Argentine TV Presenter Resigns After False On-Air Report of Jorge Messi’s Death, Then Apologizes to Family

An Argentine television presenter resigned from Luzu TV after she falsely reported live on air that Jorge Messi, the father of soccer star Lionel Messi, had died, Deadline reported on June 19, 2026. The incident occurred during the program El Show, where Peña relayed the information to viewers.

Deadline said the announcement was incorrect, prompting public backlash and leading to Peña’s exit from the network. The report described the moment as part of her broadcast duties, after which she stepped down from her role at Luzu TV.

After the error, Deadline reported that Peña later issued an emotional apology to the Messi family. The apology was described as directed to the family and framed as a response to the harm caused by the inaccurate report.

Luzu TV’s El Show, the program where the claim was delivered, has not been described in the Deadline report as releasing a separate statement clarifying the newsroom process or how the information was received before it was broadcast. Deadline’s account focused on Peña’s resignation and her subsequent apology rather than on any formal findings about sourcing or fact-checking.

The episode added to a long-running scrutiny of broadcast media procedures, particularly when on-air announcements involve the health or death of widely known individuals. In culture and entertainment programming, executives and producers typically rely on rapid verification given the speed of social media circulation, and the consequences of getting such updates wrong can extend beyond reputational harm to family members and viewers.

Deadline’s report did not provide additional details about how the false information entered the program, what sources were used, or whether any internal review took place at Luzu TV. It also did not specify whether the network issued a public correction beyond Peña’s resignation and apology.

For now, the confirmed public record described in the Deadline account is limited to Peña’s resignation, her apology to the Messi family, and the fact that the death report was incorrect. Additional information on policy changes, staffing impacts, or any network-level corrective measures would be expected only if released by Luzu TV or by the presenter directly.