Ten years have passed since Rodner Figueroa, renowned Venezuelan host and fashion expert, was fired from Univision after making an unfortunate comment about the then first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, in 2015. What at the time represented one of the hardest episodes of his professional career, today he remembers it as a life lesson that transformed his vision of success and happiness.
During an interview with investment expert Yoel Sardiñas for the podcast “Conversaciones en las alturas”, the host spoke candidly about that moment that marked a before and after in his personal and professional life.
“I didn’t leave Univision, God took me out of Univision,” said Figueroa, explaining that although the experience was painful, over time he understood that it was an opportunity to reconnect with his spiritual and human purpose.
In the conversation, Rodner recalled how the dismissal was interpreted at the time by many as an irreparable professional fall, but for him it became an opportunity to reinvent himself and heal emotionally.
“The other day someone wrote to me through the networks and said: ‘That comment from the First Lady cost you dearly’. And I replied: ‘Yes, but money is not everything in life’. What I gained as a result of that comment on a human level was all positive,” he said.
For the first time, the host revealed details about the high income he received during his time at Univision, noting that, despite the economic stability, he did not find personal satisfaction.
“At that time I was paid half a million dollars at the network for my work, I had $200,000 contracts to be the image of a brand and I was paid $100,000 to be a ‘spot person’ for another. In short, I was earning almost a million dollars a year,” she revealed.
Despite financial success, he acknowledged that he was unhappy: “But that didn’t make me happy. I was unhappy. It’s not because I’m ungrateful, I’m extremely grateful for everything that companies and the universe were giving me at the time, but I understood that money didn’t fill my heart or my spirit.”
Rodner Figueroa: A New Concept of Success and Spirituality
After his departure from Univision, Rodner Figueroa began a period of deep introspection. Today, with a completely different perspective, he defines success as a state of inner peace, not as the accumulation of wealth or fame.
“Success for me today is living in peace, because I compromised my inner peace by pursuing goals that I thought would bring me happiness. When I got to money, fame and success, I was not at peace. Without peace there is no health; you get sick in the spirit.”
The presenter, who currently hosts his own podcast “Cara a cara con Rodner”, assured that today his priority is to preserve his emotional and spiritual wellbeing, and that his economic independence comes from personal projects he has built outside television.
“Today I don’t compromise my spiritual peace for anything. And the most beautiful thing is that I no longer need a company to generate income. Today I generate amazing income without depending on anyone and building my own personal wealth, which I will pass on to my generations, to my nieces and nephews.”
Rodner concluded the interview with a reflection on the importance of inner stillness as a source of prosperity and balance.
“Everything is going to come to you if you are at peace. It’s like a lotus flower that opens to receive: you are the receptacle of all that energy. If you are at peace, none of that vessel is going to spill out because you are in the stillness.”
A decade after his mediatic dismissal, Rodner Figueroa is more mature, serene and grateful, convinced that true wealth is not measured in numbers, but in the ability to live with purpose, freedom and harmony.
Here you can watch Rodner Figueroa’s interview about what he earned at Univision.
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