Women’s History Month with Aida Rodriguez

and subscribe. Um and obviously give us those five stars, gang Gang, give us those five stars because you already know that this show keeps getting better. I always go and review the comments, so if you have anything to say, whether it's good or bad, I'm always there to check it out. So make sure to leave your review because I'll be checking them. With that being said, let's get

right to it. Today we're selling reading women. It's Women's History Month and we're celebrating Latina's who helped pave the road for all of us, for women like myself. Um, and then not just for myself, but just say than to hint them motival Sin speed it doesn't matter that gets it, doesn't matter what country they're from, just the fact that they're Latina's alone. Just come okay, I don't know me, Yes when I see a strong, powerful woman that knows what she's talking about. And that's why today

I am so excited to have my guests. She has her own comedy special on HBO MASS called Fighting Words. We've done so many events, podcasts and things together. Gayl was like me, at the end of the day one you have to come to my podcast and too, I feel like we might as well continue to work together, continue to unite forces, to break more barriers and and and pay more a past for other people that you know are inspired by us at La latinas whom. With

that being said, her name is II That Rodriguez. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining me today, Thank you for having me, and congratulations on your blessing. Thank you congratulations. As before we really get into all the questions of all the great things that you're doing, I really want to know, do you know how much you really inspire and motivate people around the world with with with your your comedy, with the what you represent

with your words. Do you really have your process, how impactful you really are? No, because I have imposter syndrome and I struggle with self esteem issues from a lot of stuff that I'm working through. I'm working on. I'm

doing the work, as they say. But then I'll get an email, you know, or I'll get a d M and someone saying, you know, you have no idea what you mean to me, and it really really, uh, it just redirects my perspective because you know, this business is filled with so much negativity and a lot of people we tend to focus on it a lot and we overlook the positivity. You know. Sometimes we let all that stuff get to us and we forget to celebrate our wins.

So I'm working on that. Thank you for asking me that, because that that is something that I'm currently working Yes, for sure. Like and I can totally understand where you're you know where you're coming from because it happens to me sometimes. But um, it's funny because you know, when people look up to me, I'm like, oh my god, it's just me, Like, you know, I see me like regularly, what are you talking about? Hell? Here? Great? Whatever? But then I feel the same way when I look at you.

So now I understand you know that feeling of like yo, um, like better between one thing and the other. Knowing that you're a strong You're a strong woman. You have your very vocal um. You're not afraid to say how you feel, on what you feel, and stand up for what you believe. How was it for you to get into comedy? Well, you got into comedy first? Um? Were you always this outspoken? Um? You know? It was? So I grew up in Miami and I remember being in school and being very um.

I was very active, and I was very vocal. I actually I brought Tipper Gore, like the first Lady to Miami to debate about censorship, like music censorship. So I have been vocal, but I think that you know, what happens is that the more you the more confident you become, the more threatening you become to people who are insecure, and the more that if you allow it to you know,

into your psyche, it can become an issue. And so I I remember that I've always been vocal, but now I feel more confident in that because now even when somebody questions it, I know that I'm coming from the gut and it's it's it's hard to shake. So it's been an evolution. Okay, I feel you. Now, tell us a little bit about your comedy special for those that had,

you know, don't know too much. So Fighting Words is a special that I got from HBO Max before the pandemic, and I started working on it, and then the pandemic hit and we all got shut down. So I had to redirect and had to start working on it through Zoom, like I was doing Zoom comedy shows, which are the worst thing. I hate. It's the world because you need that. You need people's energy, like you feed off people's energy, right, yeah, absolutely,

and so I mean any any live performer. And so then I had to redirect and I wanted to talk about some things. We started dealing with a lot of racial strife during the pandemic, a lot of stuff that had been here forever, you know, like when we talk about inequities, we know that that's been here for a long time, and black people and are like, oh really, y'all, y'all. Now now everybody's surprised. This has been happening forever, and now everybody else is like, So I was like, I

