Radu Paraschivescu, demonstration of humor after the rumor caused by the physical resemblance between him and Maduro
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at a press conference in Caracas on September 15, 2025. Credit line: Federico PARRA / AFP / Profimedia
“After a very hectic day, I was brought back home,” commented writer Radu Paraschivescu on Sunday, in a first reaction to jokes about his resemblance to the leader of Venezuela captured by the US, Nicolas Maduro.
“First there was talk of ransom and negotiations with the kidnappers. Then there was the idea of a commando to intervene quickly and efficiently. In the end it was concluded that, being harmless, I could be set free. After a very hectic day, I was returned home. On one condition: to wear a T-shirt with “Breakfast in America” by Supertramp. Thank you all for your care and solidarity“Radu Paraschivescu sent on his Facebook.
The writer's reaction comes a day after, in the context of the US attack on Venezuela, the satirical website Times New Roman published an article in which it ironically associates him with the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, starting from a physical resemblance commented on over time, jokingly, in the public space.
“Nicolás Maduro was captured today, January 3, 2026, following a large-scale US military operation,” to then introduce a fictitious character presented as “Maduro's accomplice from Romania,” Times New Roman wrote on Saturday.
The joke was continued by the activist Radu Hossu, who commented on Facebook, also in a comic register: “I mark Radu Paraschivescu safe from Trump Special Operation! I spoke with Radu and fortunately he is fine. Unlike his double, Maduro and his wife.”
It is not the first time that the satire website publishes a text that refers to the physical resemblance between Radu Paraschivescu and the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
In the first article published in July 2024, the authors write, in a satirical key, that “the writer Radu Paraschivescu won a third term as president of Venezuela. Although the position provides him with a car, an official motorcade and a guard, the writer still remained a modest man, who travels by tram and does not spend extravagantly.”
