Aida Rodriguez Used Comedy to Unpacking Childhood Traumas

Aida Rodriguez is a Puerto Rican and Dominican comic, actor, and author. In 2019, she had her personal half-hour particular on Netflix’s hit comedy collection “They Prepared,” executive-produced by Tiffany Haddish and Wanda Sykes. In November 2021, she launched her first-hour stand-up particular “Combating Phrases,” which premiered on Max, and in October 2023, Rodriguez launched her memoir “Reliable Child.”

For Psychological Well being Consciousness Month, we requested Latine comedians we admire how comedy has supported them in overcoming trauma and confronting life’s most important challenges. Learn the items right here.

I’ve at all times seen comedy as a coping mechanism for people who find themselves in decrease financial conditions or simply coping with very laborious circumstances. Within the phrases of Kevin Hart: “Snort at my ache.” My upbringing was no totally different. I did not actually interact in comedy as a lot once I was youthful as a result of I used to be a really shy and timid child. However humor was at all times round me, and I discovered at a really younger age the ability of laughter.

My grandmother was a really humorous lady. She had this superb potential to current heavy subjects like poverty and even demise in ways in which have been humorous. At first, I used to assume it was insensitive, however I shortly discovered that it was only a coping mechanism and a approach to make issues digestible as a result of life was already laborious sufficient. Rising up, I noticed all of it. There was poverty. There was violence. There have been medication, adultery, and misogyny. For some individuals, laughter was the one software they needed to navigate all that.

It was at college that I actually began to seek out my comedic voice. Comedy grew to become my approach of surviving bullies and imply individuals. It grew to become my armor and approach of defending myself from the youngsters who have been clearly going via stuff at house however wanted to poke enjoyable at others to really feel higher about themselves. As an alternative of being confrontational or unstable, I used to be simply humorous.

My grandmother and mom closely influenced my comedy and humorousness. They have been naturally humorous ladies. My mother is a really confrontational lady. She would get into it with the opposite ladies within the constructing or within the neighborhood, and would at all times come out successful as a result of she knew how you can shut individuals down along with her phrases — and oftentimes, the issues she mentioned have been simply straight-up humorous. My grandmother was at all times so witty with it. It is humorous once I hear individuals say that ladies aren’t humorous, or I am going to often hear Latino males say they do not actually like ladies comedians, and then you definately hear 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 household. Loads of us are naturally humorous — it is in our blood.

I began watching stand-up comedy once I was little. My uncle used to hearken to Richard Pryor. That was my first introduction to stand-up comedy. I liked Johnny Carson, and I liked “I Love Lucy.” I used to observe El Chavo and La Chilindrina with my grandmother. In Miami, that they had a present referred to as “Qué Pasa USA.” It was a present a few Cuban household, and the grandmother on the present was one of many funniest individuals I’ve ever seen. I began appreciating humor and skilled the aid it supplied at a comparatively younger age. Nevertheless it was not till later in my life that I spotted I wished to do that for a residing.

Comedy got here after performing. I used to be a mannequin for years, and I moved to LA in 2000 to develop into an actor. I began doing stand-up in 2008. I had gone out for brunch to rejoice a buddy’s birthday, and she or he requested us to roast her. I roasted her, and a buddy there mentioned, “Oh, you ought to be doing stand-up. You are naturally humorous.” He gave me the deal with and knowledge to an open mic, and I went and did it, and I by no means stopped.

As soon as I began acting at open mics, I began noticing how therapeutic comedy was — not only for the viewers but in addition for me. I did not actually begin with observational humor. I went straight to the wound. My first jokes have been about my modeling profession and changing into anorexic. I addressed tough issues I had skilled in my very own life, and it helped me heal from these experiences whereas additionally making of us who might relate really feel seen.

My work grew to become cathartic once I began writing materials about my childhood. Individuals would strategy me after my units and say, “Oh my god. Thanks. I’ve by no means seen a model of myself or a mirrored image of myself.” My childhood began to affect a lot of my materials that it grew to become like remedy for me. I began unpacking and therapeutic from many traumas I skilled rising up, ultimately inspiring me to jot down my memoir, “Reliable Child.” It made me notice how a lot our tales matter, and we should not belittle them as a result of white America is telling us they do not matter. That’s what has saved the gasoline going for me.

Making jokes about my household, my neighborhood, and the laborious issues I skilled rising up has allowed others to see themselves in my tales. When it comes to my very own therapeutic, that relatability was a part of it. It was seeing that I wasn’t alone and that there are others who additionally did not develop up having their fathers of their lives. It was the primary time I began to really feel pleased with the place I got here from, and it helped me work via a few of the stuff I used to be coping with. Even with the jokes about my mother, many individuals would come as much as me and inform me their mother was the identical approach. In some ways, it is also healed my relationship with my mother as a result of performing and having individuals heal via my phrases contributes to my very own therapeutic.

As a Latina, we’re raised with this mentality that you do not share the household’s enterprise. So, whereas I initially had my hesitations, they accredited each joke I’ve ever instructed concerning the household earlier than it made it to the stage. I at all times guarantee 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 other people like to demonize ladies. So, I used to be at all times very leery about presenting them in a approach the place it could take off by itself, and other people would discuss shit.

Making jokes concerning the issues I skilled rising up has additionally allowed me to see the sweetness in my upbringing. It wasn’t all darkish, and it wasn’t all unhealthy. After I began doing stand-up, I used to listen to on a regular basis individuals say issues like, “All these Black and Latino comedians speak about is their lives within the hood, meals stamps, and being broke.” You’d hear 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 lots of people do. In the beginning of my profession, I positively noticed that there was a variety of strain positioned on comedians of colour to not perpetuate stereotypes, however the fact is that a few of our family members are hood. A few of our family members did behave a sure approach, and there is nothing unsuitable with that, and that is not simply unique to individuals of colour — there are white individuals like that as effectively.

Comedy brings us all collectively. There is a connective tissue there, particularly in a neighborhood with a lot variety. By means of humor, we are able to discover one another and discover relatability. Individuals liked when George Lopez talked about his grandmother as a result of that is one thing many people have in frequent. Comedy additionally works as a common language. Even when we’re not from the identical tradition, everyone laughs as a result of it has this connective tissue. Comedy connects individuals of all backgrounds and walks of life via laughter.

Johanna Ferreira is the content material director for POPSUGAR Juntos. With greater than 10 years of expertise, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central a part of Latine tradition. Beforehand, she spent shut to 3 years because the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she or he has freelanced for quite a few shops together with Refinery29, O Journal, Attract, InStyle, and Nicely+Good. She has additionally moderated and spoken on quite a few panels on Latine identification.