Aida Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican and Dominican comic, actor, and essayist. In 2019, she had her personal 30 minutes particular on Netflix’s collision comedy layout “They Ready,” executive-produced through Tiffany Haddish and Wanda Sykes. In November 2021, she spared her first-hour stand-up particular “Fighting Words,” which premiered on Max, and in October 2023, Rodriguez spared her memoir “Legitimate Kid.”
For Psychological Condition Consciousness Time, we requested Latine comedians we recognize how comedy has supported them in overcoming shock and confronting age’s most vital demanding situations. Learn the items right here.
I’ve at all times seen comedy as a coping mechanism for folk who’re in decrease financial statuses or simply coping with very dry instances. Within the phrases of Kevin Hart: “Laugh at my pain.” My upbringing used to be disagree other. I didn’t actually have interaction in comedy as a lot when I used to be more youthful as a result of I used to be an overly shy and timid child. However humor used to be at all times round me, and I discovered at an overly younger life the facility of laughter.
My grandmother used to be an overly humorous lady. She had this superb skill to provide big subjects like poverty or even demise in ways in which had been funny. To start with, I impaired to suppose it used to be insensitive, however I briefly discovered that it used to be only a coping mechanism and a approach to form issues digestible as a result of age used to be already dry plenty. Rising up, I noticed all of it. There used to be poverty. There used to be violence. There have been medication, adultery, and misogyny. For some folk, laughter used to be the one instrument they needed to navigate all that.
It used to be in class that I actually began to search out my comedic tone. Comedy changed into my manner of surviving bullies and ruthless folk. It changed into my armor and manner of shielding myself from the children who had been obviously going thru stuff at house however had to poke a laugh at others to really feel higher about themselves. In lieu of being confrontational or risky, I used to be simply humorous.
My grandmother and mom closely influenced my comedy and humorousness. They had been naturally humorous girls. My mother is an overly confrontational lady. She would get into it with the alternative girls within the construction or locally, and would at all times pop out profitable as a result of she knew how one can close folk ill together with her phrases — and oftentimes, the issues she mentioned had been simply straight-up humorous. My grandmother used to be at all times so funny with it. It’s humorous once I pay attention folk say that girls aren’t humorous, or I’ll from time to time pay attention Latino males say they don’t actually like girls comedians, and next you pay attention them inform their tales. They’re at all times speaking about how hilarious their grandmothers or their moms are. Latinas are actually the comedians within the folk. A dozen folks are naturally humorous — it’s in our blood.
I began looking at stand-up comedy when I used to be modest. My uncle impaired to hear Richard Pryor. That used to be my first advent to stand-up comedy. I cherished Johnny Carson, and I cherished “I Love Lucy.” I impaired to look at El Chavo and Los angeles Chilindrina with my grandmother. In Miami, that they had a display known as “Qué Pasa USA.” It used to be a display a couple of Cuban folk, and the grandmother at the display used to be probably the most funniest folk I’ve ever discoverable. I began appreciating humor and skilled the bliss it supplied at a somewhat younger life. But it surely used to be no longer till nearest in my age that I noticed I sought after to try this for a dwelling.
Comedy got here next performing. I used to be a style for years, and I moved to LA in 2000 to grow to be an actor. I began doing stand-up in 2008. I had long past out for brunch to proclaim a pal’s birthday, and she or he requested us to roast her. I roasted her, and a pal there mentioned, “Oh, you should be doing stand-up. You’re naturally funny.” He gave me the cope with and data to an discoverable mic, and I went and did it, and I by no means restrained.
When I began functioning at discoverable mics, I began noticing how recovery comedy used to be — no longer only for the target audience but in addition for me. I didn’t actually get started with observational humor. I went symmetrical to the wound. My first jokes had been about my modeling occupation and turning into anorexic. I addressed tricky issues I had skilled in my very own age, and it helped me heal from the ones reports moment additionally making other folks who may relate really feel discoverable.
My paintings changed into cathartic once I began writing subject matter about my early life. Family would method me next my units and say, “Oh my god. Thank you. I’ve never seen a version of myself or a reflection of myself.” My early life began to steer such a lot of my subject matter that it changed into like treatment for me. I began unpacking and recovery from many shocks I skilled rising up, ultimately inspiring me to put in writing my memoir, “Legitimate Kid.” It made me notice how a lot our tales subject, and we shouldn’t belittle them as a result of white The united states is telling us they don’t subject. That’s what has saved the gasoline going for me.
Making jokes about my folk, my community, and the dry issues I skilled rising up has allowed others to peer themselves in my tales. On the subject of my very own recovery, that relatability used to be a part of it. It used to be perceptible that I wasn’t unloved and that there are others who additionally didn’t develop up having their fathers of their lives. It used to be the primary day I began to really feel pleased with the place I got here from, and it helped me paintings thru one of the crucial stuff I used to be coping with. Even with the jokes about my mother, many folk would come as much as me and inform me their mother used to be the similar manner. In some ways, it’s additionally healed my dating with my mother as a result of acting and having folk heal thru my phrases contributes to my very own recovery.
As a Latina, we’re raised with this mentality that you just don’t percentage the folk’s trade. So, moment I first of all had my hesitations, they licensed each comic story I’ve ever instructed concerning the folk earlier than it made it to the level. I at all times form certain that they’re cool with it. I used to be particularly cautious when it got here to my mother and my daughter as a result of sexism and misogyny, particularly in our communities, are rampant and actual, and folk like to demonize girls. So, I used to be at all times very leery about presenting them in some way the place it will go away by itself, and folk would communicate shit.
Making jokes concerning the issues I skilled rising up has additionally allowed me to peer the sweetness in my upbringing. It wasn’t all black, and it wasn’t all unholy. Once I began doing stand-up, I impaired to listen to all of the day folk say such things as, “All these Black and Latino comedians talk about is their lives in the hood, food stamps, and being broke.” You might pay attention that from white comics how our comedy wasn’t “elevated.” However I by no means allowed them to push me right into a nook the place I felt like I needed to emulate them to be of worth as a result of a dozen of folk do. Initially of my occupation, I surely noticed that there used to be a dozen of force put on comedians of colour to not perpetuate stereotypes, however in fact that a few of our relations are hood. A few of our relations did behave a undeniable manner, and there’s not anything fallacious with that, and that’s no longer simply unique to folk of colour — there are white folk like that as neatly.
Comedy brings us all in combination. There’s a connective tissue there, particularly in a population with such a lot variety. Via humor, we will be able to to find every alternative and to find relatability. Family cherished when George Lopez mentioned his grandmother as a result of that’s one thing many people have in familiar. Comedy additionally works as a common language. Although we’re no longer from the similar tradition, everyone laughs as it has this connective tissue. Comedy connects folk of all backgrounds and walks of age thru laughter.
— As instructed to Johanna Ferreira
Johanna Ferreira is the content material director for POPSUGAR Juntos. With greater than 10 years of revel in, Johanna makes a speciality of how intersectional identities are a central a part of Latine tradition. Prior to now, she spent similar to a few years because the deputy writer at HipLatina, and she or he has freelanced for various shops together with Refinery29, O Album, Attract, InStyle, and Smartly+Excellent. She has additionally moderated and spoken on various panels on Latine id.
