Mexico's Sad Clown Says 'Adios' to Morning TV
Jun 2, 1:18 pm ET

By Lorraine Orlandi

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Brozo, a foul-mouthed clown with a green wig and a shiny
red nose who was one of Mexico's hottest newscasters, bowed out of morning
television on Wednesday with the usual cheap laughs and a touch of tragedy.

"El Mananero," a daily morning romp on the Televisa network that has influenced
Mexican politics at the highest level, was aired for the last time after Brozo
this week decided to end the program after the death of his wife.

A parade of well-wishers including President Vicente Fox, former President
Carlos Salinas, the nation's attorney general, lawmakers, journalists and
entertainers bid farewell in on-air phone calls and cards.

Actor Victor Trujillo created Brozo, the "gloomy clown," for a cabaret act
decades ago and hit the big time with the Televisa slot in 2002.

For Mexicans accustomed to groomed, tailored and stiff newscasters, Brozo's
irreverent approach was refreshing and the show was seen as serious news
commentary despite its antics.

"Brozo understood the psychology of Mexicans -- in order not to cry we tell
jokes," said columnist Guadalupe Loaeza.

Like many funny men, Brozo was tinged with sadness. His wife, Carolina Padilla,
the show's producer, died last month after a long illness.

At the close of the final broadcast, Trujillo removed his wig and nose and,
flanked by his daughters and co-workers, paid homage to "Carolina, my wife, my
companion, my accomplice."

The program, featuring plenty of bathroom humor and a curvaceous news assistant,
offered a fresh and often cynical take on power and politics and quickly became
a cultural phenomenon.

Its name, El Mananero, is Mexican slang for quick morning sex.

Brozo proved his political influence this year when he brought a leading leftist
lawmaker on the show and aired a secret videotape showing the politician taking
stacks of money from a city contractor.

The ensuing uproar fed a corruption scandal around popular Mexico City Mayor
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist favored in the 2006 presidential race.

Last year, first lady Marta Sahagun, who is also seen as a presidential
contender, went on the show to defend herself against a biographer's portrayal
of her as an ambitious schemer and devotee of witchcraft.

The end of "El Mananero" does not mean Brozo will hang up the wig: he's due to
cover the Summer Olympics for Televisa.