José Eduardo Verástegui Córdoba (; born May 21, 1974) is a Mexican actor, activist, singer, and producer. He was part of the band
Kairo
Kairo may refer to:
* Kairo (band), Mexican boy band from 1993 to 1999 with Eduardo Verástegui as member until 1996
* Kairo (video game), ''Kairo'' (video game), independently published exploration video game made by Richard Perrin
* Kairo (film) ...
and later embarked on a solo music career before he started appearing in Mexican telenovelas and eventually feature films like ''
Chasing Papi'', ''
Bella
Bella is a feminine given name. It is a diminutive form of names ending in -bella. ''Bella'' is related to the Italian, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Latin words for beautiful, and to the name Belle (given name), Belle, meaning ''beautiful'' in F ...
'', and ''
Little Boy'', the latter two produced by his own production company, Metanoia.
Various media outlets have described his political ideas as ultra-conservative, far-right and social-darwinist. Currently, Verástegui directs the Viva México movement. On September 7, 2023, he registered as an independent candidate for the
2024 Mexican presidential election. He was later disqualified from the election as he did not meet the required signatures.
Verástegui is active on social media, and has an active
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel of nearly 300,000 subscribers.
Early life
Verástegui was born on May 21, 1974, in
Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and grew up in
Xicoténcatl. The son of José Jesús Verástegui Treviño (1950–2022), a sugarcane farmer, and Alicia Córdoba, Verástegui was raised in a practicing
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
family
and has been interested in the world of entertainment since his childhood. After studying law for a time, Verástegui instead decided to try his hand at modeling, acting, and singing and moved to Mexico City at the age of 17 to enter the
Televisa Artistic Education Center (CEA).
Career
Before he began his acting career, Verástegui was a backing singer and founding member of the musical group Kairo. ''
Eduardo Verástegui'', his lone solo album to date, was released in 2001 following his collaboration with the aforementioned ensemble on the albums ''Signo del tiempo'' (1994) and ''Gaudium'' (1995).
During the mid-1990´s, allegedly, he was romantically linked to Ricky Martin.
At the end of the 1990s, he appeared in some Mexican television productions, such as ''Una luz en el camino'' (1998), ''Soñadoras'' (1998-1999), and ''Alma rebelde'' (1999).
2000-2010
After finding success as a musical entertainer and then as a soap opera star, he decided to pursue a career in Hollywood. In 2002, before filming commenced on ''Chasing Papi'', Verástegui took voice-coaching lessons to improve his English pronunciation. The coach was a committed Catholic, and during their conversations, Verástegui re-discovered his faith and resolved to change his lifestyle. He also declared that he had decided to turn down offers to play roles in films that conflicted with his Catholic beliefs or that insulted his Latino brethren. In an interview with Dave Hartline, the author of ''The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism'', published by ''Catholic Report'', he said he was committed to attending Mass daily, praying, reading the Bible, saying the rosary, and attending confession at least once a week. He also said that he first encountered his renewed faith in
Scott Hahn's book, ''Rome Sweet Home'', which "had a great impact on me, and its influences can be seen in much of what I do".
2010-present

In 2011, Verástegui produced a new short film titled ''Crescendo''. The short, starring Colombian actress Montserrat Espadalé, was awarded at the Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival and won awards at other important events such as the
Heartland International Film Festival
The Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) is a high academy qualifying film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States ...
, the Rochester Film Festival, the San Antonio Film Festival, and the
San Diego Latino Film Festival.
In 2012, he played the Mexican martyr
Anacleto González Flores in the historical film ''
Cristiada'', directed by
Dean Wright and starring
Andy García,
Eva Longoria, and
Peter O'Toole. The film was based on the events of the
Cristero War and obtained several nominations for the ALMA awards in 2002, among other recognitions.
In 2014, he served as executive producer and provided the voice of Jesus of Nazareth in the dubbing of the film ''Son of God''. A year later, he played the role of Eduardo Furtillo in Andy Fickman's film ''
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2'' and Father Crispín in the movie ''
Little Boy'', another project from the company Metanoia Films, where he again served as producer.
