These Latinx TikTokers Live in a $2.2 Million Dollar Mansion, but They Never Feel Too Far From Their Humble Backgrounds
While you might have heard of TikTok content houses like Hype House, an L.A. mansion where influencers like Charli and Dixie DâAmelio and Addison Rae have filmed their videos in, you might not be aware of Familia Fuego.
The five-person group is made up of famous Latinx TikTokers Alexia Del Valle, Leo GonzĂĄlez, Monica Villa, Jesus Zapien and Isabella Ferregur, who all live together in a $2.2 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills and regularly share hilarious content about their experiences working in retail or keeping up Christmas decorations until mid-January (sounds about right).
Familia Fuego sets itself apart by being less of a business and more of a collective â or a family.
Referring to other creator groups similar to Hype House, GonzĂĄlez told Los Angeles Times, âthey do their video, and then theyâre just on their phone⊠here, we have talked about our fears and dreams.â Bonding over their shared Latino heritage, GonzĂĄlez said, âweâve been vulnerable. Weâve cried together and prayed together.â
They relate to each other in a deeper way, especially since all of them come from humble beginnings.
For one, 23-year-old Del Valle grew up in New Jersey with a Hollywood sign in her room, working at Disney World and only ever walking on a red carpet at school events like Homecoming.
Proudly of Puerto Rican descent and already at 1.5 million followers on her own TikTok, Del Valle said fame is âspecialâ because it gives the group âan opportunity to represent where we come from. It seems more rewarding.â Still, she admits âitâs definitely challengingâ breaking through an influencer market that is notoriously white-dominated. She added, âpeople donât see that we really came from humble backgrounds.â
Meanwhile, fellow Familia Fuego member Villa is a 24-year-old Chicana who once worked in the catering business, 21-year-old Mexican-Cuban Ferregur had a job in boat rentals, 27-year-old Mexican-American GonzĂĄlez worked in broadcast stations, and 24-year-old Mexican-American Zapien worked at Walmart, Disneyland and a bank.
Zapien described himself as âsuper shyâ growing up, but explained, âthen I was like, âIâm too broke to be shy.ââ This is a reality many from our community can relate to, where lack of opportunities sometimes pushes us even further out of our comfort zones to make a mark.
Familia Fuego got this opportunity by being approached by DirecTV and the influencer marketing company Whalar, who fund the house, their food, travel, video equipment, studio, and paychecks in exchange for posting branded posts.
While DirecTV has some skin in the game â reaching customers they would not get to otherwise through âtraditional channelsâ â GonzĂĄlez explained, âtheyâre literally funding the livelihoods of five creators.â The creator contrasts this against the less authentic alternative of simply âdoing a cute Hispanic Heritage Month commercialâ and calling it a day.
The five creators all thought the initial emails from DirecTV and Whalar were a scam, with Ferregurâs parents telling her, âdonât get too excited.â Coming from worlds that arenât as accustomed to grand opportunities like being flown out to a lush Hollywood mansion to live out their dreams, this kind of trepidation makes sense.
Today, even with millions of followers, they all still deal with imposter syndrome. GonzĂĄlez said, âIâve never been able to call myself an influencer,â instead telling Uber drivers that he is âa freelance video editor.â Ferregur agreed, saying, âI donât call myself an influencer,â while Villa described, âweâll still go to the store, and if someoneâs looking at us weâre like, why are they looking at us?â
While many people dealing with newfound fame, money, and success may deal with imposter syndrome, it can particularly affect people of color, or anyone who goes from âblue collarâ work to the sparkling celebrity life in the blink of an eye.
Plus, thereâs no doubt that Familia Fuego have dealt with specific issues just by being Latino: Ferregur has been accused of being âwhitewashedâ by her viewers, even though she dealt with racism growing up, and Villa feels at a crossroads between making videos in English versus Spanish. She explained, âitâs a little harder for Latinos to actually grow if youâre not doing something super mainstream.â
Still, the group is slowly becoming accustomed to fame, with GĂłnzalez saying, âwhenever we go to any sort of public place where itâs Latinos⊠we all have people there who know us.â
Today, they post videos FaceTiming Eva Longoria, and went to the red carpet premiere of âWest Side Storyâ â but still have a measured view of the future. Their âresidencyâ with DirecTV ends in a few weeks, and GonzĂĄlez said, âI donât expect for it to be forever â but if it can be, thatâd be so nice.â Meanwhile, each of the Familia Fuego members are looking toward long-term goals like working in film, television, fashion, beauty, music, or even writing a memoir.
Familia Fuegoâs videos are a hilarious safe haven for Latinos to laugh about shared experiences like eating pozole, giving each other serenatas, or dealing with an annoying manager â and while GonzĂĄlez told L.A. Times their new life ânever felt like it could be a long-term thing,â we truly hope it is.
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