A new decade of Menudo also marked a turning point in the band’s history. But as former member Rawy Torres remarked in “Menudo: Forever Young,” “Everything happening on the outside represented only one part of the weakness that was affecting the band internally.” In October 1990, two members were arrested in Miami on drug charges and were promptly replaced. By December, four of the five remaining members had formally left the group on claims of manipulation, malnutrition, and general mistreatment.
In the most grave of accusations, former member Angelo Garcia detailed the extensive physical and sexual abuse he experienced during his two-year stint in the group (via New York Post). “During my time in Menudo, I was raped a series of times, and that was the way that predators would take advantage of me,” he explained in the HBO Max documentary.
Several other members have similarly come forward with abuse allegations over the years, including former member Ralphy Rodriguez. In 1991, he even appeared on the Miami-based “The Cristina Show” to tell his side of the story on the same stage as Edgardo Diaz. “I didn’t feel protected,” said Rodriguez in the HBO Max documentary. “I didn’t feel like I was in a safe environment. I was just out there on my own. There was no vested interest in me or in protecting me.”
Per USA Today, Diaz has never been formally charged with a crime and has continued to deny any involvement in abuse within the group.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
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