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. |
| Alma mater | Florida State University (withdrew) |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse | 'Omar Ellison (divorced) |
| Website | www |
Early life
editRodriguez 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] For a time, she and her children were homeless and lived out of a car.[4][6][7]
Career
editRodriguez 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.[citation needed]
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.
Advocacy
editIn October 2023, Rodriguez signed the Artists4Ceasefire open letter to Joe Biden, President of the United States, calling for a ceasefire of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Aida Rodriguez: Fighting Words | TV special |
References
edit- ^ The Black Box Office Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Aida Rodriguez". IMDb.
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ a b c d e Westenfeld, Adrienne (2019-08-22). "Aida Rodriguez Was Kidnapped Twice. Now That's Part of Her Stand-Up". Esquire. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ "Artists4Ceasefire". Artists4Ceasefire. Retrieved 2023-12-11.