In 2007, a Spanish comedian told a story about losing paella pans to the sea. He couldn’t have known it would make him a global meme years later. With a wheezing laugh and a kitchen mishap, Juan Joya Borja became one of the internet’s most recognizable faces.
A Laugh That Stuck
Juan Joya Borja was born in Seville in 1956. He worked as a cook and laborer before appearing on El Vagamundo in 2001. His infectious laugh earned him the nickname “El Risitas,” or “Giggles.”
The Paella Pan Story
In a 2007 interview on Ratones Coloraos, he recounted leaving paella pans in the ocean overnight, only to find they had drifted away. His laugh interrupted the tale so often it became the focus of the moment.
From TV to Meme
The clip resurfaced online with fake subtitles parodying topics from politics to tech. A 2015 video mocking the MacBook launch gained over five million views. El Risitas became a meme used worldwide.
Final Years and Farewell
After a leg amputation in 2020, Borja died in 2021 at age 65. His laugh lives on in the Twitch emote “KEKW,” used hundreds of millions of times.
In 2007, a Spanish comedian told a story about paella pans swept out to sea. With his wheezing laugh and vivid delivery, the moment took on a life of its own.
Years later, the video exploded online, turning Juan Joya Borja into the viral sensation known as El Risitas…
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— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) May 8, 2025