President Joe Biden praised Eva Longoria’s new movie about the invention of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos following a special White House screening on Thursday, calling it “exactly what the Hispanic American community embodies.”
Biden appeared to be unaware that the movie’s entire premise has been debunked, with an investigation determining that former Frito-Lay janitor Richard Montañez’s claim that he invented the popular snack food is false.
The White House hosted the screening Thursday with the president and first lady Jill Biden both present alongside Eva Longoria, who directed the movie. A mariachi band played on the White House balcony.
Biden called the movie, which is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+, “exactly what the Hispanic American community embodies.”
Flamin’ Hot is based on former Frito-Lay janitor Richard Montañez’s memoir in which he claimed to have invented the spicy snack food that went on to become enormously popular.
But the memoir is untrue, with a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation debunking the story.
As the Times reported, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was in fact created by a team at the Frito-Lay headquarters in Plano, Texas, to compete with other spicy snacks in the Midwest. The report used testimonies from former Frito-Lay employees as well as the company’s own internal investigation conducted in 2018.
Frito-Lay reportedly warned the filmmakers that it couldn’t vouch for Montañez’s version of events before the movie went into production.
Still, the movie reportedly features a title card at the end claiming it is based on a “true story.”
Following the White House screening, Joe Biden appeared to almost grope Eva Longoria before the Hollywood star pulled his hands away from her torso.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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