The World Is On Fire. Aida Rodriguez Still Wants You To Laugh.

Aida Rodriguez is bully astatine keeping things existent — and funny.

The Puerto Rican-Dominican comedian rants play connected her podcast, “Say What You Mean With Aida Rodriguez,” wherever she invites guests to stock their astir pressing thoughts. In 2023, she documented her travel of self-acceptance arsenic nan girl of an absent begetter successful her memoir “Legitimate Kid,” and earlier that she addressed colorism wrong nan Latino organization pinch a dense dose of comedic flare successful her 2021 HBO typical “Fighting Words.”

On July 17 — earlier embarking connected a three-night tally astatine nan Ontario Improv drama club adjacent period — she will big “The Remix,” her homegrown stand-up drama show, successful business pinch De Mi Alma Productions, astatine nan Ford.

“ I’ve decided to create what I want alternatively of conscionable complaining astir nan machine,” said Rodriguez. “Cause I conscionable don’t person immoderate liking successful doing that anymore.”

The show will beryllium co-hosted by comedian and “This Fool” character Frankie Quiñones, pinch euphony by DJ D-Nice. The arena will characteristic a personage mic pinch guests Justina Machado, Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Marlyn Ortiz, Sarah Jones and Macy Gray.

“I deliberation everybody should do an unfastened mic erstwhile successful their life because astir people’s biggest fearfulness is nationalist speaking,” said Rodriguez. “That doesn’t mean that I deliberation everybody should beryllium a stand-up comedian, but I deliberation it gives group a definite respect for nan craft.”

The first loop of “The Remix” took spot astatine Soho House successful Los Angeles, which mixed euphony and stand-up drama by seasoned comics for illustration Carmen Morales, Francisco Ramos and Ian Edwards. For nan 2nd type of “The Remix” — which was portion of her Netflix Is a Joke group astatine nan Laugh Factory successful May — Rodriguez decided to adhd successful a personage unfastened mic pinch actors Diana-Maria Riva of nan “Gordita Chronicles,” Jessica Marie Garcia from “On My Block,” Lisa Vidal of “Being Mary Jane” and journalist Van Lathan.

“Everybody thinks they’re truthful funny and they tin do stand-up ‘cause it looks truthful easy,” said Rodriguez. “It was nosy to spot these celebrities put themselves retired location and not return themselves very seriously.”

With Latinos making up 20% of nan U.S. organization but claiming only 6.7% of nan starring roles successful 2025 crossed streaming movies, cultivating joyousness feels pertinent for Rodriguez: “Being capable to observe is simply a gyration unto itself.”

This question and reply has been shortened and edited for clarity.

You’ve spoken up against comedians taking jabs astatine marginalized people. It sounds for illustration “The Remix” is pushing up against a conception of mainstream drama that punches down.

Yeah, there’s nary equilibrium erstwhile group say, “Oh, nan trans group are truthful sensitive” aliases “Queer group are truthful sensitive” because nan group who are talking astir them are astatine nan apical of nan nutrient chain. If location was a trans comedian that was successful that Forbes Top 10 that could push backmost and springiness their position and their constituent of view, past it wouldn’t beryllium arsenic horrible. [But] location is nary balance.

Sometimes that translates into violence. I sewage tired of that and I decided to create nan world that I wanna beryllium in, because I’m tired of fighting. What we request is community. And listen, we’re each imperfect, nobody’s gonna get it each right, but I’m conscionable willing successful nan group who are genuinely concerned pinch nan well-being of others and who wanna beryllium a portion of being portion of nan solution.

 Is location an overarching taxable for “The Remix”?

Well, nan taxable is joyousness is an enactment of resilience, an enactment of revolution. We ever consciousness for illustration nan labour that we need, that we beryllium nan world, particularly arsenic Black and brownish people, ever has to beryllium an enactment of revolution, successful nan connotation of marching, revolting, fighting. Our joyousness is an enactment of gyration because we are perpetually successful a authorities of worry and rage because there’s ever thing coming astatine us. I want group to spot america having a bully clip successful spite of each of nan things that are happening, because we are worthy of it.

What circumstantial moments person been exhausting for you?

I mean, ICE raids. We person been successful a changeless authorities of panic astir nan Supreme Court determination astir birthright and nan emergence successful unit against group of color, nan mistreatment of children each complete nan world. Knowing that location are babies who are being assaulted correct now successful detention camps who don’t person a voice. We person to enactment connected watch and defender our organization each nan clip because moreover group for illustration america are vulnerable and a threat to our bid and correct to exist. We tin spell week by week and prime [different] acts of panic that support america connected edge, because they are never-ending.

It sounds for illustration drama is simply a benignant of alleviation that group request astatine this time.

 Absolutely. Comedy and euphony brings group together. Comedy is very subjective. There should beryllium a spectrum. You either emotion George Lopez aliases Fluffy, and there’s ne'er immoderate room for thing else. And location are galore voices successful comedy. With Frankie Quiñones, we started a agelong clip agone together. I thought “This Fool” was brilliant. It was a awesome practice of nan city. The truth that he took nan clip to beryllium a portion of thing that represented L.A. and nan organization successful a measurement that you ne'er spot is truthful typical to what is happening correct now. I wanted to put each that, each of that worldly together and observe us, because cipher other is going to do it for us.

You’re processing your ain show, based connected your book, “Legitimate Kid: A Memoir.” In nan years prior, we had truthful galore Latino-focused shows get cut, “This Fool,” “One Day astatine a Time,” aliases moreover Broadway’s “Real Women Have Curves.”  How do you support religion successful your ain imagination for nan Latino show you’re trying to get disconnected nan ground?

 It gets tough.  Because I americium saying I’m having a difficult clip getting a TV show and [my] ancestors said, “I’m having a difficult clip not being free, having rights, being abused, being mistreated, and I’m here.” Whatever that dream was backmost past is realized successful me, truthful I can’t quit. That ever keeps maine going. But I besides judge successful plans and systems. I’ve ever been personification that said, “I tin do this,” a TV show, particularly now successful 2026, is an creation shape that is accessible to group successful ways that were not accessible to them 20 years ago.

 So I tin spell straight to nan market, and it’s not for illustration I person handcuffs connected maine wherever I tin only spell to 3 places to get a TV show made. I tin create a TV show now. What I request is community. We person to galvanize our group to understand that nan powerfulness is wrong us. Just for illustration we tin make nan iPhone nan astir successful telephone and we tin make “The Fast & Furious” 1 of nan biggest franchises successful film, we tin make a TV show nan astir successful TV show, whether it’s connected YouTube aliases connected whoever’s website. We don’t request nan machine. Until we understand that, we will ever beryllium astatine their mercy. So my extremity is to get that connection done to our group and to commencement cultivating organization truthful that we tin create our stuff. I’m not waiting connected them anymore.