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Before Ángela Aguilar was getting side-eyed by the entire internet, there was Karla Panini—Mexico’s original public enemy number one. As one half of Las Lavanderas, Panini rose to fame alongside her co-star and supposed best friend, Karla Luna. With wigs, wit, and wild humor, the duo won hearts on screen—while betrayal brewed backstage. What followed would shatter a friendship, spark national outrage, and turn Panini into the face of unforgivable treason.
In 2012, actresses Karla Panini and Karla Luna exploded onto the Mexican comedy scene as Las Lavanderas (The Washerwomen), a foul-mouthed, wig-loving duo of characters who became instant crowd favorites.
Their skits—packed with double meanings, gossip, and the kind of señora energy that could start a fight at a family event—catapulted them from local TV to national fame.
But to understand how Las Lavanderas came to life, we first have to rewind a bit—back to who these women were before the wigs, the fame, and the fallout.
Before the laughter, the wigs, and the scandal that still echoes across Mexico, Karla Luna was just a girl from Villa Hidalgo with grit in her soul.
Born in 1979, she flirted with modeling before comedy came knocking. Turns out, the spotlight loved her—and she loved it right back, flaws and all.
She had the kind of humor that didn’t ask for attention—it demanded it. And somewhere along the way, destiny was about to throw her a blonde sidekick.
Enter Karla Panini—also born in 1979, but this time in Monterrey, a city known for heat, hustle, and apparently, future betrayal served cold.
Panini wasn’t just funny—she was ambitious, sharp, and had a voice built for radio… and a life built for drama. She was made for entertainment.
When Luna and Panini crossed paths at Televisa Monterrey, it wasn’t fireworks—it was gasoline meeting a match. And soon, the pastel wigs were about to fly.
It all started in 2007, almost by accident. At the time, Luna was working in Monterrey on a local television show called “El Club.” She was asked to perform comedy; otherwise, she would be dropped.
Luna didn’t think twice; she grabbed a wig and an apron to save her job. Panini joined in, and Las Lavanderas were born in full chisme glory—two loud-mouthed, gossip-hungry señoras with zero chill and infinite sass.
Their act felt like your tías arguing at a baptism—chaotic, hilarious, and painfully real. Audiences couldn’t get enough. And just like that, the Karlas became Mexico’s favorite dysfunctional duo.
Their fame exploded. In 2010, Las Lavanderas went from regional TV to Telehit, one of Mexico’s main tv networks, and suddenly, Luna and Panini weren’t just comedians—they were stars.
But fame has a funny way of magnifying everything, including tension. And behind the glittery aprons and forced laughs, something colder was settling between them.
Still, no one noticed. The jokes kept rolling, the fans kept screaming, and the Karlas kept smiling—for the cameras, at least. Offscreen? Not so much.
While the stage lights were blinding, their private lives began to dim. Luna had married Américo Garza in 2012 after being together for six years.
Panini had been hitched to fellow comedian Óscar Burgos since 2008. So far, so neat. To the public, they were the picture of work-wife perfection. Best friends, comedy queens, stable marriages.
But somewhere in the background, between rehearsals and punchlines, loyalty was unraveling thread by thread. And soon, the gossip would leap from script to reality.
In 2012, Karla Luna faced terrible news: a diagnosis of uterine cancer. At the time, she had 4 children: Estephany and Rubén, her older children from a previous relationship, and Sara and Valentina, two young daughters she had with her husband Américo.
Luna kept performing through it all. Audiences barely noticed a change. Behind the scenes, though, she was balancing rehearsals with hospital visits, wigs with headscarves, and scripts with survival.
Her courage inspired many. But even as she battled for her life, something else began to shift quietly in the background—and not in her favor.
In 2013, as Karla Luna was coming to terms with the devastating news of her cancer diagnosis, another major shift quietly unfolded—Karla Panini announced her divorce.
She and comedian Óscar Burgos had been married since 2008 and shared a young son, Gabriel. The statement was mature, calm, almost too neat to question.