The film, starring Emily Watson, Kevin James, David Henri, Jakob Salvati, and Ben Chaplin, tells the story of Pepper, an eight-year-old boy who goes to great lengths to reunite with his father, a soldier who fought in World War II and was captured by the Japanese.
In 2016, Verástegui produced the documentary ''The Other Part: The Untold History of Narco'', a work that tells the story of the son of one of Mexico's first drug traffickers and his fight for redemption.
In 2017, the actor made an appearance in the episode "Trainer Wreck" of the second season of the American CBS television series ''
Kevin Can Wait'', playing the role of Alejandro.
A year later, filming began in the city of Bogotá on a new Metanoia Films production titled ''
Sound of Freedom'', which presented the events of the rescue carried out by the organization Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) of more than one hundred child victims of sexual exploitation in Colombia. That same year, it was announced that American actor Jim Caviezel would be in charge of playing Tim Ballard, founder of the OUR organization.
Political activism
Verástegui is an advocate through the organization Manto de Guadalupe, which he helped get started. Verástegui recounts an anecdote about his beliefs: he was doing research for his role in ''Bella'' and had gone to an abortion clinic as part of that process. While there, he started talking to a Hispanic couple who were going to the clinic for an abortion. He says that after having recognized him from his telenovela roles on Mexican television, they listened as he described his upcoming role and the plotline of ''Bella''. They reconsidered their decision and went home without going ahead with the abortion. Immediately after their child was born, they called him to tell him the good news, thank him, and ask for his permission to name the child Eduardo after him. He also made a point of meeting "little Eduardo" weeks later.
In 2008, he released a long video message denouncing the high rate of abortion in Hispanic communities in the United States and speaking out loudly against the alleged targeting of Hispanic communities with messages supporting abortion by the
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
campaign during the presidential race.
Actively involved in anti-abortion organizations, he has established Manto de Guadalupe, an anti-abortion organization based in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and offering a
crisis pregnancy center
A crisis pregnancy center (CPC), sometimes called a pregnancy resource center (PRC) or a pro-life pregnancy center, is a type of nonprofit organization established by anti-abortion movement in the United States, anti-abortion groups primarily to ...
.
[Mexican actor pledges to build largest pro-life women's clinic in US]
, ''Catholic News Agency'', 19 January 2011.
On September 15, 2020, U.S. President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
announced his intent to nominate and appoint Eduardo Verástegui as a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Hispanic Prosperity.
Verástegui signed the ''
Madrid Charter'', a document drafted by the
right-wing populist Spanish party
Vox that describes left-wing groups as enemies of
Ibero-America
Ibero-America (, ) or Iberian America is generally considered to be the region in the Americas comprising countries or territories where Spanish or Portuguese are predominant languages (usually former colony, territories of Spain or Portugal). Sp ...
involved in a "criminal project" that are "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime".
In November 2022, Verástegui organized a
Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC ) is an annual political conference attended by Conservatism in the United States, conservative Activism, activists and officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American ...
(CPAC) in Mexico.
2024 presidential campaign
In September 2023, he filed paperwork with the
National Electoral Institute
The Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) (Spanish for ''National Electoral Institute'') (formerly Federal Electoral Institute) (, IFE) is an autonomous, public agency responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those relat ...
, enabling him to collect signatures for a possible run as an independent candidate for
president of Mexico
The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
in the
2024 general election. His efforts were unsuccessful, as his campaign did not meet the required signatures; he only got 154,828 signatures, far behind the 961,405 signatures necessary for participating.
As of February 2024, Verástegui was under investigation by the
National Electoral Institute
The Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) (Spanish for ''National Electoral Institute'') (formerly Federal Electoral Institute) (, IFE) is an autonomous, public agency responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those relat ...
(INE) for illegal foreign funding of his presidential campaign. There were financial transactions from a political firm in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
to Verástegui's account. Verástegui then transferred US$390,000 from that personal account to his campaign between October and December 2023. The INE has asked the
Financial Intelligence Unit and the
Tax Administration Service to look into the origin of these funds.
