Come Again, a podcast by Honey German. Welcome to another episode of Glasses Come Again. I'm excited today. I feel like you are my one and only, you know female comedian that I connect with being Benita Prodriguez. You're so happy you're here, me too, and I know you. It's like with stand up you get to know so much about the person you're look I know everything about but I really don't.
It feels that way though, I understand what you mean. I have a lot of I feel good. I feel good. I'm always happy when I'm in New York I Land and I just hit the vibration of the city and it's it's just like I just get back to.
It's a good money city. If you're here, I know you're moving. I know you're shaking, yes.
Absolutely, and you know it's just it's just it's just on the move. Where in LA can be really I've been to l.
A and I'm like, what's going Is this all we're doing today?
And relaxed.
I'm like, wait, you're so used to like call the train, call the uber, make a reservation, go here, go there. Yeah, that LA. I can see how LA can be a little bit different. But you're from Miami.
So I grew up Yeah, I grew up in Miami, going back and forth between the Brons.
And don't take the bronx away from me.
Well, you know, it's it's in you. You can't take it away. You know, it's it's not just yeah, it is ingrained. It's so funny because when people meet me, they never asked me if I'm from Miami. No. No, they always say what part of New York are you from?
I love that.
Yeah, It's it's a very interesting thing because you know, Miami people. Miami people have their own language. I don't think I've ever really assimilated into the And I love Miami.
You claim it.
Yeah, absolutely. That's where my mom is right now.
Alaa is she still there?
She's still there. It's crazy.
I lived in Miami for a little while. Like that's what the Dominican are.
Al. That's how they.
Im, Oh what is this place? And it's I love it there. And even when I'm in Miami, I still go get my hair done there. Yeah no, no, that's where that neighborhood. Yeah me too, that your mammy is.
That's where well mommy is now and she's like in Fort Lauderdale because she went up with my deal. But we we were there. She was there for most of the time, and I spent a lot of time there.
It was back and forth, fifty to fifty.
Or I don't know if it was fifty to fifty. It was more Miami than New York. But it's just New York. New York doesn't go away.
You know, who do you have here in the Bronx.
So I have family here. My cousins are in Astoria. They're not in the Bronx any I like a story. Yeah, then city everybody is. Everybody is scattered around. They're not in the Bronx anymore. But I say, in the Bronx when I come here sometimes and it just feel good, right Yeah, it feels like the only borough that hasn't been gentrified. You know, they've tried, but they haven't been able to. They do have some buildings up in the Bronx where you could pay five thousand dollars a month,
right I know, I know. I stay in one of those sometimes because I have a friend that lives there. But when you go outside and you turn, you spend the block, you ride in the hoods.
It's still the bodies are still the mini guns. We own the Bronx. I feel like that's the one borough that we're never going to give up.
I hope they don't. I hope that. I hope we keep it forever.
You know, we have to have a burrow that we can go back to. But like to sobro Garden with Jimmy, and it's like it's like back in the days, remember Jimmy's Bronx Cafe.
So all those.
Spots when you go in there, it feels like, you know, the original New York. I called the original New York.
That's what you call the original New York. I yeah, I feel that way too. There's something there. I never I mean, I don't feel in danger. I feel I just I just hit this the beat, you know. I went, I went to get something to eat. The last time I was there. I stayed there the last the last time I stayed with Angelo. The time before that, I was in the Bronx and I stayed there and I went, I just got I just got up, walked outside and just started walking and then I started eating as I went.
Everywhere I went, I got something different.
Mostly now that you're like, I'm gonna I'm gonna do those walking tours that they do.
But in the Bronx, Yes, in the Bronx.
What's your go to with the Latino food when you're in the Bronx? What you're getting?
Ah, you know, it's really hard for me because I don't eat pork. But I haven't eaten pork since I was a kid and you were a kid. Yeah, because my grandmother converted to she became a seven day Adventist, so we stopped eating pork.
This is your Dominican grandma.
My Puerto Rican grandma, and Puerto Ricans eat a lot of pork, right, So.