The official reason? Busy careers, too much work, not enough time. But behind the carefully chosen words, something else was already in motion—something no one saw coming.
Just months after Panini’s divorce, the unthinkable happened. In late 2013, Karla Luna and Américo Garza also announced they were ending their relationship.
Though they’d only officially married the year before, they had been together for over six years and shared two young daughters. The news caught everyone off guard.
For the public, it was heartbreaking. In less than a year, Luna had revealed both a cancer diagnosis and a separation from the father of her children. The sympathy was immediate.
Less than a year after both women’s divorces, came the announcement no one saw coming: in 2014, Las Lavanderas was officially coming to an end.
The show was still wildly successful, the characters beloved. Fans were stunned—why would a comedy duo at its peak suddenly call it quits? Was it Luna’s health?
Panini’s statement was brief and sweet, simply saying goodbye. But Luna’s hinted at something deeper—“betrayals” no one yet understood. The public was confused. But not for long.
Not even a year after Las Lavanderas ended, the meaning behind Karla Luna’s cryptic “betrayals” became painfully clear: Karla Panini and Américo Garza were officially together.
They began appearing in public as a couple, slowly but shamelessly. Soon after, the social media posts followed—smiles, affection, and captions that made jaws drop nationwide.
The backlash was instant. Panini, with her best friend’s ex—and while Luna was still undergoing cancer treatment? People were speechless. Luna, for a time, said nothing. But not forever.
For nearly a year, Karla Luna remained silent. While Panini and Américo flaunted their relationship, Luna focused on her cancer treatment and stayed publicly composed.
But in February 2015, she broke that silence. In an interview with La Columnaria, Luna revealed she had known about the affair before her divorce was finalized.
She chose not to expose them, she said, “out of respect for our children.” Still, she expressed willingness to forgive—if Panini ever admitted the truth. She never did.
Instead of offering the apology Luna had hoped for, Panini took a very different route. Months later, she turned to X and threw gasoline on the fire.
She posted a photo of Luna with another man, implying that she had been unfaithful to Américo during their marriage. According to Panini, they’d “been together for months.”
The public was stunned. After everything, this was her response? People didn’t know what to believe anymore. Lines blurred. Sides formed. And the drama only deepened.
After Panini’s accusations, Luna had had enough. On July 27, 2015, she took to Twitter and released the one thing no one was ready for: proof.
She posted screenshots of private conversations between Panini and Américo, writing, “Some stories tell themselves @SoyKarlaPanini… and I’ve got more. I’m not the one lying here.”
The messages were damning. Panini insulted Luna, pressured Américo to get divorced, and showed obsessive jealousy; she told Américo he should mistreat Luna because she couldn’t stand seeing the two together. The betrayal was documented, word for cruel word.
Luna didn’t stop with screenshots. She went further, peeling back layers the public never expected. In her tweets, she claimed the affair had started years earlier.
According to Luna, Panini and Américo had been lovers for six years—long before her first pregnancy. The betrayal ran deeper than anyone had imagined.
She added that both she and Panini’s then-husband, Óscar Burgos, had been victims of the same deceit. It wasn’t a slip-up—it was a long, deliberate double life.
Besides setting the record straight online, Luna also addressed the situation on television, responding calmly to Panini’s latest accusations with firm, pointed clarity.
Yes, she admitted, she had a boyfriend during the final months of her marriage—but by then, she and Américo were already separated, and he knew it. She now was seeing somebody else, Ronaldo Garza (Yes, “Garza”, just like Americo!)
Luna made it clear: she had never cheated. And to Panini, she added one last warning—keep lying, and the rest of the evidence would no longer stay private.
In June 2016, just two years after Luna and Américo finalized their divorce, Karla Panini and Américo Garza tied the knot—officially sealing the most infamous romance in recent memory.
The wedding was private, low-profile, and far from celebratory in the public eye. Once the news broke, another wave of outrage swept across social media.
