The release of the biographical series ‘Chespirito: Sin Querer Queriendo’ has renewed public interest in the off-screen relationship between actress Florinda Meza and Enrique Segoviano, the original director of the iconic sitcom ‘El Chavo del 8’. The series delves into their romance and its dramatic conclusion, suggesting it was directly impacted by Meza’s growing connection to the show’s creator and star, Roberto Gómez Bolaños, whom she later married.
According to the episode ‘Con melón o con sandía’, Meza and Segoviano were engaged before the cast traveled to film the show’s famous Acapulco episodes. The series depicts their relationship ending during that trip amid suspicions of an affair between Meza and Gómez Bolaños. While the show is based on Bolaños’s autobiography, the real-life details of the breakup have never been fully confirmed by all parties.
Following the split, Segoviano left the program, and Meza’s creative influence alongside Gómez Bolaños reportedly grew. In a widely circulated interview, television host Marco Antonio Regil, who later worked with Segoviano, claimed the director’s departure was not his choice. “It was very painful for Segoviano. They fired him from a show he co-created; he co-created characters. It was, truthfully, very unfair,” Regil stated.
Enrique Segoviano, born in the Dominican Republic in 1944 to Spanish parents, is a distinguished director and producer who moved to Mexico as an infant. After studying at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), he began a prolific television career. Beyond his foundational work on ‘El Chavo del 8’ and ‘El Chapulín Colorado’, his credits include beloved programs like ‘Odisea burbujas’ and successful game shows such as ‘Atínale al precio’ and ‘100 mexicanos dijeron’.
Throughout the decades, Segoviano has remained notably private about his personal life and has consistently refrained from commenting on his relationship with Meza or the circumstances of his departure from the show. He has made no public statement regarding the new biographical series.
