31 Minutos Shines at NPR Tiny Desk Concert in the U.S., Defying Right-Wing Criticism at Home

The beloved Chilean puppet show conquered the United States with a performance that reaffirms its status as a cultural icon.

The emblematic show “31 Minutos” delivered a triumphant set at the famed Tiny Desk Concert in the United States, transcending language barriers. Blending razor-sharp satire with rock and folk, the performance resonated instantly across social media and with international audiences, stirring pride and nostalgia throughout Chile.

The acclaimed production—renowned for social critique and humor that ranges from absurdist to incisive—captivated viewers with classics from “Mi Equilibrio Espiritual” to “Yo Nunca Vi Televisión (Y Luego Sí Pero Después No).” Midway through the set, the team wove in an immigration critique when the lawyer character Juan Pablo Sopa, during the song “Objeción Denegada,” declared: “Raise your hand if your waiver expired, raise your hand if you’re undocumented,” a pointed line amid the crisis unfolding in the United States. They closed the concert by alluding to the expiration of their own work visas.

Despite those pointed nods, the resounding success abroad only reaffirms the show’s cult status—standing in sharp contrast to a controversy that erupted in Chile in 2021. During that year’s presidential debate between Gabriel Boric and José Antonio Kast, the latter was asked about comments from Vanesa Kaiser—then a Republican Party councilwoman and chair of the Culture Commission in Las Condes—who had harshly questioned public funding for 31 Minutos.

Kaiser claimed the series promoted “far-left ideologies” that had “destroyed the country,” a position from which presidential candidate Kast chose to distance himself—yet the episode laid bare the ideological conflict the hit show provokes among Chile’s most conservative right. While that political sector in Chile sought to delegitimize the program and cut financial support over the perceived “threat,” in the United States and around the world the same production was celebrated as a cultural phenomenon at the Tiny Desk Concert, racking up a million views within hours.

The historic performance is a milestone not only for 31 Minutos but for Chilean culture at large, underscoring the relevance and depth of a work that, behind puppets and scraps of cloth, offers one of the sharpest lenses on current affairs. The global applause shows that investing in art with substance and critique can transcend borders.