Aida Rodriguez is good at keeping things real — and funny.
The Puerto Rican-Dominican comedian rants weekly on her podcast, “Say What You Mean With Aida Rodriguez,” where she invites guests to share their most pressing thoughts. In 2023, she documented her journey of self-acceptance as the daughter of an absent father in her memoir “Legitimate Kid,” and before that she addressed colorism within the Latino community with a heavy dose of comedic flare in her 2021 HBO special “Fighting Words.”
On July 17 — before embarking on a three-night run at the Ontario Improv comedy club next month — she will host “The Remix,” her homegrown stand-up comedy show, in partnership with De Mi Alma Productions, at the Ford.
“ I’ve decided to create what I want instead of just complaining about the machine,” said Rodriguez. “Cause I just don’t have any interest in doing that anymore.”
The show will be co-hosted by comedian and “This Fool” actor Frankie Quiñones, with music by DJ D-Nice. The event will feature a celebrity mic with guests Justina Machado, Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Marlyn Ortiz, Sarah Jones and Macy Gray.
“I think everybody should do an open mic once in their life because most people’s biggest fear is public speaking,” said Rodriguez. “That doesn’t mean that I think everybody should be a stand-up comedian, but I think it gives people a certain respect for the craft.”
The first iteration of “The Remix” took place at Soho House in Los Angeles, which combined music and stand-up comedy by veteran comics like Carmen Morales, Francisco Ramos and Ian Edwards. For the second version of “The Remix” — which was part of her Netflix Is a Joke set at the Laugh Factory in May — Rodriguez decided to add in a celebrity open mic with actors Diana-Maria Riva of the “Gordita Chronicles,” Jessica Marie Garcia from “On My Block,” Lisa Vidal of “Being Mary Jane” and journalist Van Lathan.
“Everybody thinks they’re so funny and they can do stand-up ‘cause it looks so easy,” said Rodriguez. “It was fun to see these celebrities put themselves out there and not take themselves very seriously.”
With Latinos making up 20% of the U.S. population but claiming only 6.7% of the leading roles in 2025 across streaming movies, cultivating joy feels pertinent for Rodriguez: “Being able to celebrate is a revolution unto itself.”
This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.
You’ve spoken up against comedians taking jabs at marginalized people. It sounds like “The Remix” is pushing up against a segment of mainstream comedy that punches down.
Yeah, there’s no balance when people say, “Oh, the trans people are so sensitive” or “Queer people are so sensitive” because the people who are talking about them are at the top of the food chain. If there was a trans comedian that was in that Forbes Top 10 that could push back and give their perspective and their point of view, then it wouldn’t be as horrible. [But] there is no balance.
Sometimes that translates into violence. I got tired of that and I decided to create the world that I wanna be in, because I’m tired of fighting. What we need is community. And listen, we’re all imperfect, nobody’s gonna get it all right, but I’m just interested in the people who are genuinely concerned with the well-being of others and who wanna be a part of being part of the solution.
Is there an overarching theme for “The Remix”?
Well, the theme is joy is an act of resilience, an act of revolution. We always feel like the labor that we need, that we owe the world, especially as Black and brown people, always has to be an act of revolution, in the connotation of marching, revolting, fighting. Our joy is an act of revolution because we are constantly in a state of anxiety and rage because there’s always something coming at us. I want people to see us having a good time in spite of all of the things that are happening, because we are worthy of it.
What specific moments have been exhausting for you?
I mean, ICE raids. We have been in a constant state of terror about the Supreme Court decision about birthright and the rise in violence against people of color, the mistreatment of children all over the world. Knowing that there are babies who are being assaulted right now in detention camps who don’t have a voice. We have to stay on watch and guard our community all the time because even people like us are dangerous and a threat to our peace and right to exist. We can go week by week and pick [different] acts of terror that keep us on edge, because they are never-ending.
It sounds like comedy is a sort of relief that people need at this time.
Absolutely. Comedy and music brings people together. Comedy is very subjective. There should be a spectrum. You either love George Lopez or Fluffy, and there’s never any room for anything else. And there are many voices in comedy. With Frankie Quiñones, we started a long time ago together. I thought “This Fool” was brilliant. It was a great representation of the city. The fact that he took the time to be a part of something that represented L.A. and the community in a way that you never see is so special to what is happening right now. I wanted to put all that, all of that stuff together and celebrate us, because nobody else is going to do it for us.
You’re developing your own show, based on your book, “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir.” In the years prior, we had so many Latino-focused shows get cut, “This Fool,” “One Day at a Time,” or even Broadway’s “Real Women Have Curves.” How do you maintain faith in your own vision for the Latino show you’re trying to get off the ground?
