Why Jesús Morales, Also Known As Juixxe, Has Gone Viral On TikTok
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Jesús Morales has made quite a name for himself on TikTok. Known as Juixxe on the social media platform, Morales, 25, has gone viral for giving out hundreds of thousands of dollars to street vendors in California.
Based in San Diego, Morales would use the massive $100 tips he gets from his 2.8 million followers to give to a local street vendor he finds outside.
While speaking with NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz, Morales, who has spoken to TODAY in the past, said that he likes to help out the people in his community because he knows what it's like to barely get by.
"My parents came here with nothing, like absolutely nothing besides a dream," he said. "And when they first came to the US, they were sleeping in a basement on a piece of cardboard. And I just imagine that, and it’s just, like, dude, like, my parents have sacrificed so much just to be here."
Excited to see him in action, Schwartz tagged along with Morales to see him surprise the workers of a local taco stand.
Once they reached, Morales told them that he was going to promote their business. The young influencer then announced that he was going to pay for everyone's tacos for an hour.
When the time was up, the bill came up to a little more than a grand, and on top of that, Morales left an extra $1,000 tip.
As Morales and Schwartz soon learned, the money would help the owner out a little more than expected: The owner's son had been hospitalized earlier that day after being hit by a car.
"How often do you come and give someone a tip or do something like this and they say this came at the exact right time?" Schwartz asked Morales.
"It happens pretty often, to be quite honest, and I'm glad we are able to help out," Morales replied.
"It's a reminder that a lot of times you go and get your tacos or you go into any store and you forget that we are all going through life together," he continued. "It's a reminder that everyday street vendors, everyday people, everyone's going through something so being able to do this for people, just means the world to me."
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