Controversies
Alleged Nazi salute at CPAC
In February 2025, Verástegui performed a gesture resembling a
Nazi salute
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...
at the end of his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (
CPAC) in the United States. After saying, "My heart is with all of you" (a reference to the
same gesture by Elon Musk at the 2025 inauguration), and touching his chest, he raised his right arm with his hand extended, mimicking the fascist gesture. This incident adds to other similar gestures at the 2025 CPAC. Former
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
advisor
Steve Bannon
Stephen Kevin Bannon (born November 27, 1953) is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of president Donald Trump's first ...
was also accused of making a Nazi salute during his speech at the event. Bannon denied the accusation, claiming the gesture was simply a wave to the crowd.
Metanoia films
Verástegui cofounded the production company Metanoia Films (the Greek word for "
conversion") with co-founders and partners Sean Wolfington, Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, and Leo Severino. The company is based in
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The company released its debut film, ''
Bella
Bella is a feminine given name. It is a diminutive form of names ending in -bella. ''Bella'' is related to the Italian, Spanish, Greek, Portuguese and Latin words for beautiful, and to the name Belle (given name), Belle, meaning ''beautiful'' in F ...
'', directed by
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde and starring Verástegui. The company's latest project is ''
Little Boy'', written by Alejandro Monteverde and Pepe Portillo. Starring
Emily Watson
Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of ''Twelfth Night'' and ''Uncle Vanya'' at the Donmar Ware ...
,
Kevin James
Kevin George Knipfing (born April 26, 1965), known professionally as Kevin James, is an American comedian and actor. He began his career by performing stand-up comedy at clubs on Long Island in the 1980s. He rose to prominence for his portrayal ...
,
David Henrie, Jakob Salvati, and
Ben Chaplin, and set in 1945, it tells the story of Pepper, an eight-year-old who does all he can to be reunited with his father, a soldier fighting in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and captured by the Japanese. Meanwhile, Pepper has to befriend Hashimoto, a Japanese man living in his town.
Little Boy page on Metanoia Films Official website
(PDF) . Retrieved on 2012-08-31.
Discography
Albums
;as part of Kairo
Kairo may refer to:
* Kairo (band), Mexican boy band from 1993 to 1999 with Eduardo Verástegui as member until 1996
* Kairo (video game), ''Kairo'' (video game), independently published exploration video game made by Richard Perrin
* Kairo (film) ...
(For detailed discographies, see Kairo
Kairo may refer to:
* Kairo (band), Mexican boy band from 1993 to 1999 with Eduardo Verástegui as member until 1996
* Kairo (video game), ''Kairo'' (video game), independently published exploration video game made by Richard Perrin
* Kairo (film) ...
discography section )
*1994: ''Signo del tiempo''
*1995: ''Gaudium''
*1996: ''Cara a cara'' Magneto
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...
]
*1997: ''Éxitos''
;as solo
Singles
;as part of Kairo
*1994: "En los espejos de un café"
*1994: "Háblame de ti"
*1994: "Te amaré"
*1994: "Perdóname'
*1995: "No nos rendimos"
*1995: "Ponme la multa (Fammi la multa)"
*1995: "Dile que la amo"
Music video
*2001: Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
's " Ain't It Funny" (Alt. Version) (playing her love interest in the music video)
Filmography
Film
Television
See also
* List of Mexican actors
References
External links
*Dos días con Eduardo Verástegui /Two days with Eduardo Verástegui en/at www.TheresaBernabe.T
Eduardo Verástegui's Interview with "Catholic Digest".
Manto de Guadalupe Official Site
Metanoia official website
''Bella'' film official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verastegui, Eduardo
1974 births
COVID-19 conspiracy theorists
Living people
Latino conservatism in the United States
Male actors from Tamaulipas
Mexican anti-abortion activists
Mexican anti-communists
Mexican far-right politicians
Mexican Catholics
Mexican conspiracy theorists
Mexican male film actors
Mexican male models
Mexican male telenovela actors
Mexican male television actors
Mexican people of Basque descent
Mexican emigrants to the United States
People from Tamaulipas
Populism in Mexico
20th-century Mexican male actors
21st-century Mexican male actors
Mexican anti-vaccination activists
Vaccine hesitancy