Luna didn’t attend, of course—nor did her daughters, Nina Victoria and Sara Valentina. While the newlyweds exchanged vows, the girls stayed with their mother, far from the spectacle.
The wedding didn’t just divide public opinion—it drew a clear line between the exes themselves. And their reactions couldn’t have been more different.
Óscar Burgos, Panini’s former husband, actually attended the ceremony and even congratulated the couple publicly on Twitter: “Let’s celebrate love, not hate. Life is too short,” he wrote.
Karla Luna, however, spoke from a very different place. “It’s a deep betrayal,” she said in an interview. “It’s not about love—it’s the betrayal of a friendship that hurts most.”
After a long and painful battle with cancer, Karla Luna passed away on September 28, 2017—just days after her 38th birthday. Mexico mourned deeply.
Fans, friends, and the entertainment world honored her strength, her humor, and the grace with which she faced not just illness, but betrayal. Her loss felt personal.
But peace wouldn’t come easily. A legal battle over her daughters erupted soon after, and over the years, even more painful truths would surface—proof that Luna’s story was far from finished.
Not long after Karla Luna’s passing, the first major controversy erupted—and it centered on a promise she believed would outlive her.
According to Luna’s family, in her final days, she asked Américo Garza for one thing: that their daughters, Nina Victoria and Sara Valentina, would stay close to her family—especially Luna’s older children, Rubén and Stephanie.
It was a promise made with love and trust. But soon after her death, the Luna family claimed that promise had been quietly broken, igniting grief all over again.
According to Josefina Martínez, Karla Luna’s mother, just days after Luna’s passing, Américo Garza arrived at her home—where the two girls had been living.
While Josefina was briefly in the bathroom, Américo left with the girls. No warning, no conversation—just gone. When she realized what had happened, panic set in.
The family filed an Amber Alert, claiming the girls were taken against their will. A legal battle began, with Luna’s loved ones fighting to honor her wish: shared custody, not silence.
In March 2018, after months of legal tension, the court ruled that Nina Victoria and Sara Valentina would live full-time with their father, Américo Garza.
The decision was based on custody laws—since Luna had passed, Garza was deemed the primary guardian. The court also clarified: there was no abduction, and the girls wanted to stay with him.
But for Luna’s mother, Josefina Martínez, the ruling was devastating. “You promised my daughter you wouldn’t take them,” she told Américo—who allegedly replied, “Words are carried away by the wind.”
Not long after the custody ruling, Karla Panini and Américo Garza announced they were expecting their first child together—a baby girl they would name Isabella.
To many, it seemed like they were turning a page. A new child, a stable home, and Panini publicly embracing Américo’s daughters as her own. The message was clear: this was their new normal.
But the internet never forgets. Just as they tried to settle into this picture-perfect blended family, new material began to surface—dragging them right back into the storm.
In 2020, three years after Karla Luna’s passing, her family dropped a bombshell—a leaked audio recording from 2014 that stunned an already scandal-weary public.
The recording captured a private conversation between Luna, Panini, and Américo, shortly after Luna had discovered the affair—while she was undergoing chemotherapy.
“You destroyed my marriage and stole from my daughters,” Luna said. “You took their father, their hearts. And I’m sure you fed Américo lies about me.” Allegations of betrayal now had a new layer: financial abuse. The internet erupted.
So why release the damning audio years after Luna’s death? According to her family, it wasn’t just about the daughters—it was about money, too.
Erika Luna, Karla’s sister, revealed that Panini and Américo owed Karla a significant amount. Luna had been asking for repayments—small amounts, in installments—during her cancer treatment.
“They mocked her,” Erika said. “When I went to collect, Panini had already married Américo and told me, ‘Let my husband pay you.’ I was furious.” The betrayal, it seemed, went far beyond the heart.
Erika Luna didn’t stop at financial accusations. She revealed her sister had desperately needed that unpaid money to cover her medical insurance during cancer treatment. “They never paid her,” she said.
