Peruvian television presenter Magaly Medina has publicly defended former children's show host María Pía Copello over online allegations of money laundering. Speaking on her broadcast program on the ATV network, Medina called for an immediate end to social media attacks directed at her friend.
The criticism online stems from attempts by social media users to link Copello to an archived legal complaint concerning alleged money laundering. The investigation, originally reported by the news website El Foco, involved the family of Copello's husband, Samuel Dyer, but was officially archived by authorities in 2023 due to a lack of evidence. Copello herself was never formally investigated in the matter.
Rejection of laundering allegations
Medina voiced her support for Copello after broadcasting a report showing the warm reception both personalities received from residents of Pisco during a recent joint appearance at an event in the city. Medina argued that the warm welcome in Pisco demonstrated that online hostility does not reflect genuine public sentiment.
Medina asserted that critics who make unfounded accusations without providing conclusive evidence are spreading fallacies and attempting to manipulate the public into hating public figures. She noted that public perception of Copello is turning as people recognize the lack of proof behind the social media claims.
Addressing her audience, Medina made a firm statement regarding her personal standards, stating that she would never maintain a friendship with anyone involved in money laundering. She emphasized that her personal principles would strictly forbid such an association and added that anyone who knows her is well aware of her stance.
Medina further stated that she had not seen any legitimate investigation validating the claims detractors have attempted to attach to Copello, describing the accusations as completely false.
Legal response and streaming ratings
Copello has also addressed the accusations, rejecting all claims made against her as entirely false. After being targeted on social media with derogatory terms, Copello announced that she is initiating legal action to counter what she described as daily defamation.
During the same broadcast, Medina addressed criticism from detractors who claimed that Copello was generating low audience figures on her online streaming channel, +QTV. Medina refuted those claims, stating that viewership for the streaming platform had actually increased.
Medina urged Copello to publicly display her audience analytics so that uninformed commentators would no longer be able to express opinions based on falsehoods.
Background on Peruvian broadcast figures
Magaly Medina is one of Peru's most prominent entertainment commentators and television hosts, widely recognized by her nickname 'la urraca'. She hosts a long-running celebrity news show on ATV, a major national commercial television network in Peru.
María Pía Copello built her career in Peruvian television as a children's program host before transitioning into mainstream television hosting and digital content creation. She currently broadcasts content through the online streaming channel +QTV.