It gets tough. Because I am saying I’m having a hard time getting a TV show and [my] ancestors said, “I’m having a hard time not being free, having rights, being abused, being mistreated, and I’m here.” Whatever that dream was back then is realized in me, so I can’t quit. That always keeps me going. But I also believe in plans and systems. I’ve always been someone that said, “I can do this,” a TV show, especially now in 2026, is an art form that is accessible to people in ways that were not accessible to them 20 years ago.
So I can go directly to the market, and it’s not like I have handcuffs on me where I can only go to three places to get a TV show made. I can create a TV show now. What I need is community. We have to galvanize our people to understand that the power is within us. Just like we can make the iPhone the most successful phone and we can make “The Fast & Furious” one of the biggest franchises in film, we can make a TV show the most successful TV show, whether it’s on YouTube or on whoever’s website. We don’t need the machine. Until we understand that, we will always be at their mercy. So my goal is to get that message through to our people and to start cultivating community so that we can create our stuff. I’m not waiting on them anymore.
Aida Rodriguez is good at keeping things real — and funny.
The Puerto Rican-Dominican comedian rants weekly on her podcast, “Say What You Mean With Aida Rodriguez,” where she invites guests to share their most pressing thoughts. In 2023, she documented her journey of self-acceptance as the daughter of an absent father in her memoir “Legitimate Kid,” and before that she addressed colorism within the Latino community with a heavy dose of comedic flare in her 2021 HBO special “Fighting Words.”
On July 17 — before embarking on a three-night run at the Ontario Improv comedy club next month — she will host “The Remix,” her homegrown stand-up comedy show, in partnership with De Mi Alma Productions, at the Ford.
“ I’ve decided to create what I want instead of just complaining about the machine,” said Rodriguez. “Cause I just don’t have any interest in doing that anymore.”
The show will be co-hosted by comedian and “This Fool” actor Frankie Quiñones, with music by DJ D-Nice. The event will feature a celebrity mic with guests Justina Machado, Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Marlyn Ortiz, Sarah Jones and Macy Gray.
“I think everybody should do an open mic once in their life because most people’s biggest fear is public speaking,” said Rodriguez. “That doesn’t mean that I think everybody should be a stand-up comedian, but I think it gives people a certain respect for the craft.”
The first iteration of “The Remix” took place at Soho House in Los Angeles, which combined music and stand-up comedy by veteran comics like Carmen Morales, Francisco Ramos and Ian Edwards. For the second version of “The Remix” — which was part of her Netflix Is a Joke set at the Laugh Factory in May — Rodriguez decided to add in a celebrity open mic with actors Diana-Maria Riva of the “Gordita Chronicles,” Jessica Marie Garcia from “On My Block,” Lisa Vidal of “Being Mary Jane” and journalist Van Lathan.
“Everybody thinks they’re so funny and they can do stand-up ‘cause it looks so easy,” said Rodriguez. “It was fun to see these celebrities put themselves out there and not take themselves very seriously.”
With Latinos making up 20% of the U.S. population but claiming only 6.7% of the leading roles in 2025 across streaming movies, cultivating joy feels pertinent for Rodriguez: “Being able to celebrate is a revolution unto itself.”
This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.
You’ve spoken up against comedians taking jabs at marginalized people. It sounds like “The Remix” is pushing up against a segment of mainstream comedy that punches down.
Yeah, there’s no balance when people say, “Oh, the trans people are so sensitive” or “Queer people are so sensitive” because the people who are talking about them are at the top of the food chain. If there was a trans comedian that was in that Forbes Top 10 that could push back and give their perspective and their point of view, then it wouldn’t be as horrible. [But] there is no balance.
Sometimes that translates into violence. I got tired of that and I decided to create the world that I wanna be in, because I’m tired of fighting. What we need is community. And listen, we’re all imperfect, nobody’s gonna get it all right, but I’m just interested in the people who are genuinely concerned with the well-being of others and who wanna be a part of being part of the solution.
Is there an overarching theme for “The Remix”?
Well, the theme is joy is an act of resilience, an act of revolution. We always feel like the labor that we need, that we owe the world, especially as Black and brown people, always has to be an act of revolution, in the connotation of marching, revolting, fighting. Our joy is an act of revolution because we are constantly in a state of anxiety and rage because there’s always something coming at us. I want people to see us having a good time in spite of all of the things that are happening, because we are worthy of it.
What specific moments have been exhausting for you?
