If Alejo Ospina had put on makeup, set up studio lighting, and pretended to sleep, it would have failed. The magic is in the real snoring, the real drool, and the real confusion upon waking. Authenticity is the highest currency in the 2020s social media market.

Some critics believe the gimmick will die when Ospina gets bored or develops insomnia. But Ospina disagrees. "Sleep is the one thing every human has in common," he says. "Football divides us. Politics divides us. But sleep? We all do it. I'm just lucky enough to get paid for it."

To understand the phenomenon, we have to go back to late 2022. Alejo Ospina, already known for his absurdist humor on TikTok and Instagram Live, was performing his typical routine: interacting with fans, making weird faces, and playing with filters. But like any human being, Ospina got tired.