want to talk about it. I want to talk. I want to be confrontational. I want to talk to all the woke people. I want to talk to the races. I want to talk to my people, Latinos, Latin X. And so I decided to go in. And that's why it's called fighting. Oh no, you went in. You always go in, okay um? And then I'll ask you this I'm being because I don't know a lot of people. How does it feel to be the first after Latina to do this? Or how does it feel to be

the first after Latina to do that? In your case, you were the first afric Latina to have a comedy special on HBO. Um, did you even think about it in that way of like your present dando Latina in this process or it's just the fact that you know, I'm a woman here making this happen, you know, Um, I have decided to Uh. I have made some changes in my identity and not my my identity, but in the way that I speak about my identity and being

Afro Indigenous and knowing how I identify. Because what happened was that I mean simpery man Miami and I eat through Savaka with racist Cubans that are always pointing out that my lips weren't think so, uh, what is the or the Nadia like all that bullshit. But um, that was the very reason why I said, I want to show people in the Dominican Republic and all of all of their beauty right because the reality of it is is that life for me and you have been has

been very different. And for me to say that my journey has been the same as yours is being disingenuous because we all know that the lighter you are, the more privilege you have in this country and in others.

So I wanted to make sure that I was respectful to my darker skin Afro Latinos by claiming my indigenous roots and saying I know that I present differently, but I wanted to be honest about our people, and so I wanted to show the Dominican Republic in a way that I'm tired of people showing little children begging for money when they show the Dominican record or everything is all right. I mean, there's so much beauty in our

country all over it. And so because I'm new to the Dominican Republic, it was part of my new my new experience and meeting my father your thinking in Monica song Monica Monica Yo, And I was like, I wanted people to see us in our fullness. And if I'm gonna show that, then I'm gonna talk about the reality of what we do to each other. Because we like to act like we don't do that. We're like, no, no, no, it's about Puerto Ricans. I love to say that, Oh,

Puerto Ricans don't do that. Yes, Puerto Ricans do. That is true. That is true. Do you when you were here in Miami, um, or rather that are growing up in Miami, do you feel that you were connected more with the with the black community or do feel that you were more involved in the Latino community? Would? I guess that would be the us. The black the Black American community is the one that has always embraced me, even in comedy, Like even in my journey, Latinos came

to it Latin next, Latin A they came to it later. Um. The black community, American community has always embraced me, especially in Miami, which is why I left because I didn't want to raise my kids in that city hearing those bellomalope, like I didn't want my daughter to ever hear that craziness, though I couldn't shield her from it. California has its own brand of racism. I was so traumatized by it that I didn't want my kids to experience any of it,

so I left. I don't know, because you know, shout out to everybody from Miami three or five gangan gang, Shout us to Highaliah Brown Seub, all that good stuff. I padded to the stobbing any who that's around from Alippa really oh nice? And my TV show that I'm writing is about is set in Alipada. On me or well, then you must have a lot to say from Alipada

because and so whom cho I? Um? You know that for the most part, I feel that the entertainment industry is predominated by men, and there's always only but so much that you can say. I feel that men sometimes can get away with saying more things than women can. I feel like all eyes are on you the moment that you say something like, oh no, she didn't right. But did you ever feel a little bit like, oh

my god. I don't know if I should really um, you know, if I started talking about um tackling like white supremacy and racism, and other things that happened in our culture on your show. Was that something that you kind of felt like this could be like a cancel culture moment where they can destroy me. Either this is gonna destroy me or this is really gonna build you

know a show. Yeah, it's happened to me before. Um. You know, I was on the panel where the uh dark skinned black after Latina and there was an issue with her and another person on the panel, and then they attacked me for not saying anything. But when I said something, then they attacked me for speaking on behalf of dark snameing people and I was like, I can't win for losing. And that taught me something very valuable.

