Mamen Mendizábal: "Jesús Gil and Donald Trump have many parallels"

Redacción

24 May 2026

Málaga

Interviews

Pedro Pérez Bozal

Madrid

24/05/2026 at 00:06h.

Mamen Mendizábal returns this Sunday to La Sexta at 9:30 PM with a new batch of 'Anatomy of...', the format that revisits some of the most iconic episodes and characters in recent Spanish history through journalistic investigation, audiovisual archives, and reenactments.

-What does this fourth season of 'Anatomy of...' bring us?

-Great themes that define recent history very well. There's journalistic research, pop culture, audiovisual archives, a commitment to recent memory, and audiovisual reenactments. I think this year, moreover, the topics have even more scope because there are many parallels with current events. For example, the kidnapping of Julio Iglesias, which has returned to the media forefront. Also telling how Tita Cervera became such a powerful figure in Spanish culture and how she is again in the news due to her health status. We bring topics that explain where we come from and help understand where we are going.

-You start precisely with Jesús Gil, a figure that inevitably reminds us of Donald Trump.

-Yes, because I believe he is the character that most brings us to the present. The comparison with Donald Trump is very strong. We used to laugh at Gil's antics from his populism: a rude, sexist character, who used personal business from the presidency of a football club or from the mayorship of Marbella. For him, politics was a way to do business and insult was his way of being. We initially laughed at Trump too, and now we see many parallels.

"'Anatomy of...' explains where we come from and helps understand where we are going"

That era of the 90s was populated with curious characters: Ruiz-Mateos, Mario Conde… they incorporated politics or football into their strategies. You knew their purpose: to legally exonerate themselves or to do business. Gil posed a threat to the State. The Prosecutor's Office filed lawsuits and the state machinery had to be activated to stop him.

-In the program, you also address how both the PSOE and the PP kept Gil politically alive, who was pardoned by the governments of Franco and Felipe González.

-Yes, because both parties were interested in keeping him alive for different reasons. He took away votes and played a very specific role within the political board.

-You also recover the 'No to the war' movement, very linked to the present due to Palestine.

-Absolutely. Pedro Sánchez has made that phrase his own and the current context inevitably reminds us of that. That Goya awards ceremony had many consequences: cancellations, criminalization of actors… People like Willy Toledo or Alberto San Juan were pointed out as if they had been the masterminds of a terrible plot, and the interesting thing is to discover that it was not so and to understand how that movement was really orchestrated.

Mamen Mendizábal. (R. C.)

-Was there a subsequent punishment to the world of culture?

-José María Aznar believed he had changed the dynamics of Spanish cinema. He invited actors to La Moncloa, tried to bring culture closer to the right because historically it had been more linked to the left. He believed there had been a kind of pact and felt betrayed. And then came a very hard stage: the constant threat to actors by Cristóbal Montoro or decisions such as the increase in cultural VAT by the government of Mariano Rajoy, which was a direct punishment.

-'Anatomy of...' occupies a very specific slot in La Sexta's Sunday prime time, alongside formats like 'Lo de Évole' or 'Salvados'. How do you live with that responsibility?

-Yes, it's a time slot where people associate La Sexta with good documentaries, reports, and interviews. And of course, we feel pressure because the competition on television is very strong. Moreover, Jordi Évole is the executive producer of this program and that adds a double pressure. We try to offer very well-prepared programs throughout the year and to captivate the audience.

-This year La Sexta is celebrating 20 years and you are already one of its recognizable faces.

-I arrived to do the night news when the channel was just starting. From the first minute, La Sexta had a very clear informative vocation: to bet on live coverage and to report what was happening. Professionally, it has allowed me to grow and try many formats. I've done 'Más Vale Tarde', 'Scoop', 'Unexpected Encounters'... I've learned a lot and have been very lucky.

"The 'No to the war' had many consequences for the actors"

-You have also debuted as an analyst on the program 'Más de uno' on Onda Cero. How have you experienced moving from distributing play in talk shows to being an opinion maker?

-Being in the realm of opinion always generates contradiction. But I believe that plurality is part of Onda Cero and having voices like mine helps to generate diversity. You have to be there, have a well-founded opinion, without demagoguery, and also sharing space with Carlos Alsina is a privilege.

-Is there an ideological imbalance in the media?

-I think that in Spain there are increasingly more digital media with a very marked editorial line towards the right and some do less journalism than opinion or demagoguery. But I also believe that viewers and voters are aware of where they find quality information. Good journalism is still necessary: rigor, information, and dignifying the profession. I don't feel that our profession is threatened, but I do believe that we must continually raise our voices and earn people's trust with good work.

-What do you ask for the future?

-Work, emotions, love, fun, and learning.

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