Pablo Escobar is known as one of the most infamous drug kingpins in modern history, but a new series examines another less publicized aspect of his life: fatherhood.
Dear Killer Nannies begins streaming Wednesday, April 1, on Hulu and stars John Leguizamo as Escobar. The show focuses the lens not on the Medellín cartel leader’s criminal activity, but the experience of his son Juan Pablo Escobar—known as “Juampi”—amid the chaos, according to a news release.
“Over the years, he will have to face the burden of his surname and decide whether he wants to continue the family legacy or start a new life from scratch,” the synopsis reads.
As we have learned, Juan Pablo was entirely aware of his father’s criminal enterprise and continues to wrestle with the family legacy and public perception. Here’s what we know about his life today and role in the show.
Who Are Juan Pablo Escobar and the “Killer Nannies?”
The series revolves around Juan Pablo Escobar, the only surviving son of the “King of Cocaine,” and how his father’s criminal enterprises influenced his upbringing.
Born February 24, 1977, Juan Pablo is the eldest child of Pablo Escobar and his wife Maria Victoria Henao. He also has a younger sister, Manuela.
Juan Pablo previously told Tegan Broadwater in a YouTube interview he was fully aware of his father’s illicit activities from age 7. Escobar is believed responsible for the deaths of thousands of people—including politicians, civil servants, journalists, and ordinary citizens—because of his influence as leader of Colombia’s Medellín drug cartel, as Biography.com previously reported.
“He sat me down and told me, ‘Hey, son, I want you to know that I am a bandit and this is what I do for a living,’” he explained to Broadwater. “So since, from that very exact moment, my father didn’t have any trouble to … watch the news with me, read the newspaper and magazines and tell me, ‘hey, yes, I am responsible for this’ or ‘I’m not.’”
The youngster was simultaneously surrounded by wealth—with some estimates placing Escobar’s net worth as high as $30 billion at its peak—and forced into frugality because of his family’s reputation. Juan Pablo received a Ferrari Testarossa (valued at more than $565,000 today) for his 14th birthday, but at other times was unable to buy bread because of the inherent safety concerns of being in public, according to NPR.
In order to make sure any rivals didn’t harm his son, Escobar placed Juan Pablo in the care of “nannies,” who were actually hired assassins tasked with babysitting him—in addition to their other duties. These experiences with his non-traditional caretakers are the basis of the Hulu series.
How Did Pablo Escobar Die?
Pablo Escobar negotiated a surrender with Colombian President César Gaviria in 1991, agreeing to incarceration at his own luxury prison called La Catedral, which featured a casino, spa, nightclub, and other amenities. He escaped the following year, kicking off a manhunt for the fugitive involving agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
On December 2, 1993, a firefight began as Colombian law enforcement closed in on Escobar in Medellín. The cartel leader and his bodyguard were apparently shot and killed as they tried to escape via rooftops. However, Juan Pablo has previously claimed his father died by suicide—and that investigators who performed his autopsy determined as much, but were forced to cover up the truth.
Following Escobar’s death, Juan Pablo and his mother fled to Argentina and assumed alternate identities. He became Sebastián Marroquín, but has since used both identities for interviews and writing projects.
Where Is Juan Pablo Escobar Now?
After moving to Argentina, Juan Pablo, now Sebastián Marroquín, studied architecture and industrial design in capital Buenos Aires, according to NPR. Because of his true identity, however, he struggled to find work.
Around this time, Juan Pablo and his mother Maria were imprisoned on money-laundering charges. He claims an accountant found out about his family’s identify and attempted to extort them. “We decided to go to the police and to say the truth. ‘Look, we are the Escobars, and we have this accountant who is starting an extortion against us, so we need your help,’” Juan Pablo recalled in a YouTube interview with Michael Franzese. “So, they put us in jail … because it looks better if you put the Escobars in jail instead of helping them, because they are being victims of a crime.” After about seven years, they were freed in 2006 by an Argentinian Supreme Court ruling.
In the years that followed, Juan Pablo became a touring public speaker who encouraged children to avoid joining drug gangs and suggested public officials legalize cocaine to alleviate the groups’ power and influence. He also reached out to multiple victims of his father’s crimes to apologize.
Despite his apparent contrition, Juan Pablo still holds an unfavorable reputation among some Colombians because he vowed to “kill all those SOBs” in revenge shortly after his father’s death.
Was the Netflix Series Narcos Accurate in Its Depiction of Pablo Escobar?
Younger generations are most likely familiar with Pablo Escobar’s life story through Narcos, the Netflix biographical crime series that ran three seasons from 2015 through 2017 and prompted a spinoff series. It stars 2026 Academy Award nominee Wagner Moura as Escobar and Pedro Pascal as real-life DEA agent Javier Peña.
Narcos is based primarily on the experiences of agents Peña and Steve Murphy (played by Boyd Holbrook). However, showrunner Eric Newman previously told The Hollywood Reporter the series is a “50-50” split regarding fictionalization of events.
Juan Pablo has been critical of Narcos and some of these alleged falsifications. In December 2017, following the release of the second season, he called the show “insulting” and detailed a list of 28 factual inaccuracies in a Facebook post. They ranged from the relatively benign—such as misidentifying Pablo’s favorite soccer team as Atlético Nacional instead of Independiente Medellín—to details of his interactions with other family members.
“My father never forced us to stay with him underground, he always thought—just like my mother—that the best thing was that we education and other opportunities were best for us,” he wrote, according to The Independent.
What Has Juan Pablo Escobar Written About His Father?
In an effort to accurately portray his father’s and his own story, Juan Pablo has written multiple books, including a more traditional memoir format in 2014’s Pablo Escobar: My Father.
More recently, in 2025, he published Escobar: Una Educación Criminal, an illustrated comic book focusing on his childhood—including his bond with the caretaking hitmen at the heart of Dear Killer Nannies.
Juan Pablo got the idea for the project during during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to tell his story with the “utmost respect” for father’s victims. “I raise awareness, Netflix glorifies,” he told El País, throwing another veiled jab at Narcos. He also said one of his caretakers is still alive and has read the book.
True to his word of not wanting to sensationalize the past, Juan Pablo only included his father on the front cover within the final 15 pages—insisting, “I didn’t want my father to be the protagonist.”
Watch Dear Killer Nannies on Hulu starting April 1
Dear Killer Nannies is based on the memoirs of Juan Pablo, who co-created the series with Sebastián Ortega—the showrunner behind the Argentinian crime drama El Marginal on Netflix, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
See the Pablo Escobar story from his son’s unique perspective when all episodes of Dear Killer Nannies begin streaming Wednesday, April 1, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. It stars John Leguizamo as the crime boss and three different actors—Janer Villareal, Miguel Tamayo, and Miguel Ángel García—as Juan Pablo Escobar across different stages of his life.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
