Urban & Latino
Wanda Sykes:
Wanda Syke’s stand-up career commenced when
she opened shows for Chris Rock in New York.
She went on to join ‘The Chris Rock Show’ (1997)
as a writer and her team won a 1998 Emmy for the
show.
A significant modern day comedian, in 2010, Sykes
brought her intelligent, political humour to the White
House, becoming the first African-American women and first openly gay comedian to perform at the
White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
Focusing more on television, Sykes was in ‘Wanda Does It’ (2004) on Comedy Central before releasing stand-up specials, ‘Wanda Sykes: Sick and
Tired” (2006) and ‘I’ma Be Me’ (2009).
Paul Rodriguez
One of the most imitated stand-ups in recent times,
Paul Rodriguez was the first to discuss life in the
barrios of LA, immigration and Chicano culture.
He performed comedy at ‘The Comedy Store’ in
LA and got his break as a warm-up comic on Normal Lear’s sitcom ‘Gloria’ (1982). Lear was so impressed that he wrote and developed the sitcom
‘a.k.a Pablo’ (1984) specifically for Rodriguez,
which had a brief run.
In 2002, Rodriguez starred and executive produced the comedy concert film ‘The Original Latin
Kings of Comedy’. As the basis for his comedy,
Rodriguez has stuck to his Latino roots and has
made a successful transition to the mainstream US
comedy scene.
Carlos Mencia
Carlos Mencia most controversially represents
stand-up comedy in the Latino trend and throughout his appearances on programs such as ‘The
Tonight Show’ (2007), and stand-up comedy specials on HBO and Comedy Central, amongst many
more. Mencia has become known as a brash, outthere exploiter of racial and ethnic stereotypes.
His personal story blends into his comedy and
provides insight into the Latino experience in the
United States.
Anjelah Johnson
Anjelah became an internet sensation in 2007 when
her video entitled ‘Nail Salon’ went viral, which led
to many stand-up opportunities. She joined the
cast of “MADtv” (2007) as a series regular, which
led to the creation of another internet sensation,
entitled ‘Bon Qui Qui’. In 2010, Johnson starred in
“Our Family Wedding” alongside Carlos Mencia,
Regina King and Forest Whtaker, highlighting the
perils and joys of combining families.
Gabriel Iglesias:
Gabriel Iglesias has stated in the past that he does
not like being called a Latino comedian, fearing it
would only brand him as marketable to Latinos,
however he has broken into mainstream USA, with
his comedy, using storytelling and sound effects in
his act, as well as speaking about his weight and
appearance and his race.
In 2007, his first hour-long stand up special ‘Hot
and Fluffy’ debuted on Comedy Central and the
DVD went triple platinum. His second hour-long
special, ‘I’m Not Fat…I’m Fluffy’ was released in
2009.
Comedy Central debuted ‘Gabriel Iglesias Presents
Stand Up Revolution’ in 2011, a stand-up showcase series which Iglesias produces and hosts.