I mean, ICE raids. We have been in a constant state of terror about the Supreme Court decision about birthright and the rise in violence against people of color, the mistreatment of children all over the world. Knowing that there are babies who are being assaulted right now in detention camps who don’t have a voice. We have to stay on watch and guard our community all the time because even people like us are dangerous and a threat to our peace and right to exist. We can go week by week and pick [different] acts of terror that keep us on edge, because they are never-ending.
It sounds like comedy is a sort of relief that people need at this time.
Absolutely. Comedy and music brings people together. Comedy is very subjective. There should be a spectrum. You either love George Lopez or Fluffy, and there’s never any room for anything else. And there are many voices in comedy. With Frankie Quiñones, we started a long time ago together. I thought “This Fool” was brilliant. It was a great representation of the city. The fact that he took the time to be a part of something that represented L.A. and the community in a way that you never see is so special to what is happening right now. I wanted to put all that, all of that stuff together and celebrate us, because nobody else is going to do it for us.
You’re developing your own show, based on your book, “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir.” In the years prior, we had so many Latino-focused shows get cut, “This Fool,” “One Day at a Time,” or even Broadway’s “Real Women Have Curves.” How do you maintain faith in your own vision for the Latino show you’re trying to get off the ground?
It gets tough. Because I am saying I’m having a hard time getting a TV show and [my] ancestors said, “I’m having a hard time not being free, having rights, being abused, being mistreated, and I’m here.” Whatever that dream was back then is realized in me, so I can’t quit. That always keeps me going. But I also believe in plans and systems. I’ve always been someone that said, “I can do this,” a TV show, especially now in 2026, is an art form that is accessible to people in ways that were not accessible to them 20 years ago.
So I can go directly to the market, and it’s not like I have handcuffs on me where I can only go to three places to get a TV show made. I can create a TV show now. What I need is community. We have to galvanize our people to understand that the power is within us. Just like we can make the iPhone the most successful phone and we can make “The Fast & Furious” one of the biggest franchises in film, we can make a TV show the most successful TV show, whether it’s on YouTube or on whoever’s website. We don’t need the machine. Until we understand that, we will always be at their mercy. So my goal is to get that message through to our people and to start cultivating community so that we can create our stuff. I’m not waiting on them anymore.
Aida Rodriguez is good at keeping things real — and funny.
The Puerto Rican-Dominican comedian rants weekly on her podcast, “Say What You Mean With Aida Rodriguez,” where she invites guests to share their most pressing thoughts. In 2023, she documented her journey of self-acceptance as the daughter of an absent father in her memoir “Legitimate Kid,” and before that she addressed colorism within the Latino community with a heavy dose of comedic flare in her 2021 HBO special “Fighting Words.”
On July 17 — before embarking on a three-night run at the Ontario Improv comedy club next month — she will host “The Remix,” her homegrown stand-up comedy show, in partnership with De Mi Alma Productions, at the Ford.
“ I’ve decided to create what I want instead of just complaining about the machine,” said Rodriguez. “Cause I just don’t have any interest in doing that anymore.”
The show will be co-hosted by comedian and “This Fool” actor Frankie Quiñones, with music by DJ D-Nice. The event will feature a celebrity mic with guests Justina Machado, Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Marlyn Ortiz, Sarah Jones and Macy Gray.
“I think everybody should do an open mic once in their life because most people’s biggest fear is public speaking,” said Rodriguez. “That doesn’t mean that I think everybody should be a stand-up comedian, but I think it gives people a certain respect for the craft.”
The first iteration of “The Remix” took place at Soho House in Los Angeles, which combined music and stand-up comedy by veteran comics like Carmen Morales, Francisco Ramos and Ian Edwards. For the second version of “The Remix” — which was part of her Netflix Is a Joke set at the Laugh Factory in May — Rodriguez decided to add in a celebrity open mic with actors Diana-Maria Riva of the “Gordita Chronicles,” Jessica Marie Garcia from “On My Block,” Lisa Vidal of “Being Mary Jane” and journalist Van Lathan.
“Everybody thinks they’re so funny and they can do stand-up ‘cause it looks so easy,” said Rodriguez. “It was fun to see these celebrities put themselves out there and not take themselves very seriously.”
With Latinos making up 20% of the U.S. population but claiming only 6.7% of the leading roles in 2025 across streaming movies, cultivating joy feels pertinent for Rodriguez: “Being able to celebrate is a revolution unto itself.”
This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.
You’ve spoken up against comedians taking jabs at marginalized people. It sounds like “The Remix” is pushing up against a segment of mainstream comedy that punches down.
