Said Palao, a Peruvian television personality and general manager of the company Agarra tu Gringa, was hit with a wave of criticism after posting a birthday tribute to his wife, businesswoman Alejandra Baigorria, who turned 38 while the couple celebrated in Tokyo, Japan.
What initially looked like a romantic gesture toward Baigorria on her birthday quickly drew scrutiny instead. Social media users questioned Palao's sincerity, and many used the moment to bring up the scandal he was caught up in with fellow television personality Mario Irivarren and several women at a party on a yacht in Argentina, an episode that took place shortly before Palao and Baigorria marked their first wedding anniversary.
Baigorria, widely known to Peruvian audiences by the nickname "Gringa de Gamarra," a reference to Lima's well known Gamarra garment district where she has business ties, celebrated her 38th birthday alongside Palao, her brother and other companions during the trip to Tokyo.
What Palao wrote to Baigorria
In the post dedicated to his wife, Palao said he was celebrating not only her life but also his own luck at having her as his wife, his companion and the person he still wanted to live and discover new things with. He said it made him happy to see her happy, enjoying herself and celebrating both her birthday and her dreams, and that he was grateful to be by her side to share those moments. He wished her a new year of life filled with everything she deserved, and said he hoped they would keep adding stories, trips, laughter and many more birthdays together, closing the message by telling her that he loved her.
Despite the affectionate tone of the message, the comments section quickly filled with references to the unconfirmed infidelity rumors from Argentina rather than birthday wishes. Among the messages left on the post, users told Palao to stop pretending and to respect his wife, questioned how many gifts it would take to make up for infidelity, said the best gift he could give was respect, and argued that someone who cheats once will do it again.
Palao restricts his comments
Following the backlash, Palao, who is a member of the long-running reality competition show Esto es Guerra, made the decision to restrict comments on his social media accounts. The post dedicated to Baigorria was initially open for any user to leave a message, but Palao later limited who could interact with it.
Some comments remained visible on the post even after the restriction, including one with more than a thousand reactions urging Palao to appreciate what life has given him.
Background to the criticism
The renewed backlash traces back to an earlier scandal in which Palao was caught at a yacht party in Argentina alongside Irivarren and several women, an incident that surfaced close to the time he and Baigorria were marking their first wedding anniversary. The infidelity accusations tied to that episode were never confirmed. Palao and Baigorria, both prominent figures in Peru's reality television circuit, have remained a couple since, with Palao's latest public tribute to his wife becoming the trigger for the rumors to resurface once again.
