A TikTok creator managed to convince thousands of viewers that Marco Rubio asked camera operators to frame him carefully to hide his ears. However, the entire story turned out to be an obvious joke… at least according to the creator who posted it.
Still, the bit circulated widely before many viewers realized the punchline. The video racked up more than 345,000 views and 2,600 comments as commenters debated whether the story sounded believable or completely fabricated.
The "rubiorejo" story spreads across TikTok
TikToker Cody Jacob (@imcodyjacob) shared the story in a video describing a text exchange with a friend. According to Jacob, the friend had operated cameras during a television interview with Rubio.
"Last week, my friend was in charge of filming Marco Rubio live on TV," Jacob said. "And before the live shot, he came up to her while she was eating lunch and said, 'Hey, I have a couple preferences before we get going. Can I talk to you about them?' This is the text message she sent me."
He then read the alleged message aloud. The text said Rubio approached the camera operator during lunch and placed "both hands on my shoulders." Then, according to the message, he explained concerns about his ears.
"He said something about some failed ear surgery in 2015, so he doesn't like his ears to 'stick out all crazy like Trump's dad,'" the message read. Jacob showed an image of President Donald Trump's father in the video.
The message continued with more details about filming angles. Rubio supposedly preferred the camera "angled slightly above to look taller" and favored his right side because "the pinning stuck more." The text also claimed he avoided close-ups except for print.
The message also included a family nickname. According to the story, Rubio’s cousins once called him "Rubiorejo," referencing the Spanish word oreja, meaning ear.
"And at first I was like, there's no way his ears are that big that he grew up getting called 'Rubiorejo,'" he said. The TikToker then played a clip showing Rubio from an angle where both ears appeared and exclaimed, "Rubiorejo, my god!"
Viewers reacted before the joke became clear
The comment section quickly filled with reactions as many viewers initially believed the story.
One person wrote, "Me: 'surely that’s an exagger……. OH MY GOD! 🫣😳'"
"I WENT TO CHECK, I THOUGHT YOU DOCTORED THE VIDEO 😳😭," another TikToker added.
Meanwhile, a third commenter joked, "That song 'do your ears hang low' was written about Rubiorejo."
Even former Miami Commissioner Ken Russell commented, saying, "If only I had known this when I ran against him for Senate."
Jacob posted a follow-up video shortly after the first clip spread widely. In that video, he claimed Rubio’s office contacted him about his viral video, but Jacob insisted to the supposed staffer calling him that the entire thing was a prank.
He pointed out that the video included the hashtag #lying. After the caller supposedly hung up, he delivered the punchline.
"Well, I guess I'll never hear who's spreading that rumor about him," Jacob said before leaning into the camera. "Marco, it's me!" He tagged Ken Russell in the follow-up video and wrote, "Replying to @Ken Russell money for wars and phone calls."
Cody Jacob did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram DM.
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