Yeah, there’s no balance when people say, “Oh, the trans people are so sensitive” or “Queer people are so sensitive” because the people who are talking about them are at the top of the food chain. If there was a trans comedian that was in that Forbes Top 10 that could push back and give their perspective and their point of view, then it wouldn’t be as horrible. [But] there is no balance.
Sometimes that translates into violence. I got tired of that and I decided to create the world that I wanna be in, because I’m tired of fighting. What we need is community. And listen, we’re all imperfect, nobody’s gonna get it all right, but I’m just interested in the people who are genuinely concerned with the well-being of others and who wanna be a part of being part of the solution.
Is there an overarching theme for “The Remix”?
Well, the theme is joy is an act of resilience, an act of revolution. We always feel like the labor that we need, that we owe the world, especially as Black and brown people, always has to be an act of revolution, in the connotation of marching, revolting, fighting. Our joy is an act of revolution because we are constantly in a state of anxiety and rage because there’s always something coming at us. I want people to see us having a good time in spite of all of the things that are happening, because we are worthy of it.
What specific moments have been exhausting for you?
I mean, ICE raids. We have been in a constant state of terror about the Supreme Court decision about birthright and the rise in violence against people of color, the mistreatment of children all over the world. Knowing that there are babies who are being assaulted right now in detention camps who don’t have a voice. We have to stay on watch and guard our community all the time because even people like us are dangerous and a threat to our peace and right to exist. We can go week by week and pick [different] acts of terror that keep us on edge, because they are never-ending.
It sounds like comedy is a sort of relief that people need at this time.
Absolutely. Comedy and music brings people together. Comedy is very subjective. There should be a spectrum. You either love George Lopez or Fluffy, and there’s never any room for anything else. And there are many voices in comedy. With Frankie Quiñones, we started a long time ago together. I thought “This Fool” was brilliant. It was a great representation of the city. The fact that he took the time to be a part of something that represented L.A. and the community in a way that you never see is so special to what is happening right now. I wanted to put all that, all of that stuff together and celebrate us, because nobody else is going to do it for us.
You’re developing your own show, based on your book, “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir.” In the years prior, we had so many Latino-focused shows get cut, “This Fool,” “One Day at a Time,” or even Broadway’s “Real Women Have Curves.” How do you maintain faith in your own vision for the Latino show you’re trying to get off the ground?
It gets tough. Because I am saying I’m having a hard time getting a TV show and [my] ancestors said, “I’m having a hard time not being free, having rights, being abused, being mistreated, and I’m here.” Whatever that dream was back then is realized in me, so I can’t quit. That always keeps me going. But I also believe in plans and systems. I’ve always been someone that said, “I can do this,” a TV show, especially now in 2026, is an art form that is accessible to people in ways that were not accessible to them 20 years ago.
So I can go directly to the market, and it’s not like I have handcuffs on me where I can only go to three places to get a TV show made. I can create a TV show now. What I need is community. We have to galvanize our people to understand that the power is within us. Just like we can make the iPhone the most successful phone and we can make “The Fast & Furious” one of the biggest franchises in film, we can make a TV show the most successful TV show, whether it’s on YouTube or on whoever’s website. We don’t need the machine. Until we understand that, we will always be at their mercy. So my goal is to get that message through to our people and to start cultivating community so that we can create our stuff. I’m not waiting on them anymore.
Aida Rodriguez is good at keeping things real — and funny.
The Puerto Rican-Dominican comedian rants weekly on her podcast, “Say What You Mean With Aida Rodriguez,” where she invites guests to share their most pressing thoughts. In 2023, she documented her journey of self-acceptance as the daughter of an absent father in her memoir “Legitimate Kid,” and before that she addressed colorism within the Latino community with a heavy dose of comedic flare in her 2021 HBO special “Fighting Words.”
On July 17 — before embarking on a three-night run at the Ontario Improv comedy club next month — she will host “The Remix,” her homegrown stand-up comedy show, in partnership with De Mi Alma Productions, at the Ford.
“ I’ve decided to create what I want instead of just complaining about the machine,” said Rodriguez. “Cause I just don’t have any interest in doing that anymore.”
The show will be co-hosted by comedian and “This Fool” actor Frankie Quiñones, with music by DJ D-Nice. The event will feature a celebrity mic with guests Justina Machado, Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Marlyn Ortiz, Sarah Jones and Macy Gray.
