# Lele Pons

Eleonora "Lele" Pons Maronese (/ˈlɛleɪ/ LEL-ay; born 25 June 1996) is an American and Venezuelan YouTuber, actress and singer. Pons came to prominence on Vine before the platform was shut down in 2016 where she was the most followed woman and the third most followed viner with 11.5 million followers. She then expanded into creating comedy sketches for YouTube, where she has over 18 million subscribers as of August 2023.
She has since acted in film, television, and music videos; released her own music; and co-authored a novel. In 2020, she starred in The Secret Life of Lele Pons, a YouTube Original docuseries providing a look at her personal life, and began hosting a podcast on Spotify called Best Kept Secrets with Lele Pons.

## Early life

Eleonora Pons Maronese was born in Caracas, the daughter of pediatrician Anna Maronese Pivetta and architect Luis Guillermo Pons Mendoza. When she was a child, her parents separated after her father realized that he was gay. She is of Spanish and Italian descent, and is the niece of Puerto Rican singer Chayanne. She moved to the U.S. at the age of five and was raised in Miami. She graduated from Miami Country Day School in 2015 and moved to Los Angeles. She has said that she had trouble making friends in high school and would thus "get hurt to make them laugh". She has also described being bullied in high school: "I'm not like the cool girls—I'm the other girl. The one that's basically a nerd, but proud of that."

## Career

Pons began her career on the video platform Vine. She has said she used Vine to showcase the creative things she was already doing. Speaking to Teen Vogue, Pons said, "I started with my friends, and I started becoming bad. At first it was just being really creative - it wasn't even funny stuff." Her follower base continued to grow and Pons has said that it "got to the point where a lot of people depended on me to make them... just so they could get a laugh." She became the first "Viner" to reach one billion loops.
Writing in The Cut, Allie Jones described Pons' comedy as "universal, physical, and complete with a twist ending". Pons' comedic style has also been criticised. For instance, former Viner, Cody Ko, critically viewed one her sketches, saying, "This was written by a four-year-old." Pons cites, among her inspirations, several Latin American female stars such as Sofía Vergara, Gaby Espino, and Shakira. In 2016, she was signed with entertainment company Shots Studios.
Pons has used her success in Internet comedy to launch a number of enterprises. In 2015, she launched a jewelry collection called UNO Magnetic. In 2016, Pons co-authored a novel based on her own high school experiences, Surviving High School, co-authored with Melissa de la Cruz. Pons starred as Callie in the 2016 romantic comedy We Love You, released on YouTube Red. In the movie, characters played by Yousef Erakat and Justin Dobies both fall for Pons, who is "cool enough" to date both of them at the same time. The movie was produced by YouTube and AwesomenessTV.
Pons appeared in the first episode of MTV's horror TV series, Scream, in which she was the season's first victim of Ghostface. She has starred in a number of music videos, including "Havana" by Camila Cabello, and "Downtown" by Anitta and J Balvin. In May 2018, Pons released her debut single, a Spanish-language duet with Matt Hunter titled "Dicen". The YouTube music video amassed 10 million views in just four days. Pons has also had success in modelling.
In February 2017, she became a brand ambassador for CoverGirl. The same month, Pons walked in a Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan. Babe criticised the move as seeming "a bit hackneyed and past-it". In August, Pons released her first single and music video for her song "Celoso", which was directed by fellow creator Rudy Mancuso. The song was certified 10× Diamond and earned a nomination for the Premios Lo Nuestro nomination for the video.
On March 29, 2019, Lele released her English-language debut, and her first country song with the Jake Owen duet "Señorita" from his album Greetings from... Jake.
Pons took over hosting of La Voz... México on October 14, 2018. She presented the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards with Aitana.
On December 6, 2019, Pons released her new single and music video "Vete Pa La". The music video was self-directed and edited by Pons and produced by Shots Studios.
In December 2019, Pons was a co-host on the red carpet alongside Chelsea Briggs for the 2019 Billboard Women in Music.
Pons was a guest speaker at the 2020 CES conference held in Las Vegas. As a digital media mogul and global entertainer, Pons was asked to be a speaker on the Spotify panel alongside Spotify's Chief Content Officer Dawn Ostroff. She talked about how Spotify revolutionized music and impacted her career and how she plans on using that same model for her upcoming podcast with Spotify.
On August 19, 2020, Pons released the first episode of Best Kept Secrets with Lele Pons, a podcast on Spotify in which anonymous callers share "eyebrow raising experiences they don't dare share with friends and family".
Pons received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization's Influencer Pioneer Award at the United Nations in 2022, celebrating her as a trailblazer and innovator in her field. The prestigious award, also recognized by the US Congress, highlights women entrepreneurs and the meaningful impact they are having on the world. Also in 2022, Pons competed in season four of ¿Quién es la máscara? as "Pulpo" (which is Spanish for "Octopus"). She was the first to be eliminated.
In 2023, Pons competed in season nine of The Masked Singer as "Jackalope". She was eliminated on "Sesame Street Night" alongside Malin Akerman as "Squirrel".
Later in 2023, Pons was announced as a contestant on the 32nd season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Brandon Armstrong.