It taught me speak your truth and don't worry about what they say because they have something to say regardless. And a lot of the times Alando song video, so they don't really care about the cause and that's really what it is. So I just when I feel those moments that I feel in my nervous or scared, I had to evaluate why and it's usually because I'm about to tell my truth. There you go, and it's scared. The truth is scary to everybody, and that's when I have to say do it and don't worry about the

consequent to just do it. And that's that's been my last five years in comedy. Is like I'm gonna tell what I'm gonna tell it how it is, but I'm not gonna lie because um. I also have this other show called Don't Cancel Me, and we talk about those things about how I somewhould feel that we're in a very sensitive era where you can't express yourself without people automatically yeah, everybody. Yeah, she said the worst thing, and now I'm emotionally her for the rest of my life.

I do understand how, yes, you need, you need to be held accountable for the things that you say. I get that part. I get that some people do say things that you know, do deserve to get canceled. I get that part. But then the being is like some of the things that you say, whether you want to admit it or not, whether it's sensitive to you or not, it is the truth. You know what I'm saying, And it's like we all see it, it's in our faces,

but nobody wants to talk about it. So when a person like you has the balls of cone to get up on stage or get on a you know, on a big platform, and you express it. It's like everybody is like scared for you, Like, oh my god, is she really gonna say that? Or did she really say it? And you don't know if to alfready laugh at ha ha ha that was part of a comedy, or like, no, she really she really just said that? Like that was some real Have you ever regretted saying something come and

get damned? That was maybe too deep? What I what I do is I don't lose the lesson because whatever I did in that moment, regardless if it was it turns out good or bad, there was a reason for why I said it, and it maybe the reason was for me to learn a lesson. And so I stand by what I say, and I've said some problematic things. I'm still learning. Have you ever taken it back? Like, Okay, I thought it was funny, but after I thought about it,

maybe it wasn't that funny. I know. What I did is just eliminate the joke and just say I'm not gonna say that again. But I did have a conversation with two trans women on my podcast who said that one of my jokes was problematic and we had a conversation about it and I and then I understood why they felt that the joke was problematic, and I was like, I can write another joke. I don't have to tell the joke about. If I'm hurting a lot of people,

then maybe the problem is me. But if it's one person that's mad because their father left them and they got an issue with a joke I made about my father, there's nothing I can do about that. That's your personal healing. Baby. I ain't got nothing to do. And you know what, that's something to extremely be UM to respect, you know what I'm saying. The fact that you know, if for any answer what reason I funked up right, or I may had made a joke that was rude, disrespectful or

hurtful or something. Just the fact that, um, your your ego, as your ego hasn't gotten you know who meld in and you can say, well, I'm sorry if that did offend someone, I'm willing to change it. I'm willing to because I don't want to hurt a fan base. I don't want to hurt my audience because you guys do support me. So I definitely admire the fact that you're willing to, like, you know, press reset on those things. Now.

I do know that you reconnected with your father on the special and everybody has heard my shell then on how I feel about my father and how I reconnected with him and all the ship that I went with you know, went through with minds. But we're gonna get to that later. But how was that experience for you to to be able to reconnect with him? You know, um,

after after so long, I'm still processing it. It was it was first of all, was happy that had happened because I always wanted to beat see him and touch him and hear his voice, and here in person, I wanted to meet my siblings that I didn't know existed. And also for my own personal healing, needed to take that journey because whether you know that we were romanticized this whole thing. Oh, you know, you meet your father's you're gonna live happily. Ever after that may not be

the case. I may never see him again, we may never talk again. But that moment was very special to me, and I wanted to show people who were in that same situation that it's okay. Um, you know, you do it for your healing. You do it for your personal healing, that's true, but I love him. Yeah, but who First of all, who made this connection happen? Did you reach out? Did he reach out? How did this happen? So they found me on Facebook? My my sisters found me on

Facebook some years ago. He actually my grandmother went to the Dominican Republic before she died. She went because I always used to tell my grandmother when I was like, I want to meet my father, I want to be with my father. I want to see my father. So every year she would tell her she was going to Puerto Rico and she was going to the Dominican Republic and looking for him, and and they gave it to him,

and that is how we actually reconnected. Um, he called me and then we touched base, but it wasn't real. And then my sisters reached out to me on social media and say, hey, even if you don't want anything to do with him, we want to be involved. We want to know you. And that's where how it happened.

