Emma Coronel reveals how she met El Chapo Guzman at 17
Emma Coronel told influencers Lonche de Huevito and Willito during a Kick live stream that she first met Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán when she was 17 at a party in Durango. After a song stopped on the dance floor, the Sinaloa cartel leader politely asked to dance with her. They married one year later, on July 2, 2007, her 18th birthday.
Coronel, the former wife of El Chapo Guzmán, reappeared publicly in California for a five-hour-plus broadcast that mixed cooking segments with personal revelations. The conversation revived long-standing public interest in how a teenage beauty queen entered the orbit of one of the world's most notorious drug traffickers—and why she is now sharing those details on streaming platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Coronel says she met El Chapo Guzmán at 17 during a party at Rancho La Angostura in Sierra de Canelas, Durango.
- She describes his first approach as respectful: he asked, "Can I dance with you?" after they ended up face to face on the dance floor.
- The couple married privately at her home on July 2, 2007, when she turned 18 and he was 50.
- Coronel shared the story on Kick with Sinaloa creators Lonche de Huevito and Willito during a stream celebrating one million followers.
- El Chapo Guzmán is serving a life sentence at ADX Florence, a maximum-security prison in Colorado.
Where Did Emma Coronel First Meet El Chapo Guzmán?
According to Coronel's account on the Kick live, the encounter happened at a party held at Rancho La Angostura in the Sierra de Canelas region of Durango. She was 17 at the time.
She recalled that El Chapo Guzmán was dancing with another woman while she danced with a male friend. When the music stopped, they found themselves standing directly across from each other. Coronel said he believed she had smiled at him, though she insisted she had not.
She then sat down, and shortly afterward he came over. "He came to invite me to dance," she said, describing the moment that launched a relationship scrutinized worldwide. Coverage of the stream was reported by Univision and Imagen Televisión.
What Did El Chapo Say When He Asked Her to Dance?
Coronel characterized his manner as "very respectful." She said he asked whether he could dance with her—"as if he were asking me for the favor of dancing with him, but very nice," she told the hosts.
In her documentary "Married to El Chapo: Emma Coronel Speaks," she also recalled that during that first meeting he asked what she knew how to cook and whether she could make enchiladas. She admitted she lied and said yes because she did not want to tell him no.
Those small, domestic details contrast sharply with the image of a fugitive cartel boss—and help explain why the streaming clip spread quickly across social feeds.
When Did Emma Coronel and El Chapo Guzmán Get Married?
Coronel said they wed roughly one year after meeting. The ceremony took place on her 18th birthday, July 2, 2007, when El Chapo Guzmán was 50.
She described the wedding as private, held at her home and attended only by close contacts. The couple later had two daughters, Emali Guadalupe and María Joaquina, whom Coronel has called the greatest gift Guzmán gave her.
El Chapo Guzmán is now imprisoned at ADX Florence in Colorado, serving a life sentence. Coronel has since pursued public visibility as an influencer, including ambitions she has discussed around modeling.
Why Is Emma Coronel Speaking Out on Streaming Now?
Coronel's appearance came during a Kick broadcast hosted by Víctor Ordoñez ("Lonche de Huevito") and Guillermo Peña ("Willito"), Sinaloa-based creators known for gaming livestreams, humor, and a large TikTok following. Yahoo en Español reported the stream ran more than five hours and marked their celebration of reaching one million followers.
The format resembled a cooking show, blending casual banter with questions about Coronel's life online and her past with El Chapo Guzmán. Her return to high-visibility media—on a platform built for real-time audience engagement—underscores how former narco-world figures can reach new audiences through influencer culture.
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