Just randomly you go to what you like. Why it's not even.
Christmas, No, it's Wednesday. My sister made the other day. She was like, I'm cooking. I said, what are you making?
We'll not like like just ran whole pork shoulder see not not a salad.
No no, And I don't eat it, So you know it. It's it's so the battle between Puerto Ricans and Dominicans that it's a ridiculous battle. I eat a lot of Dominican food. I eat. I gravitate a lot towards it because I love fish and I love chio, and you know, I like colorad. So that's my that's my goal to So even when I'm in the Puerto Rican neighborhood, you know, I'll eat an every once in a while. Battle I eat a lot of fish. I have a friend who posts about me because everywhere I go there's.
You get like, do you have a fish? Whish the whole fish?
I'll go see.
Piccolo is mandatory, delicious, bring the whole thing's so good. My husban banasizing about that fry fish. He's Puerto Rican, I'm Dominican, and he loves it.
And no, it's delicious, it's delicious.
Last time we were there, he had the whole fish. I'm like, me too, I like fish.
I love fish. I love seafood. So, okay, your expensive date, I don't. I don't order anything I can't afford to pay for myself.
Come on, come on, they have I'd be like, that's what I'm going to be ordering.
No, me too, but I'm saying, just in case somebody wants to splash on me, I'm like, I can pay. My grandmother told me that when I was in the hood, very young girl. She goes, don't ever go anywhere you can't afford to pay for yourself. Don't let no, don't ever subject yourself to the humiliation of a man.
And I feel you because I've kind of like always, I've been a kind of like a flexer, Like if I go out to you, I'll be like, you want me to pay? Because I never wanted no man to feel like I needed him. It was always like I always have my car, I always have my crib. I always had my degrees. I'm like, but you know, New Yorkers and Latinas and we're not. We're not gonna let nobody, you know, make us feel like lesser up. I got my own bread.
What's the deal?
You want to mess with me? Yes or no? Nothing necess Yeah, I love that. If I mess with you, it is because I like you.
Yeah, me too, me too, you know it's it's life is too short to be with somebody that you don't like absolutely, And I don't have a strong stomach like that. I look at Joe and I'm like, man, I salute them because I can't. It's written all over my face. See, you're.
No football status, no football because I need to be with somebody I like. You don't know, no disrespect, Like if you have your your sugar daddy, if you have you know, somebody older, somebody who's not as attractive, that's on you. But when it comes to me.
Yeah, but nah, I can't. I don't have the good I don't. I wish because my life would have been a lot easier, but I don't have it. That's not my thing. Where are you now with love? So I'm single right now for you enjoy it. I was in a long relationship and it didn't work out, and then I went and did some trauma therapy because I wanted to.
I wanted to investigate within myself what were the shortcomings and the issues and how I show up in the best way that I can, because I don't want to be in any more relationships that are so toxic, and and I've just been chilling and I've been talking to people, you know, I talked to somebody that I kind of like. But I'm just taking my time, just you know, really just chilling. I've been in a relationship my whole life, Like I feel it feels that way, you know.
So it's kind of like your long term relationship after long term relationship.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, since you were young since I was a child. Yeah, so this.
Is your first time that you're like single.
This is my first time that I feel like I'm single. And I'm gonna say, I say single andsane, but I say it, and you know, in just but I mean, I think probably the most healthy that I've been as a single person, because before when I was single, I would I was I felt like I was missing something, like I was incomplete, And it was because of all the stuff they taught me when I was a young girl and you know, always being told to find a good man and not to.
It's crazy that you say that because my sister, she's been single for a while and we were just talking yesterday and she's like, can you believe Mom just told mely just have a kid as a single person, Like what do you mean without a man? And she's like, yeah, just have a kid just so you can check off
the kid box. I'm like, what's wrong with mom? And I don't want to just say Latina moms because the pressure of like like all those boxes and it's twenty twenty five, Like life is so different now that I feel as far as like feeling that pressure like the poso like.
