Aida Rodriguez
Aida Margarita Parada Rodriguez (born August 29, 1977) is an American comedian of Puerto Rican/Dominican descent[1] who is best known for her appearance as a contestant on the eighth season of Last Comic Standing and as a commentator on The Young Turks. She is also an actress, producer, writer, and podcaster.[2][3]
| Aida Rodriguez | |
|---|---|
 Rodriguez in 2007 | |
| Birth name | Aida Margarita Parada Rodriguez |
| Born | August 29, 1977 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Florida State University (withdrew) |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse | 'Omar Ellison (divorced) |
| Website | www |
Early life
Rodriguez was born in Boston, Massachusetts and taken to the Dominican Republic shortly afterward. As a child, her mother kidnapped her from her father in the Dominican Republic, and brought her to the U.S.[4] Her grandmother and uncle would later abduct her from her mother's home in New York and bring her to Florida, in an attempt to protect her from her mother's boyfriend.[4] Her uncle was later murdered in a hate crime.[4] She attended Florida State University where she met her future husband 'Omar Ellison. She studied English and law, but left before graduating after she became pregnant.[5] She was recruited by modeling agency IMG. She and Ellison later divorced.[5]
Rodriguez moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s with her two children after her divorce from Ellison.[5][6] After a bout with anorexia and a divorce, she turned to comedy for healing. For a time, she and her children were homeless and lived out of a car.[4][6][7]
Career
Rodriguez attempts to transform painful episodes of her life into comedy material, while also addressing difficult issues such as misogyny and racism.[4]
She was a top ten finalist in the eighth season of NBC's Last Comic Standing (2014), but was eliminated in the seventh episode of the season after losing a head-to-head showdown against Rod Man (who ultimately won the LCS title). She finished in a tie for ninth place.
Rodriguez is a five-time host of the Imagen Awards, which recognizes "the positive portrayal and creative excellence of Latinos and Latino cultures on screen".[8]
Through the stand-up comedy circuit, Rodriguez met Tiffany Haddish, who has proven a long-time friend and a strong advocate for women of color comics.[3] In August 2019, Rodriguez was featured in the comedy anthology series Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready on Netflix.[6] She was one of six featured comedians, each given a half-hour comedy special.
Currently, Rodriguez appears as a co-host of The Young Turks online platform.[9]
In collaboration with HBO Max, Rodriguez released her debut hour-long comedy special on November 4, 2021. Throughout the special, she speaks on issues in today's world and relates them to her personal life.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Black Woman's Guide to Finding a Good Man | Video | |
| 2008 | Fotonovela | Ida | Video |
| 2009 | The Rub | Marilyn | |
| The Greatest Song | Salma Munoz | ||
| Just Wrong | Paz | Short | |
| The Adventures of Umbweki | Shelia | ||
| Caught in the Game | Comedian | ||
| 2010 | Brainiacs in La La Land | Liz | |
| 2012 | Got Rights? | Cuban Girl | Short |
| 2013 | A Heart's Journey | Isabel Morales | Short |
| 2014 | Wishes | Mo The Genie | |
| 2015 | The C & Borracho Show | Cassandra Fernandez (voice) | Video short |
| 2016 | Ladies Book Club | Lavanya | TV movie |
| The Comedian | Herself | ||
| Celebrity Sports Roast & Toast | Herself | TV movie | |
| All Def Digital's Roast of America | Herself | TV movie | |
| 2017 | Unfallen | Secretary Teresa Peters | |
| 2018 | Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam - I'm Still Laughing | Herself | Video |
| 2020 | Break In | Jimmy's Mom | Short |
| 2021 | Who Gets to Sleep with Me Tonight | The Cat | Short |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | Latino 101 | Herself | Main cast: Season 2 |
| 2011-12 | Illegal | Beatriz Rodriguez | Main cast |
| 2012 | The Wedding Zinger | Herself/host | TV special |
| Trend This! | Herself | Episode: "The Makeover" | |
| Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-Taylor | Herself | Episode: "The Business of Babies" | |
| 2013 | NickMom Night Out | Herself | Episode: "Los Angeles Episode 2" |
| Stand Up and Deliver | Herself | 2 episodes | |
| 2014 | Last Comic Standing | Herself/contestant | Main cast: Season 8 |
| 2014-16 | Imagen Awards | Herself/host | TV special |
| 2015 | Gotham Comedy Live | Herself/contestant | Episode: "Chris Kattan" |
| 2015-16 | The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore | Herself/panelist | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Comedy Knockout | Herself | Episode: "Just Suck It" |
| The Church of What's Happening Now | Herself | Episode: "Aida Rodriguez" | |
| Kiki Mobile | Herself | Episode: "On Top of the World" | |
| 2018 | Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks | Herself | Episode: "Strong Women" |
| Sh#t I Love with Jason Stuart | Herself | Episode: "Aida Rodriguez" | |
| Entre Nos Part 1 | Herself | Episode: "Entre Nos Part 3" | |
| Happy Half Hour | Herself | Episode: "Aida Rodriguez - Carmenere" | |
| This Week at the Comedy Cellar | Herself | Episode: "November 11–16, 2018" | |
| Comedians and Cocktails | Herself | Episode: "Grown People Talk" | |
| 2019 | Mom Coms | Comedian | Episode: "Child Birth is a Horror Movie" |
| 2021 | Pause with Sam Jay | Party Guest | Episode: "Pregnant Studs" |
Comedy releases
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Aida Rodriguez: Fighting Words | TV special |
References
- The Black Box Office Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
- "Aida Rodriguez". IMDb.
- "Comedian Aida Rodriguez Explains How Her Kids Inspired Her to Keep Doing Stand-Up". People en Español. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- Westenfeld, Adrienne (2019-08-22). "Aida Rodriguez Was Kidnapped Twice. Now That's Part of Her Stand-Up". Esquire. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- San Juan, Rebecca; Miami (2016-03-06). "Last Comic Standing's Afro-Latina Funny Woman Aida Rodriguez". HipLatina. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- "Tiffany Haddish's New Standup Comedy Series Features A Mom You Need To Know About". Romper. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- Bentley, Jean. "All Your New Favorite Comedians From Tiffany Haddish's". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- "Announcing the Winners of the 33rd Annual Imagen Awards". Imagen Foundation. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- "'She Took A Pay Cut And Said I Want Them To Have An Opportunity': Aida Rodriguez On Netflix's 'Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready'". 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-12-09.