Aida Rodriguez

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Aida Rodriguez
AidaRodriguez.jpeg
Rodriguez in 2007
Birth nameAida Margarita Parada Rodriguez
Born (1977-08-29) August 29, 1977 (age 47)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater Florida State University (withdrew)
Years active2007–present
Spouse 'Omar Ellison (divorced)
Website www.funnyaida.com

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]

Contents

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.[ 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

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.[ 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

In 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

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2007Black Woman's Guide to Finding a Good ManVideo
2008 Fotonovela IdaVideo
2009The RubMarilyn
The Greatest SongSalma Munoz
Just WrongPazShort
The Adventures of UmbwekiShelia
Caught in the GameComedian
2010Brainiacs in La La LandLiz
2012Got Rights?Cuban GirlShort
2013A Heart's JourneyIsabel MoralesShort
2014WishesMo The Genie
2015The C & Borracho ShowCassandra Fernandez (voice)Video short
2016Ladies Book ClubLavanyaTV movie
The Comedian Herself
Celebrity Sports Roast & ToastHerselfTV movie
All Def Digital's Roast of AmericaHerselfTV movie
2017 Unfallen Secretary Teresa Peters
2018Shaquille O'Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam - I'm Still LaughingHerselfVideo
2020Break InJimmy's MomShort
2021Who Gets to Sleep with Me TonightThe CatShort

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010-11Latino 101HerselfMain cast: Season 2
2011-12IllegalBeatriz RodriguezMain cast
2012The Wedding ZingerHerself/hostTV special
Trend This!HerselfEpisode: "The Makeover"
Parental Discretion with Stefanie Wilder-TaylorHerselfEpisode: "The Business of Babies"
2013NickMom Night OutHerselfEpisode: "Los Angeles Episode 2"
Stand Up and DeliverHerself2 episodes
2014 Last Comic Standing Herself/contestantMain cast: Season 8
2014-16 Imagen Awards Herself/hostTV special
2015 Gotham Comedy Live Herself/contestantEpisode: "Chris Kattan"
2015-16 The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore Herself/panelist2 episodes
2017 Comedy Knockout HerselfEpisode: "Just Suck It"
The Church of What's Happening NowHerselfEpisode: "Aida Rodriguez"
Kiki MobileHerselfEpisode: "On Top of the World"
2018 Laff Mobb's Laff Tracks HerselfEpisode: "Strong Women"
Sh#t I Love with Jason StuartHerselfEpisode: "Aida Rodriguez"
Entre Nos Part 1HerselfEpisode: "Entre Nos Part 3"
Happy Half HourHerselfEpisode: "Aida Rodriguez - Carmenere"
This Week at the Comedy CellarHerselfEpisode: "November 11–16, 2018"
Comedians and CocktailsHerselfEpisode: "Grown People Talk"
2019Mom ComsComedianEpisode: "Child Birth is a Horror Movie"
2021 Pause with Sam Jay Party GuestEpisode: "Pregnant Studs"

Comedy releases

YearTitleNotes
2021Aida Rodriguez: Fighting WordsTV special

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References

  1. ↑ The Black Box Office Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Aida Rodriguez". IMDb.
  3. 1 2 "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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Westenfeld, Adrienne (2019-08-22). "Aida Rodriguez Was Kidnapped Twice. Now That's Part of Her Stand-Up". Esquire. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  5. 1 2 3 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.
  6. 1 2 3 "Tiffany Haddish's New Standup Comedy Series Features A Mom You Need To Know About". Romper. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  7. ↑ Bentley, Jean. "All Your New Favorite Comedians From Tiffany Haddish's". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  8. ↑ "Announcing the Winners of the 33rd Annual Imagen Awards". Imagen Foundation. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  9. ↑ "'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.
  10. ↑ "Artists4Ceasefire". Artists4Ceasefire. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
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