilleja says he “knows what he’s doing… it’s a dystopic hell and he’s a violence robot.”
On-the-Ground Reports
Julián says the most impactful lesson from El Temach was “feeling confident,” yet after a 2023 breakup he posted praise for “submissive women” and called them “sluts.” Ryan says Kibe’s TikTok gave him “discipline” and “self-confidence” after growing up with a single mother.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I don't like saying El Temach because for me he's a completely different person. So I'm sister with the human that he was,” — Alex Castilleja, design engineer, Mexico
- “BBC and Miss Jacqui from the BBC, we don't need your permission to be men.” — Luis Castilleja (El Temach)
- “He focuses a lot on men as having been dismissed by society, and [the narrative that] women have, you know, been the stars of the show," says Dr Ali Siles, gender and masculinities researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.” — Dr Ali Siles, gender researcher, UNAM
- “I think [my former partner] was already a sexist who was hiding it.” — Fernanda, physician, Mexico City
