Francisco Domingos Joaquim from Angola once stunned the internet and made global headlines for a unique reason — his extraordinarily large mouth. He was even recognized by the Guinness World Records for it. But while he once basked in viral fame, today his life looks very different.
The world first saw Francisco in a video that made waves online in the late 2000s. In the clip, a young man appeared to stretch his mouth to impossible lengths — so far, in fact, that some viewers assumed it had been digitally altered.
But it wasn’t. Francisco’s incredible ability was 100% real. To prove it, he entered an Italian TV competition called Big Mouth. Contestants were asked to fit unusually wide objects — like plates and cups — into their mouths to showcase their flexibility.
No one came close to beating Francisco. In one jaw-dropping moment, he placed an entire Coca-Cola can horizontally in his mouth, fitting it snugly between his cheeks. The can rested perfectly between his upper and lower teeth, and his mouth appeared to swallow it whole.
His talent caught the attention of the Guinness World Records team, who spent nearly two years trying to locate him. Eventually, they found Francisco — also known as “Chiquinho” — in Sambizanga, a district in Luanda, Angola. He was officially measured, and the results were astonishing: his mouth stretched a massive 17 centimeters wide in a relaxed state — even wider when pulled with his hands.
Despite the shock factor, Francisco hadn’t trained or stretched to get this way. He was simply born with an unusually flexible face. What amazed doctors even more wasn’t just the size of his mouth, but the fact that his teeth were perfectly white and healthy. According to Francisco, he never even needed a dentist — a rare feat on its own.
Doctors believe that Francisco may have a condition called connective tissue dysplasia, a disorder that affects the strength and flexibility of skin, joints, and other tissues. Though the condition is believed to be present in about 10% of people worldwide, most have only mild symptoms.
In Francisco’s case, the disorder appears in a much more noticeable way — giving him incredibly elastic tissue around his mouth. Those with this condition are often tall, thin, and underweight. They may also suffer from joint pain or experience odd cracking noises in their bones.
So what became of the man once celebrated for his one-in-a-million feature?
Local reporters recently caught up with Francisco — and what they found was heartbreaking. Gone was the charismatic young man with the perfect smile. Today, Francisco lives in poverty, reportedly homeless and barely scraping by. Despite holding a world record that has yet to be broken, the attention and applause he once received did not translate into lasting support or opportunity.
Francisco’s story is a powerful reminder of how quickly the spotlight can fade. While his rare condition once fascinated millions, it brought him no lasting security. His name remains in the record books, but his current reality is a far cry from the viral stardom he once knew.
