Lauded by Esquire Magazine as “raucously funny,” comedian and actor Aida Rodriguez has become a favorite with fans and critics alike. With her hour-long standup special, Fighting Words, streaming and her own TV series in development, she is bound for the comedy stratosphere.
I’ve Seen Her, Right?
Rodriguez headlined the HBO LatinX standup special Entrenos in 2020 and was one of only four women to appear in Showtime’s “Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam,” in its 15 seasons.
A longtime favorite on the standup circuit, she was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and has been featured on several TV series including Comedy Central’s “This Week at the Comedy Cellar,” HBO’s “Pause with Sam Jay,” TBS’ “Tournament of Laughs,” and she was handpicked by director Taylor Hackford for his feature film The Comedian starring Robert De Niro. She is a guest writer for Buzzfeed as well as a regular Commentator on the popular online progressive political talk show “The Young Turks.”
Fighting Words premiered on HBOMax in 2021. In the special, the comedian takes to the stage to address today’s audiences about cancel-culture and the social issues of the day, not just because they’re ripped from the headlines, but because they are in the pages torn out of her personal life.
In an interview with afrotaino.com, Rodriguez said, “I always knew that I would be a performer. I loved watching the monologues on Late Night television when I was a kid. I knew that I wanted to do that, (although) perhaps, at that time I didn't know that was ‘Stand Up.’ It manifested by way of my friends who worked in comedy. They were bold enough to tell me to switch lanes and then bothered to show me the way.” She also credits the women in her family for her brand of humor. “I am absolutely not the funniest person in my family. That would be my mother who makes everyone who encounters her laugh. She is hysterical. She would definitely get cancelled,” Rodriguez continued. “Some of the funniest people I have ever known are the mothers, grandmothers and aunties, giving us perspectives on our situations with humor.”
But Wait, There’s More!
Rodriguez is developing her own half-hour comedy series with HBOMax based on her incredible life story, which includes surviving two kidnappings, sexual abuse and a period of homelessness. Co-written and executive produced by Rodriguez, Chris Case (Showtime’s “Flatbush Misdemeanors”) and Nastaran Dibai (Netflix’s “Dear White People”), the project examines the struggle of a comedian (Rodriguez) who is trying to kick start a career while raising two very different teenagers on her own over multiple time zones. It is an uplifting story of survival and triumph in the face of a darkly funny Miami inner-city upbringing, where she learned skills that allowed her to thrive and endure.
Esquire Magazine declared “This is Rodriguez’s genius – using comedy to turn pain into progress, to give voice to the voiceless and to laugh instead of cry.”
Don’t miss her insightful and uproarious show in The Comedy Zone at Walton Arts Center on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 8 pm. Standard all-in ticket prices are $28.75!