When when you saw him, did you feel I say, yo, was there a spark, a connection, a thing, or did you see him you're like, oh my god, it looked like you or I can see how there are certain characteristics about you that resembled like did you feel anything or was it just like you know, like meeting a new person, like hey, you know what's up? No, it was I was. I mean people people commented on the face that I made when he walked into the room, but it wasn't it was yes, man, I looked like

this man look at me. Um. Also, I don't know what to do, like do I hug him? Do I told him to hug me because he was scared to hug me. And then it was just a very strange. But when I felt when I of course there was a connection and I felt I felt something that I felt in that moment that I learned. I learned I had a flashback of like my situation in life and the way that I have I interact with men. At that very moment, I was like, oh, this is why because he wasn't there, you know, So it was it

was deep though. So let me say a little bit about my father. My father left me Win I was like almost two years old with my mom knowing that when Mike is my mom crossed the Mexican border to get to the United States and went through that whole journey. I hate a la you know, everybody comes in differently. But Mommy had to take that route get to Miami after going to Panama, Texas. She did a whole not just to get to Miami. Has me there, um And like I said, my father left, he went to Puerto Rico.

He got le and me that I was his daughter. He never I had money to give me, to support me. Nothing. Um. Years later, obviously he sees me and Don Francisco realizes that I resemble and he's like, oh, it isn't that his daughter? Oh yeah, that's my daughter. So he came around here and there are a few calls back, then disappeared again and then basically came back around the fame.

So it was kind of hurtful because I always felt like, I don't think that men and and I'm and I and I'm speaking very from my heart right now because I'm you know, you know, in the process of obviously now being a mother, But I don't think that men really understand the importance of a father figure in a in a girl's life the l because it might not be all the time. Sometimes you might even forget that

he exists. It's like whatever, but there'll be certain moments that you're like, Damn, I wish that I had a father figure here. I wish that I had that protection. I wish that I had that hug. I wish that I go said that. I don't feel that as men, they understand, Thank God, UM in my case and I'm sure yours as well. We were blessed with amazing women, you know, our mothers that sacrificat it. Don't fuck it.

But it's very hard. And I know that once you reconnect with this person, because it happened to me when I saw him again. In my mind, it is true, I had like this fairy tale of like I'm gonna see my father, He's gonna hug me, He's gonna be like a miss to you and me high. It wasn't like that at all. It was just like, you know, hey, what's up. You know what I'm saying, what's up? You know it's me. It was so dry and like a

little bit awkward. I don't know, maybe you know your mind you wanted to be, but how has how has it been after meeting him? Like you know, it was tough because you know, you guys still talk we communicate your text. I haven't talked to him in a while. Something happened after the meeting um and he went off on me, and that just, you know, like because of course you start questioning why, you know, what do you want?

Like if do you want something? Like I can't be your savior in this moment because I've had some success. I struggled a lot to get what I where I am in life, and you know, I don't feel like I owe you anything. And so just because I grew up in the United States and there are different opportunities here, I still struggled in the United States, I went through hell, so I don't I just was like, just I had

to take some space, and they didn't. He couldn't understand that I needed a moment because it was a lot. And I went straight to Puerto Rico from the Dominican Republic because I was shooting the other part of my documentary and I had to put it on hold. I was like, I need to I need to get to work, I need to finish what I'm doing and then I can deal with this later. And he was really upset with me, told me never to call him again. So he agitated the wound right, and so then he called

me and asked for forgiveness. And so now you know my trust, my trust is off with him because it's when when my mom took me from the Dominican Republican and brought me to Miami, he could find me. He was coming to Miami's a performer, he was a musician. He was in Miami performing in different places. He saw my mother one time. So I was like, you had opportunities like you had forty years me, you have forty years,

forty whole years, that's four decades. And you he raised his other children like he raised you, see, and that is so hurtful when you see that. You didn't do it with me, but you were willing to do it for you know, for your other children. I your siblings, Yeah, of course, of course. And even my siblings are the most understanding people in that they were like you know, even they are like girl, we I don't know which