Nah and you know, when I think about some of the men that I have, you know, entertained, not all been in relationships with some bombs like that, should not ever even have the opportunity to know me. Not because I'm all that and I think I'm better than anybody, but because I if I was in a sane, whole place, I would never entertain these clowns. And so I it's just the pressure of feeling like, oh, he has a good job, he has money, he has a career, and
and still he's a clown. It's like, I don't you know, I think now I feel happy. I'm like, this is the first time I've been happy and single. Like I remember being in my room and waking up in the morning and just realizing that I was free, and I just started crying of happiness, happiness, just that for you. I was so happy. I was like, oh, this is what it feels like to be to feel like I love this quote I belong deeply to myself. That's beautiful, because I felt like I belonged to people, you know,
And it's just it feels good. So I'm chilling. I'm enjoying dating, and I don't believe the propaganda I do believe if I want to be in a relationship, I can be in one. But I don't choose not to. I just yeah, I don't want to be in any old, raggedy relationship.
Just to be like I got a man. Yeah, oh I got a girl. No man, a man?
Yeah. I just like, don't put that on me. I'm oh cool, I'm cool. I just don't. I think when I think about being in a relationship with a woman, I think about myself. I remember my therapist was like, would you date you? And I was like, heyll no.
Like I say it all the time, I'm like, I don't know how women date women because just so very temperamental, very mood.
I'm a lot.
I wake up some days I'm like a hold on Nadia. Yeah, hormones raging, and shit is not where it needs to be.
Imagine both of us together.
I just know I crashing out on our period. I can't do we are not doing that.
I have really bad menstrual cycles. So I just was like, I'm just chilling. I'm having a good time.
From relationships, and I love that. Nobody asking you were you going while you took that picture, while you posted that story, Yes, Yes, that's stressed. Yeah, I wish I shouldn't nobody.
Yeah, also, you know, just enjoying learning myself in a way where I've been talking to people and just learning I don't like that, or that is a red flag for me, or this is a deal breaker, or you know, I really appreciate that he did this, or that he
said that. I've never learned this stuff. I've always been told this is what you deserve, this is what you should have, and now now that I've learned, No, it's not like I'm just enjoying really learning myself in a way that I've never been able to do before, because I've been in these crazy.
Relationships so much noise that you can't even hear my soul speak to you.
Absolutely, And yeah, you know, my ex was very here's a lot of opinions. He was always telling me stuff about your career everything, just always you know, in authority in so many things. A really wise man, but just kind of daddy ish, very daddyish. And so when we
broke up. I remember when I moved, I went to a furniture store to because I was furnishing my new place and I couldn't make a decision because I couldn't get his voice out of my head and I started crying in a furniture store because I kept saying, oh, he would think this is a stupid move, or he would think it to be able to unpack that like in therapy and all of this stuff. I had just become the epitome of the women that I used to the size when I was younger. I'm never gonna be
like that. And I had just become like that because I didn't allow myself a moment to just listen to my own voice. I was always listening to the voice of the man in my life, and it just became so overwhelming and so boring to listen to somebody just because they say.
So, and then you start trusting their opinion more than your own.
And based on nothing of merit. You're like, you know, just thinking back, like why did I listen to this person and do this because they told me to look at their life, like why are you listening to these people? So and I know I'm long winded about the subject because I want young women, especially younger women that are always being told within our culture, yeah, look for yourself and find yourself before you go looking for somebody udos.
And that's true. You know, find who you are and you know if your partner comes and that also, like that's searching on the apps on this the dms can see. That's got to be exhausting.
Yeah, yeah, I don't. I mean, I've met people that I've gone out on date with, uh dates with through social media who've d M me, but it's because it's people that I know that know somebody that I know. But that's not my goal to for dating. And the apps just don't work for me.
People recognize you, like on the apps, they know exactly what you use, your your full name.
No I don't, but no, but you know I have guys when they figure out who I am. This is the worst on the apps. I got a joke for you.
Oh my god, my god, please don't do that.
Yes, and it's like they'll tell you the joke and you're like.
I was like, left, that's not funny.