## Personal life

Although Pons was raised in Miami from the age of five, she remained solely a Venezuelan citizen until acquiring US citizenship at the age of 23.
Pons began dating Puerto Rican rapper Guaynaa in December 2020, they got engaged in July 2022 and married on March 4, 2023. On March 9, 2025, Pons and Guaynaa announced that they are expecting their first child together.
Pons has attention deficit hyperactive disorder, Tourette syndrome and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 2016 | My Big Fat Hispanic Family | Lele | Short film |
| 2016 | Insane Kids | Lele | Short film |
| 2017 | The Walking Dead: No Man's Land | Lele | Short film |
| 2017 | The Space Between Us | Tulsa's classmates | Cameo |
| 2017 | Caught the Series | Clean up man | Guest star |
| 2017 | Scooby Doo Is Back | Daphne | Short film |
| 2017 | Latino Hunger Games | Herself | Short film |
| 2019 | Airplane Mode | Herself | Main role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 2016 | We Love You | Callie | TV film |
| 2016 | Scream | Leah | Episode: "I Know What You Did Last Summer" |
| 2016 | Escape the Night | The Hustler | Main role (season 1) |
| 2018 | La Voz México | Leading | FOX EST |
| 2019 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: “Prince Royce vs Lele Pons” |
| 2020 | The Secret Life of Lele Pons | Herself | Docu-series produced by herself |
| 2021 | Nickelodeon's Unfiltered | Herself | — |
| 2021 | Cooking with Paris | Herself | Guest |
| 2022 | ¿Quién es la máscara? | Pulpo | 1st unmasked (season 4) |
| 2023 | The Masked Singer | Jackalope | 8th unmasked (season 9) |
| 2023 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Season 32 contestant |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role |
| 2016 | "She's Out of Her Mind" | Blink-182 | Mark Hoppus |
| 2017 | "Summer" | Marshmello | Dorky girl |
| 2017 | "Havana" | Camila Cabello | Bella |
| 2017 | "Downtown" (lyric video) | Anitta and J Balvin | Dancer |
| 2018 | "The Middle" | Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey | Dancer |
| 2018 | "Dicen" | Lele Pons | Singer/Lead |
| 2018 | "Celoso" | Lele Pons | Singer/Lead |
| 2018 | "Teléfono (Remix)" | Aitana and Lele Pons | Singer/Lead |
| 2019 | "Bloqueo" | Lele Pons and Fuego | Singer/Lead |
| 2020 | "Se te Nota" | Lele Pons and Guaynaa | Singer/Lead |
| 2021 | "Hit It" | Black Eyed Peas, Saweetie, and Lele Pons | Singer/Lead |
| 2021 | "Let it Snow (Navidad, Navidad, Navidad)" | Lele Pons | Singer/Lead |
| 2024 | "Soltera" | Shakira | Friend |

## Discography
### Collaborative studio albums

| Title | Details |
| Capitulaciones (with Guaynaa) | Released: April 20, 2023 Label: Shots, Interscope Formats: Digital download, streaming |