one was worse, you not having him or was having him. No, let me ask you this your when you spoke to your mom about you know, I'm gonna meet him, I'm gonna reconnect with him or whatever. My mom has been always very bitter, they say, whoever, you don't gotta like bien dominicana, you already know. I don't got to tell

you how it is, all right? So but there was a part of me that I felt that when you said it, I felt connected to you, because a lot of people don't understand that when you want to go um meet your father or whatever, or reconnect with him somehow, it's a personal healing. It's it's not about them, it's about you, like you need to fill in that gap, that that space, that void and as sometimes it doesn't turn out the way you want it, but once you do it, you feel better. Yeah, how was that? It

was healing? How was your mom's reaction? Was she supportive? Was she The first thing she said was Gui. Now that was you know, right, is what she said. But she doesn't happen right, So I get on a phone call. My mother matters to me more than anything, so I needed her to be okay with it, right. I respect her that way. So when his mother died, he wanted me to go to the d R to the funeral. Yes, So I called my mother on the three way call with him and I said, look, I have him on

the line. First of all, she won't let me call him my father. She goes I would say my father and she would say Maximo. And then um, he was like, my mother. My mom is sick. They she's gotta she's gonna die, and she wants to see. Ida's what they called me, or cookie, he's what he calls me. And my mom was like, absolutely not and he goes me my mom, im mamala sne So you talk about bitter and so in that moment, I was like, am I going to just funeral? I know we need to talk

to her care forth? Oh my gosh, her last and her last breath. No screw that. She said. She was really really bad to us. And you know when I went to the dr for the documentary, I you see in the documentary that you don't hear them speak. I went to visit them. I meet, we would pick you up and we would we would put your mom here. My mom was only a teenager. She was a very young mom. And so they were like, because you spend so much time with us, because every time they threw

you out, you guys will come here. So I think my mom was a lying I'll tell you this where it does and I because then it falls in your face. UM. You you you know, sometimes we may do things in her youth, we may do things when we're in our highest moment thinking like you know, karma really doesn't exist. And I don't want to necessarily just mentioned karma, but

you have to. You have to pay attention to your actions and the things that you say and the things that you do, because you don't know what the future holds. Treat them main they unfortunately, because you know, regardless UM, she passed away, we don't really know. UM in her heart, if she if she actually really truly felt bad for the way that she treated your mom and she wanted those those last words beat or being based off her actions that your mom didn't even let her finish her

last wish. But I'll ask you this talking about strong, powerful women, I love my mother. I admire her extremely to the core of me. UM, I see the way that you speak about yours. I mean, what are other women that inspire you, that motivate you that you feel like, Um, I grew up watching this person or this person really influenced me. So I have to start with Mayawela. My grandmother was the strongest woman I know. The name the woman I named after. Mind you, my other grandmother was

named Aida too, so it's very strange. But my grandmother, who came from Puerto Rico, she had she raised six kids alone. She was a victim of rape, a victim of violence, and still she didn't know how to read. And when if you met this lady, you would never know she had. She worked, She was a landlady of some buildings. She always had a new car. Her apartment was cute because she was like, you know, but um,

I would say her. But women that I've always admired, you know, It's so funny because I am I have been so influenced by the women in my life. I've never really idolized celebrities like that outside of like I love Mohammed Ali. And when I think about strong women growing up, I think about the ones that I watched. Yeah, it's funny because I would. I would. I would always try to sympathize Lamla right, like I would be like

for no reason, what what? Why is this one? But I always respect people can say they hang hold in right. So so it's funny because I used to watch a lot of novelas then go Ascelia because Celia is like my epitome Dona Florinda, because I used to watch it travel and I used to think she was funny and it is chuck on like on for sure. My life before that was jail in Kim Kardashian with the ass tell the truth was period period mena personally that Atrisma

um really talking about paving the way. Each one definitely was one of them, um because she La Lupe Laupe was another one personally that lane though, I mean just everything and the fact that I love the fact that, you know, we think the times are hard now, but times were even worse and different in the entertainment industry back then, and they were still willing to be themselves, be outspoken, be controversial, be all those things back then.