On Match Yeah, on Match, I want my rolls back, like everything every whatever's on the app. Look, so I am not on an app.
Let's talk comedy.
Let's talk comedy.
I love you on stage, thank you. That's special when you have the shorts I'm sorry, I couldn't focus on nothing but your legs. I appreciate she got these good ass legs. She got these shorts, she's moisturized. Like, I love watching that special just because of the way you look.
Thank you.
The jokes are good too, Don't get me wrong, but you just look so good. And you know it's because I expected you to be tall, because I'm like, she don't got little legs, good tall woman legs. Yeah, you know, I my grandmother was. I'm not saying yo what I'm weak, right, My.
Grandmother Dominican grandmother, my Puerto Rican grandmother. I never met my Dominican grandmother, so I grew up with my Puerto Rican grandmother was a matriarch of my family. Either I'm her namesake, but we grew. I grew up with this woman whose shoes always matched her purse. You know, she never went out Nagula. She used to get her hair
done every Friday. Yeah, her nails were always done, and it rubbed off on me, you know, Like I used to go to the salon with her, Milady Salon for the blowout every week, and so I just remembered her when I when I went on television, because she used to love to watch TV and she would always comment on the women being a legante and dressed well. So I always I honor her that way. So when I do my comedy specials, I'm always gonna dress up and
wear my heels and my makeup. It's me paying homage to Mayamila.
And you're doing a goddamn chop.
Thank you.
You look absolutely amazing. Now you're also an author, you're also an actress, you're also a producer. How many hats does Idea Rodriguez wear?
You know, I wear many? Your mom too, I am a mom.
I forgot the most important title.
I'm sorry, No, you don't have to apologize for that. That's That's been the greatest gift for me. And now that I'm stepping into just becoming AIVA for Eiva, it's been fun wearing a lot of hats. What I have made a decision and is that whatever hat I'm wearing at the time, that's the hat I'm dedicated to so that I can do a good job. Because I see a lot of people putting on all the hats at the same time. And I'm an artist, so I like
to express myself differently. I don't have that narcissistic trait that a lot of artists have that they need to be recognized and acknowledged and seen.
I don't get that from you at all.
It's not my thing. So, like I directed these comedy specials for these comedians and Dominican Ian Laura, who's a brilliant voice, and Marcella. I love just showing up in my jeans with my sneakers and just directing them and putting shining the light on them. I just like to create. It's this that's where that's where my sweet spot is. So I am a writer though the writing is probably the foundation of everything that I do.
It's like the ground up right, Yeah, even even with your comedy, it's like you write the material and then you take it from there. So I can see. And I love the fact that you know, you mentioned working with other women that do what you do, because in some spaces, women feel like if I bring you up, I'm not gonna eat absolutely not. You know, they close doors, they gatekeep, so you know you working with you know, other women. I love that. It makes me happy.
Yeah, I love it, And I think it's important because when you think about latinas in the business, if we are really honest, the ones who are very visible, you can't think of other women that they've ushered into fame. They're too insecure. You know a lot of Latinas in the business, and I know people I'm gonna get flack for this, but I don't care because we've been over sexualized.
We're always very much objectified, and we become a shell this physical and then we start getting older and then what now, Because it's twenty five million beautiful young girls that just got off a bus that want to be stars,
and it's like, you can't insulate yourself from reality. You can be you can be around all the people you want to that lie to you and tell you everything you want to hear, but somebody's coming for it, right And so I think it's just sad because, like we were talking about this the other day, like name, I don't I'm not naming names, but you say, who who Have you ever seen that such and such brought into
the fold so that they could shine? You don't see that, you know, And it's it's really sad in our community because Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts are best friends and they're both have very successful careers. You know, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are best friends. They have successful careers. They compliment each other, they show up in each other's Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift and Slanta Gomez. But when you think about latinas, you know, you're like why, like, why
are you so afraid to show up? You know? For me? You know, I've been blessed because I have Tiffany how it showed up for me. I love, That's why the sights showed up for me. You know, Memi Voudez showed up for me. You know. But it's just it's a rarity. It's when I say, would be that, and it's just
like why, Like there's room for everybody. And if you're at the top and you are at the head honcho and you got all the money, you got all the followers, you winning, winning, winning, what is ushering another younger woman or another woman period? How is that gonna shake you in any way?
