Gloria Estefan has always been full of surprises, but even the most loyal fans might not know that she once almost joined the CIA. The 67-year-old icon recently sat down with Kelly Clarkson, where she shared an incredible story that might have you wondering if she’s living a double life.
Before the Grammys, the global tours, and the “Conga” that became a worldwide anthem, Gloria was clocking graveyard shifts at the Miami International Airport.
She worked six days a week, often on Sundays when no one else wanted to, translating in English, Spanish, and French. “I worked every day from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m… so I was there, and there was somebody always undercover in customs and they got to know me,” she told Clarkson.
As time went by, she explained, “They thought, you know what, you would be great as Jason Bourne.” Then she got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: “We would like to invite you to join the CIA,” they told her.
For a young Gloria, it sounded thrilling. “I go home and I’m so excited. I’m thinking, I wanna do this. It’s so great,” she recalled. But when she shared the news with her mom, the excitement gave her mom deja vu, in a bad way.
© Getty ImagesGloria’s father, José Fajardo, fought alongside U.S. troops during the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba and spent time as a political prisoner before the family reunited in Miami. Later, he served in Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange and returned home with multiple sclerosis. Gloria helped take care of him, and when she was 16, he was hospitalized at a Veterans Administration medical facility due to his illness. He passed away at the age of 47 in 1980.
So when Gloria came home dreaming about a future in intelligence, her mother cut it off. “My mom immediately started—your dad already lost his life to the government, and now you’re gonna do this?!” Gloria said.
For her mother, the fear of losing someone else to service was too much. “So I didn’t do it,” Gloria admitted with a shrug. “Supposedly, I wouldn’t be the greatest cover, and it would’ve tortured her the rest of her life.”
Still, Gloria can’t resist imagining the alternate timeline. “Every time they ask me, ‘Well, you really don’t know if I joined, do you? I have the perfect cover,” she laughed. “I may have stayed all over, I make music—if you play it backwards, there might be some stuff in there.”
© Ebet RobertsAssuming Gloria isn’t secretly in the CIA, what came next for her was her true calling. Gloria and Emilio Estefan turned Miami Sound Machine into a global force, bringing Latin rhythms into the mainstream and opening doors for countless artists.
The trailblazer who broke barriers also became a successful actress. Her latest film, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, hits theaters September 26.
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