### As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released :
| Title | Year | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | US Latin | ARG | COL | ECU | ITA | SPA | VEN | Certifications | Album |
| "Dicen" (with Matt Hunter) | 2018 | 29 | — | — | — | — | 84 | — | RIAA: 2× Platinum (Latin) | Non-album singles |
| "Celoso" | 2018 | 11 | 32 | — | 77 | — | 7 | 13 | RIAA: 3× Platinum (Latin) AMPROFON: Diamond PROMUSICAE: Platinum | Non-album singles |
| "Teléfono (Remix)" (with Aitana) | 2018 | — | — | 46 | — | — | — | 75 | | Tráiler |
| "Bloqueo" (with Fuego) | 2019 | 42 | — | 84 | 11 | — | — | 56 | | Non-album singles |
| "Los Puti (Shorts)" (with Favian Lovo and Lyanno) | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Vete Pa La" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Volar" (featuring Susan Díaz and Victor Cardenas) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Se Te Nota" (with Guaynaa) | 2020 | 33 | 18 | 24 | 7 | 62 | 17 | — | RIAA: 3× Platinum (Latin) AMPROFON: 2× Diamond FIMI: Gold PROMUSICAE: Platinum | Non-album singles |
| "Sucio y Lento" (with Mariah Angeliq) | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Bubble Gum" (with Yandel) | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Al Lau" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Abajo y Arriba" (with Juhn) | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Let It Snow (Navidad, Navidad, Navidad)" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album singles |
| "Restart" (with Vf7 and Ninow y Candy) | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | 15 |
| "Piketona" (with Kim Loaiza) | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album single |
| "Abajito" (with Guaynaa) | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Capitulaciones |
| "De Party En Party" (with Guaynaa) | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Capitulaciones |
| "Las Burbujas del Jacuzzi" (with India Martínez and Greeicy) | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |||||||||||

### As featured artist

List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released :
| Title | Year | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Peaks | Certifications | Album |
| Title | Year | US Latin | ARG | COL | ECU | ITA | SPA | VEN | Certifications | Album |
| "Hit It" (Black Eyed Peas featuring Saweetie and Lele Pons) | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |||||||||||

## Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name :
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
| "Señorita" | 2019 | Jake Owen | Greetings from... Jake |
| "Rendezvous" | 2022 | Florida Georgia Line | Greatest Hits |

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Year | Nominated work | Category | Result | Ref. |
| Eres Awards Mexico | 2019 | Herself | Queen of Instagram | Nominated | — |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2019 | Herself | Social Star Award | Nominated | |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2019 | Herself | Best New Latin Artist | Nominated | |
| Lo Nuestro Awards | 2019 | "Celoso" | Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2017 | Herself | Worldwide Instagrammer of the Year | Nominated | |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2017 | Herself (with Juanpa Zurita, Anwar Jibawi) | Best YouTube Collaboration (Supercollab) | Nominated | |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2018 | Herself | Worldwide Instagrammer of the Year | Won | — |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2018 | Herself | Instastories of the Year | Nominated | — |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2018 | Herself | Dance Cover | Nominated | — |
| MTV Millennial Awards | 2021 | Herself | Global Creator | Nominated | |
| Nickelodeon Mexico Kids' Choice Awards | 2018 | Herself | Favorite YouTuber | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | 2016 | Herself | Favorite Social Media Star | Nominated | |
| People's Choice Awards | 2018 | Herself | The Social Star of 2018 | Nominated | |
| Premios Juventud | 2016 | Herself | 6 Segundos de Fama | Nominated | |
| Premios Juventud | 2019 | Herself | Triple Threat | Won | |
| Shorty Awards | 2015 | Herself | Choice Viner | Nominated | |
| Shorty Awards | 2018 | Herself | YouTuber of the Year | Nominated | |
| Streamy Awards | 2015 | Herself | Best Viner | Nominated | |
| Streamy Awards | 2016 | Escape the Night | Best Ensemble Cast | Won | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2014 | Herself | Choice Viner | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2015 | Herself | Choice Viner | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2015 | Herself | Choice Web Star: Female | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2016 | Herself | Choice Viner | Won | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2017 | Herself | Choice Web Star: Comedy | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2018 | Herself | Choice Web Star: Comedy | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2018 | Herself | Choice Female Web Star | Nominated | |
| Teen Choice Awards | 2018 | Herself | Choice YouTuber | Nominated | |
| Tu Awards Mexico | 2018 | Herself | Queen of Instagram | Nominated | — |
| Women's Entrepreneurship Day | 2022 | Herself | Influencer Pioneer Award | Won | |