Sometimes I think, you know, it stems because it's across a lot of you know, different occupations, whether it be acting, oh, comedy, radio. Sometimes I think it comes from us not having that many spots. Let's say a white man in comedy or even a black man in comedy. There's a thousand spots. And maybe for Latina, maybe we feel like, oh no, if I bring you in, you're going to take my spot, and then I'm going to cease to exist. Sure, and that you know that mentality has to be That's like
the same thing with me. It's just like, you know, just because I work with someone, Let's say they want to launch a podcast, they want to launch a TV show, I'm like, put me down, where do I show up? I don't feel like if I help someone, I'm going to cease to exist because I am very much about you know, abundance mentality.
That's right, when you.
Put it out, you get it back. But yeah, if you're listening and you know you're in a space where you can help, actually do it, Yeah, hold the back door open.
Yeah you know what it is. It's also entrepreneurialship. It's really intelligent to do stuff like that, because oh, Angie Martinez is another one that has showed up for me. You know, she's that's my o G. Yeah, she's she's given me opportunities, she's interviewed me lovely. She shows up, but she brought Selena's to my show, like the the idea of creating opportunities. Ray is a great example of that because she always talks about reaching across. You know,
Donald Glover, they've made other people stars. That just that's good for business. Of course, that creates more, that creates more roads, you know, like Donald Glover, do you think about he did Atlanta? La Keith, Brian and Zazzi are all stars. Now, that's smart. And Donald Glover did.
Not stop being a star as a result of that, so he would be like, now I'm a childish, can't be no yah, Donald Glover. I remember it was back and forth depending on what we would report on we would change the name. Yeah, well yeah, and look where is now?
Yeah? And that's what that's what makes her, you know, so phenomenal. And I just do not understand what it's going to take for us to do that with each other, you know, because I love I would love to see that in the market.
I feel like in this room, you know, we're on like probably like episode like fifty or sixty. And I've said that with everything I'm talking like you know, actors, comedians, photographers, you know, like and Luis Gusmann came and he was like, I was told I had to come do this same thing with David Zayas from all Right, David. He was like, oh no, they told me I had to come here. So I feel like rooms like this are creating the whole. Let's help each other. I love it, you know, and
I love that. It's like that Chapolanco came, and then after that, Shep Bolanca came, like some my coasts came. I mean, my co stars came, and it's like it's created, but it starts with us. It very much starts with us absolutely, because this didn't exist. And I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna create this and I'm gonna bring people up here. And then Arlene mc was here and she's like, I want to work with Cardi and I'm like,
I got to reach out to Carti. And then the other day Carti was playing her song and I'm like, this is gonna happen for her.
I love that. Love. So we're gaining.
Traction, especially here in New York. We just had the New York Latino Film Festival, I know, and we were just all promoting each other and it's showing up to movies. I would want to say that, you know, we're trying. Yeah here in New York, my circle, I feel like we are generally.
Yeah, that sounds great. I love it. You know, you're naming people that I know and people who do show up. David Zayas and e Liza, They're they're amazing. They both are amazing. They've come to see me perform at the Yonkers Comedy Club and he brought Liza to the show. He was like, you know, my wife really like loves you. And I was like, are you kidding me? I love her. I've watched The Bear because of her and louisambiing. You know, I just think I.
Feel like, also, the climate we're in right now is really forcing us to we have to show up for each other and support each other and post our movies and post our comedy specials and post our podcasts. Yeah, we don't have another option. You see what's happening right now. We have to band together more than ever.
Absolutely, I agree. Callisto does a lot of work.
He's amazing. I had him up here. Him and Manny Perez came up here. They have a dope movie. Add only feels out now. I was like, Jesus, I saw you.
