Gina Brillon on How Grief Pushed Her to Pursue Comedy

Gina Brillon is a Puerto Rican actress, humorist, author, and mother born and raised within the Bronx. In 2012, she grew to become the primary and solely Latina winner of NBC’s Stand Up for Variety Showcase. She went on to launch comedy specials on NuvoTV, HBO, and Amazon Prime. She has appeared on “The View,” “Late Night time With Seth Meyers,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Reside,” and was the primary Latina comic to be a finalist in season 16 of “America’s Acquired Expertise.”

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

We do not speak sufficient in regards to the therapeutic powers of humor. The outdated saying, “laughter is one of the best medication,” as cliché as it could be, truly has loads of reality to it. I discovered in regards to the energy of laughter at a comparatively younger age. In Latino households, we frequently use humor to heal from traumas and hardships. It helps us get by means of a lot. At residence, we made jokes about all the pieces from the federal government, cheese we ate, to the broke, child video games we performed. I significantly touched on this in my Amazon Prime particular, “The Flooring is Lava.”

My childhood was good however got here with its fair proportion of struggles. Cash troubles have been actual, and I keep in mind us being on meals stamps at one level. We had our difficult instances, however we someway all the time managed to search out alternatives to chortle about it. It was a kind of, “when you do not chortle, you will cry” kind conditions. However it wasn’t till I misplaced my grandmother that I spotted the momentary aid chortle can deliver, even within the face of loss and grief.

I say this on a regular basis, however my grandmother is your complete purpose why I made a decision to pursue a profession as a humorist. I used to be in all probability across the age of 8 or 9 after I realized I had a present for making folks chortle. It was additionally round that age that it actually hit me how therapeutic laughter may very well be. As soon as I spotted I might make somebody chortle, it grew to become a mission to make these round me chortle as a result of I liked the enjoyment I acquired out of it. My grandmother was the primary grown-up within the household who seen I used to be humorous. She would inform my mother issues like, “Your daughter is gifted. She’s going to be on TV sooner or later,” and I slowly began to consider her.

For some time, I stored the jokes for the household. I used to be this loopy, humorous child at residence, however I used to be far more reserved each time I used to be in public. As a child, I used to be self-conscious as a result of I used to be the chubby, humorous woman. So, if I did not know you want that, I would not try and make you chortle as a result of I used to be already too insecure. The truth is, friends and schoolmates who knew me rising up have been stunned after I grew to become a humorist. They all the time thought I used to be humorous, however additionally they thought I used to be shy as a result of I used to be rising up. I used to be by no means the category clown. However I used to be the child who was all the time fast with a joke. If I noticed a joke someplace, I’d say it rapidly earlier than anybody else might say it first.

My grandma was in all probability one of many hardest ladies I’ve ever met — to this present day. This was my grandma on my maternal facet. She lived with us and handed away after I was 16, however a big chunk of my childhood was spent round this lady whom I completely adored. She got here to New York from Puerto Rico and by no means actually discovered English like that, however the English she managed to study was from watching “I Love Lucy.” That is after I began understanding how a lot my grandma appreciated comedic aid. As soon as I discovered that, I made it some extent all the time to crack her up.

My grandmother wasn’t a simple lady to make chortle. She was robust, and he or she was critical. She additionally hated pranks. However she liked silliness. One thing about silliness allowed her to melt and absolutely deliver down her guard — no matter what she was going by means of on the time. I began to review her humorousness and supplied her with the silliness I knew she loved. When my grandmother laughed, she laughed together with her whole being. She exuded absolute pleasure — it introduced out one other facet of her that I appreciated at a younger age. That grew to become our largest approach of connecting — making her chortle.

However after I was round 11, my grandmother’s well being started to say no. She would get cuts and bruises randomly. She began experiencing physique aches extra usually. I knew she wasn’t the identical after I began noticing my mother needed to bathe her each day. That was onerous for me as a result of I grew up seeing this robust lady who by no means needed to be a burden discovering herself in such a susceptible place. I nearly did not know methods to join together with her anymore. My siblings have been fast to assist in taking good care of her bodily, however I used to be by no means snug doing that. It was onerous for me to witness her at her weakest.

Throughout that point, I spotted that one of the best medication I needed to provide her was laughter. On her hardest days, I made certain to make her chortle, and he or she continually inspired me to make a profession out of it sooner or later. My grandma was my first comedy viewers and the primary one who actually believed in me, so when she handed, I informed God that I’d pursue a profession in comedy.

I knew it was coming as a result of I by no means heard the concern on this lady’s voice like that earlier than. I keep in mind considering to myself, that is it. My mother informed me to go to mattress, however I could not. I requested if I might go to the lavatory, and as quickly as I walked in there, I opened the window, fell to my knees, and began to wish. I keep in mind the primary phrases out of my mouth have been, “God, I do know tonight you are taking my grandma.” I informed God that from that second on, any time I make any person chortle, it will be in honor of my grandmother. And if I ever do something in comedy, it’ll all the time be for her. The following morning, she was gone.

It was a tough season for my household — significantly my mother. It took some time earlier than it felt acceptable, however I slowly began to make use of humor to assist myself and the remainder of the household get by means of it. Even on the funeral, as troublesome because it was, there have been little moments the place the household would joke and roast one another, and it was therapeutic. We allowed ourselves to grieve and to cry. However we additionally discovered alternatives to chortle and smile in reminiscence of my grandmother.

To this present day, each single time I step on stage, I consider my grandmother. I actually really feel her power with me each time. I can really feel her within the room watching me. I am all the time like, “Did you see that, grandma? Did you see what I simply did? Did you prefer it?”

Each milestone has been devoted to her, from my first 20-minute particular for HBO’s “Entre Nos” to after I did my first one-hour particular “Pacifically Talking,” my Amazon Prime particular “The Flooring Is Lava,” to even after I was on “America’s Acquired Expertise.” My sister, who is admittedly huge into the religious facet of issues, all the time tells me that my grandma is all the time with me. I consider that all of us have a counsel of people who find themselves meant to take care of us on this life, and I consider we select them. I selected my grandmother, and I selected George Carlin — my favourite comic rising up. I actually consider he is a part of the souls watching over me to the purpose the place each time I stroll into Gotham Comedy Membership, I give a salute to his picture.

Not solely has comedy gotten me by means of each troublesome circumstance I’ve skilled on this life, from heartache to loss, however it has additionally helped me discover myself. It reworked a younger, insecure woman into essentially the most assured she has ever been. It gave me the flexibility to attach with folks, the primary one being my grandmother. Comedy has allowed me to assist others heal due to the way in which it has helped me heal in my very own methods. It’s my longest relationship on this life and my most cherished one.

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 he or she has freelanced for quite a few retailers together with Refinery29, O Journal, Attract, InStyle, and Effectively+Good. She has additionally moderated and spoken on quite a few panels on Latine id.