So I definitely always said we have to pay the I mean, give our respects to those that pave the way for for Sela cruise. For sure, scause Women's History Month, there's gonna be so many Latinos that we're gonna be, you know, um talking about and and we're gonna see them all over the place. I'm glad that you said, uh Sela cruise, And I feel like who doesn't know who say at cruises at this point, Celia Riveta as a trans woman, I'm being I mean, there's just so

many people that we can really talk about it. I feel like I need to show just to go over the list, but the amazing women. But I'll tell you that one thing. Even though I raised I was raised with my Puerto Rican family, I love that my mother gave me meine melee like because then be out like I and every New Year's we celebrated listening to Melee. So I think that my mother and my mother tried to give me the best of the Dominican Republic in her way because she even though they I was around

all the Puerto Ricans all the time. I grew up listening to the music, eating the food. My favorite food is Dominican food, like and that's you know what menicano like, that's that's breakfast for me. So I'm thankful for her for that that in her own ways, regardless of how bitter she was with my father, she wanted me to love that part of myself and she gave me some

amazing women. I mean melal And I was like, I adore that woman, like I think she's one of lactor and I was like, Yo, you know how hard it is to do that as a comedian. When I'm on the stage and that all these men are on there, we do We're going because I did all Start Shock All Star and this d Ray Davis is Michael Blacks and all of these big time men and me. It's hard to hold your own with all of that masculine, sexist and talk about it. And so when I saw her,

I was like, Yo, that's her boss, Okay. I love the fact that we are able at We were able to look, you know, back somewhat into the women that inspired us, the women that motivated us, whether they were the ones um that surrounded us right like our mother, our grandmothers, in and out at on in our in our artistic at least in my case artistically, UM, I admired a lot of these women. So I think it's

a blessing to be able to celebrate. It sucks that it's just one month, like I always say, because we can still do it all year around, but at least we're dedicating this time to recognizing all the hard work and the way that they changed the world in many aspects. UM, I pray that one day, one day, um, treatment that when we're no longer here, people can still sit down and say, oh my god, you know, um, which is

my dream one day. You know, when when I was younger, I used to hear about or Sea Orriguez and they really inspired me to be the woman that I am today. And that's what really matters at the end of the day. Yes, we have this big platform. Yes, you know, people see us, we have followers, we have all these things, were on TV, we do all these and that's fine, But how are we how can we be impactful to the people looking

up to us? How are we really going to make a difference through your comedy, through my music, through my activism, through everything else that we do. So, with that being said, has been an honor of pleasure to be able to have you on exactly a matter today. I am so grateful for you and are doing for us. Say and listen,

let me just point out something about you. You came out the gate being exactly who you are, and that was revolutionary because there was a time when a lot of people would not call themselves negatro because they allowed the stigma that's been given to black people, which is so false and the opposite of what blackness really is.

And you came out la negra and I just want to celebrate you because you don't understand the impact that you've had on young women and young boys and young trans people who are black and Latino and seeing somebody so successful, so beautiful, so talented saying it's okay to be black and that that is something that should be celebrated. So I'm grateful for you. Uh man, I'm yeah. Thank you so much. Guys, you already know fighting words on HBO Max. Go check it out right now. By the way,

give your social media platform so people can go follow you. Yeah, suck at that, but you call me a'm my funny I A I d A on Twitter and and on Instagram and on Facebook. I that dot roy this when. Thank you everyone for joining me, and remember to follow Exactly Amata and Michael toutera podcast on Instagram and on Twitter.

You can also watch us on the YouTube channel. Just go to the search bar right exactly A Mata or I'm Not and you'll find all the episodes right and there you can just binge watch and enjoy and remember that this has been a production of I Heeart Radios Michaeltuter podcast Network. For more podcasts from My Heart, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. This has been exactly a mark