“I think everybody should do an open mic once in their life because most people’s biggest fear is public speaking,” said Rodriguez. “That doesn’t mean that I think everybody should be a stand-up comedian, but I think it gives people a certain respect for the craft.”
The first iteration of “The Remix” took place at Soho House in Los Angeles, which combined music and stand-up comedy by veteran comics like Carmen Morales, Francisco Ramos and Ian Edwards. For the second version of “The Remix” — which was part of her Netflix Is a Joke set at the Laugh Factory in May — Rodriguez decided to add in a celebrity open mic with actors Diana-Maria Riva of the “Gordita Chronicles,” Jessica Marie Garcia from “On My Block,” Lisa Vidal of “Being Mary Jane” and journalist Van Lathan.
“Everybody thinks they’re so funny and they can do stand-up ‘cause it looks so easy,” said Rodriguez. “It was fun to see these celebrities put themselves out there and not take themselves very seriously.”
With Latinos making up 20% of the U.S. population but claiming only 6.7% of the leading roles in 2025 across streaming movies, cultivating joy feels pertinent for Rodriguez: “Being able to celebrate is a revolution unto itself.”
This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.
You’ve spoken up against comedians taking jabs at marginalized people. It sounds like “The Remix” is pushing up against a segment of mainstream comedy that punches down.
Yeah, there’s no balance when people say, “Oh, the trans people are so sensitive” or “Queer people are so sensitive” because the people who are talking about them are at the top of the food chain. If there was a trans comedian that was in that Forbes Top 10 that could push back and give their perspective and their point of view, then it wouldn’t be as horrible. [But] there is no balance.
Sometimes that translates into violence. I got tired of that and I decided to create the world that I wanna be in, because I’m tired of fighting. What we need is community. And listen, we’re all imperfect, nobody’s gonna get it all right, but I’m just interested in the people who are genuinely concerned with the well-being of others and who wanna be a part of being part of the solution.
Is there an overarching theme for “The Remix”?
Well, the theme is joy is an act of resilience, an act of revolution. We always feel like the labor that we need, that we owe the world, especially as Black and brown people, always has to be an act of revolution, in the connotation of marching, revolting, fighting. Our joy is an act of revolution because we are constantly in a state of anxiety and rage because there’s always something coming at us. I want people to see us having a good time in spite of all of the things that are happening, because we are worthy of it.
What specific moments have been exhausting for you?
I mean, ICE raids. We have been in a constant state of terror about the Supreme Court decision about birthright and the rise in violence against people of color, the mistreatment of children all over the world. Knowing that there are babies who are being assaulted right now in detention camps who don’t have a voice. We have to stay on watch and guard our community all the time because even people like us are dangerous and a threat to our peace and right to exist. We can go week by week and pick [different] acts of terror that keep us on edge, because they are never-ending.
It sounds like comedy is a sort of relief that people need at this time.
Absolutely. Comedy and music brings people together. Comedy is very subjective. There should be a spectrum. You either love George Lopez or Fluffy, and there’s never any room for anything else. And there are many voices in comedy. With Frankie Quiñones, we started a long time ago together. I thought “This Fool” was brilliant. It was a great representation of the city. The fact that he took the time to be a part of something that represented L.A. and the community in a way that you never see is so special to what is happening right now. I wanted to put all that, all of that stuff together and celebrate us, because nobody else is going to do it for us.
You’re developing your own show, based on your book, “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir.” In the years prior, we had so many Latino-focused shows get cut, “This Fool,” “One Day at a Time,” or even Broadway’s “Real Women Have Curves.” How do you maintain faith in your own vision for the Latino show you’re trying to get off the ground?
It gets tough. Because I am saying I’m having a hard time getting a TV show and [my] ancestors said, “I’m having a hard time not being free, having rights, being abused, being mistreated, and I’m here.” Whatever that dream was back then is realized in me, so I can’t quit. That always keeps me going. But I also believe in plans and systems. I’ve always been someone that said, “I can do this,” a TV show, especially now in 2026, is an art form that is accessible to people in ways that were not accessible to them 20 years ago.
So I can go directly to the market, and it’s not like I have handcuffs on me where I can only go to three places to get a TV show made. I can create a TV show now. What I need is community. We have to galvanize our people to understand that the power is within us. Just like we can make the iPhone the most successful phone and we can make “The Fast & Furious” one of the biggest franchises in film, we can make a TV show the most successful TV show, whether it’s on YouTube or on whoever’s website. We don’t need the machine. Until we understand that, we will always be at their mercy. So my goal is to get that message through to our people and to start cultivating community so that we can create our stuff. I’m not waiting on them anymore.
