15/06/2026 10:16 - Entretenimiento
Una periodista argentina con cabello oscuro hablando en un estudio de televisión con iluminación profesional, micrófono visible, expresión seria y determinada, ambientación de programa de espectáculos
María Julia Oliván, a well-known Argentine journalist, has made a serious public accusation against Mario Pergolini, one of Argentina's most recognizable television personalities. She alleges that Pergolini sexually harassed her approximately 20 years ago (around 2004-2007) when they both worked at Cuatro Cabezas, a prominent Argentine production company.
Cuatro Cabezas was one of Argentina's most influential media production companies, responsible for groundbreaking television programs. Mario Pergolini is a major figure in Argentine television, known for his countercultural approach and later for his role in politics. María Julia Oliván is an established journalist who has worked across television and digital media platforms.
In an interview with the program Infama, Oliván explained her motivation: "I don't care if anyone apologizes. What bothers me is that Mario Pergolini is giving talks to young people, speaking about feminism, and washing his image."
The conflict intensified when Yanina Latorre, a prominent Argentine media personality and panelist, defended Pergolini during her program on El Observador: "Guys, that's how all journalists were at that time. I'm not defending him. Remember Marcelo Tinelli's jokes, the short skirts, Jorge Lanata. Everyone was like that 20 years ago."
Yanina Latorre is a highly visible Argentine television commentator known for her work on entertainment news programs and her strong opinions on celebrity and political matters. She has become one of the most recognizable voices in Argentine show business journalism.
Latorre added: "But if the guy was one way 20 years ago and today is different, are we going to keep attacking him?" She acknowledged that Pergolini "has been very machista" (sexist) but claimed he has changed.
Oliván responded on her channel Border Periodismo: "Maybe when you heard me speak, you thought 'she's talking about how he acted when he was 20.' Pergolini was 40 years old, not 20."
Oliván recounted crossing paths with Pergolini at a bank in 2014:
"At first, we tried to avoid each other, until he approached me and said: 'If we don't look at each other, we'll never say hello.'"
She also revealed they shared a table with Jorge Lanata (Argentina's most famous investigative journalist) during the 2023 presidential elections: "We left through the same hallway, I got on the elevator and he took the stairs. He wasn't capable of saying anything to me or apologizing."
Oliván described the impact on her career:
The dispute extended to X (formerly Twitter), where Latorre pressured Oliván to make a formal complaint and called her "Canosa" (a reference to Viviana Canosa, another Argentine journalist known for her controversial style).
Oliván responded: "You call me 'Canosa' when you did a show about Lanata's hospitalization, the journalist who validated you? Do you remember when you said you spoke with Perón? What's your added value?"
Latorre replied: "I prefer to do 80 product placements because I'm oversold than to live off government advertising like you do," to which Oliván countered: "If I weren't successful, I wouldn't have a streaming show that gets advertising, and I'd have to be an employee of those who do business with every government."
When asked if she would accept apologies from Pergolini, Oliván responded: "Of course, obviously I would accept them." However, she clarified that "she's not looking for that" and that the revelation "slipped out on my program," though she had mentioned it previously without naming him directly.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
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