But the revelations grew darker. Erika claimed she and others had witnessed physical abuse against Karla Luna, allegedly at the hands of Américo and Panini during her illness.
She also recalled the day of Luna’s wedding—how Panini, already entangled with Américo, showed up dressed provocatively. “She wore fishnets and a crop top… like she wanted the groom to notice.”
This new wave of revelations—abuse, debts, and emotional manipulation—caught many off guard. One unexpected voice joined the conversation: Óscar Burgos, Panini’s ex-husband.
Despite the history, Burgos had always maintained a surprisingly cordial relationship with both Panini and Américo. But after hearing the 2014 audio, he admitted he was “in shock.”
He claimed he knew nothing about the alleged financial deception but promised to help. His priority, he said, was making sure Luna’s family could see her daughters again.
During the 2020 scandal resurgence, Karla Panini didn’t stay silent. She responded with a series of social media videos—equal parts defensive, dismissive, and vaguely spiritual.
“I’m not important to the world or anyone,” she said, “just to God and my family.” She urged people to stop the gossip and focus on “beautiful, positive things.”
Then, with a shrug: “I don’t care what they say about me. I’m used to the memes. Don’t stir the pot where there’s nothing to cook.” The internet… remained unconvinced.
The leaked audios and fresh accusations reignited a wave of public fury against Karla Panini and Américo Garza. Once again, they were trending—for all the wrong reasons.
But instead of laying low, Panini leaned in. Embracing her reputation as “Mexico’s most hated woman,” she flipped the script and began turning outrage into income.
Yes—she launched merch. T-shirts that read “Te odiamos, Panini” (“We hate you, Panini”) began popping up online. What started as condemnation had officially been monetized. If you can’t beat the hate, sell it.
Just a year after facing a fresh wave of public outrage in 2020, Karla Panini and Américo Garza were once again at the center of headlines—and this time, for new romance rumors.
Social media buzzed with claims that Américo was now involved with Telehit host Fabiola Martínez, a journalist and psychologist known in the entertainment world as “La Bomba Sexy.”
The twist? Many pointed out her striking resemblance to Karla Luna. The internet had a field day, declaring it karma served hot, saying, “Now Panini knows how it feels.”
It didn’t take long for all parties to shut down the speculation. Américo Garza, Karla Panini, and Fabiola Martínez publicly denied any affair or romantic connection.
Fabiola called the rumors unfounded, while Panini—never one to shy away from a little provocation—leaned harder into her role as the still-happy, still-unbothered wife.
She posted smiling photos with Américo, captions full of hearts, and a vibe that screamed “unbothered.” If there was trouble in paradise, she wasn’t letting it show.
In recent years, the uproar surrounding Karla Panini has gradually simmered down. The internet hasn’t forgotten—but it has, at least, stopped shouting every day.
Panini has kept busy, reinventing herself as a podcast commentator, occasionally sharing reflections, advice, or hot takes—depending on the platform and the mood.
To the shock of many, she’s even brought back her Lavandera character now and then. Some laughed. Others cringed. Either way, the irony wasn’t lost on anyone.
Recently, Karla Panini shared a warm birthday message for her stepdaughter Sara, Karla Luna’s daughter, as she celebrated her fifteenth birthday in style.
The post was affectionate and glowing, complete with photos from a family trip to Europe. Smiles, hugs, and luxury—on the surface, a picture-perfect celebration.
But the public couldn’t help asking: Can someone who betrayed her best friend show real love to her children? And most of all—does she support their bond with Luna’s family? The silence lingers.
For now, it seems the most explosive chapters of Las Lavanderas saga have settled into a tense calm. The headlines have slowed, the chaos has cooled—for now.
But if history has taught us anything, it’s that this story has a way of resurfacing when least expected. Just like in 2020, new truths can still emerge.
Because when it comes to Karla Panini, nothing ever feels fully closed. Even today, she still carries the title no one wants: Mexico’s most hated woman. And that says a lot.
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