Kiko Rivera slams ex-wife Irene Rosales over Grefusa ad punning on his name: 'Your life today is thanks to having eaten a Kiko'

The campaign

Spanish snack brand Grefusa unveiled a large-format billboard in Madrid's Antón Martín square on 15 June, coinciding with Irene Rosales's 35th birthday. The ad shows the television personality smiling and holding a toasted corn snack, beside the copy: "Un mix con un mal kiko es un mal mix. Elige Grefusa Mix, elige el mejor kiko" ("A mix with a bad kiko is a bad mix. Choose Grefusa Mix, choose the best kiko"). Rosales promoted the billboard on her Instagram stories, where she has 745,000 followers, calling it a birthday gift to herself and saying she had been working on the project for weeks.

Kiko Rivera's response

Kiko Rivera, the 42-year-old DJ and son of singer Isabel Pantoja, posted a lengthy statement to his 1.1 million Instagram followers on Monday evening. He called the campaign "pathetic" and accused Rosales of using their shared past as her only tool to stay relevant. Rivera was in Mallorca at the time, working and spending time with his current partner, dancer and choreographer Lola García.

“The life you have today is thanks to having eaten a Kiko. And yes, the phrase may sting, but it doesn't stop being a reality. Look around you. Look where you are today and remember where you came from.”

Rivera also invoked their two daughters, Ana (10) and Carlota (8), writing that he was working in Mallorca to ensure they wanted for nothing, and noted that respect had not been reciprocal.

Rosales's reply

Speaking to Europa Press cameras on Tuesday after celebrating her birthday with family and her boyfriend Guillermo, Rosales was firm. She described the campaign as simply a job she was offered and accepted, adding that the brand team was delighted with the result. She denied attacking anyone and said she did not regret taking the work.

“I haven't dragged anyone down, I haven't criticised anyone, I haven't done anything. I simply put my image in an advertising campaign, I accepted it, and that's it.”

Background

The couple married in 2016 and announced an amicable separation in August 2025 after more than eleven years together. They share two daughters. Rivera also has a 13-year-old son, Francisco, from a previous relationship with model Jessica Bueno. The Grefusa campaign has become one of the most-discussed topics on Spanish social media in the past 24 hours, with many users interpreting the wordplay as a pointed jab at the DJ.