Stephen Hawking Tribute Performance At Spanish Carnival Divides Internet

A carnival tribute act in which performers dressed as Stephen Hawking has caused social media controversy. The group used wheelchairs to raise awareness about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), but users online found the depiction bizarre, with some claiming it was mocking the late British physicist.

Hawking, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 76, spent most of his life in a wheelchair. He communicated using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device after a rare, slow-progressing form of ALS that paralysed him over the decades.

The 12 men were part of a Spanish carnival group called ‘Una chirigota en teoria', who were performing at the Official Carnival Groups Competition in Cadiz. During the 30-minute musical performance, the performers mimicked the iconic robotic voice of Hawking as well as his gestures.

“It was an all-or-nothing idea,” Miguel Angel Llull, the group's author was quoted as saying by New York Post, adding that the bizarre stunt was a risky idea that attempted to embrace dark humour without offending anyone. “Don't be offended, this is just for laughs."

Check The Viral Clip Here:

NEW: A dozen people in motorized chairs dress up as Stephen Hawking at the 2026 Cadiz Carnival in Spain.

The group says the performance was to give people with disabilities a "voice and visibility."

"We tend to be committed to these issues because Paco [the director] works with… pic.twitter.com/vI583OPviM

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 17, 2026

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'Seems Insulting'

After the video went viral, responses were mixed, with some claiming that the entire act was insensitive while others said that Hawking may have enjoyed the humour.

"I get the gesture but it does come off as mockery. Maybe it's their voices?" said one user, while another added: "Seems highly inappropriate and insulting to Stephen Hawking."

A third commented: "You really need to live in Spain to understand the humour or think about what we were like forty years ago when comedy was still legal (and funny)."

A fourth said: “I find this very disturbing and very distasteful as someone who lost someone to ALS.”

The group announced that all 12 electric wheelchairs used during the performance would be donated to people living with ALS.