El Risitas was the stage name of Spanish comedian Juan Joya Borja, whose infectious laugh first reached television audiences in Spain through an interview clip. Years later, internet users began re-editing that interview with invented subtitles, placing his laughter over politics, technology and gaming topics he never discussed. The format spread rapidly across YouTube and social media in the mid-2010s, turning a local television moment into a global reaction meme. It remains popular because the laugh needs no translation and instantly signals that something is ridiculous.