I haven't seen it, but I saw It's an amazing, amazing I want to watch. Yeah. Yeah, because Elvis know Lasco had a short film that was in at the festival. Yeah, and he's always supporting new filmmakers. So yeah. I actually the New York Latino Film Festival hosted one of the comedy events that I did. I hosted it for them, but it was through them, the comedy competition. Like they've been very involved in comedy with Latinos.
And I say it all the time. When that happens, we have to all mobilize, we have to show up. They're honoring Michelle Rodriiez. They're showing the Bad Bunny cost on forty second Street. I know Time Square is not the best place to be, especially when you're in New Yorker. You tend to like reject it. I know Bad Bunny. Yeah, because they're streaming his last concert. Let's talk Bad Bunny.
I have time. I love it. I'm so happy. Hope is that it's amazing. You know, I love Bad Bunny for so many reasons. I've loved him for a very long time. The guy who directed my comedy special, Fighting Words, Chris Medgado worked a lot with Bad Bunny before Bad Bunny blew up up like that at that kid loves the island. He doesn't want to leave like we have to go to him. He loves Puerto Rico in a
way that is pure. And I'm very excited that he is going to bring this to this stage because regardless of what all these racists, crazy people are saying, Bad Bunny is going to elevate the Super Bowl and take it to places that it isn't. He's going to take that show and make it really a global affair in a way that it hasn't been. And ever they are smart to do that.
Listen, it's a marketing move, it's a business move. It's like, I don't care what anybody has say. They're going to be watching and they're going to be watching in Columbia and Venezuela and able to do you understand what they just did. They don't care about just Middle America white man watching the Super Bowl. They understood the assignment. They're like, we're going to.
Global with this. And I mean, in the last few years, you know, Kendrick dre and Bad Bunny have been the very few Americans who have played the Super Bowl because you saw yeah, because you two and Enrique Lesias, those are not American citis. I didn't even know Shania Twain was not in America.
Even the weekend from Canada. They were like, Shaquia Columbia, I love, but it's true. You know, it is true.
And he's like one of the few Americans that have been, that have been, that are performing at the super Bowl. And listen, Puerto Rico is fine. Puerto Rico would can be fine by itself without the United States. My dream is for Puerto Rico to be liberated from this curse of being. You know, people think that that America has made Puerto Rico better. It is not. It has, you know, cut us off at the knees. And I believe for that island, even though I live on in the States.
But when we had Hurricane Maria, I was on the ground already raising money, already sending stuff over there, putting roofs on people's houses, electricity, sending kits, because that's home, that's the motherland. And I dream for free Puerto Rico.
Do you think we'll live to see that day?
I hope so, I hope so. I believe in it. I don't. I think that, you know, fascism and white supremacy, oppression, colonialism, what part of the trick is to make you believe that it'll never end and that it'll never go away. And I refuse to accept that.
I always bring that up. I always always my husbands Puerto Rican and I always be like, do you think Puerto Rico will ever liberate themselves from the United States?
Yeah, they have to, we have to, We have to say, because the reality is is that it's not great there. It's not you know, they haven't they're not doing anything but poaching the island.
Oh that that's a whole No, the topic now it's like, now let's take the island, let's build these mansions, let's take advantage of these tax laws.
Yeah, taking there is and you know, like when the comedian that said that Puerto Rico was a floating piece of garbage, I was like, I agree, you know, it is a floating piece of garbage because it's full of white people that have come there to gentrify the island. There are less there are more Puerto Ricans outside the mainland, and then then on the on the mainland, then on the island. So, yeah, it's a floating piece of garbage. You got a bunch of white colonizers that are there
destroying and infecting our islands. So you're right, it is a floating piece of garbage, and we'd like to clean it up. We want so come get your man's I love this conversation.
I feel like I feel like, you know, connected, because I'm like everything's saying it's the same exact way that I feel because it's something that I always I want for Puerto Rico. YEAHCA to be you know independent again.
Yeah, there's something to the fact that they've always been told, you know, you need the States for what? For what? To sterilize our grandmothers, you know, for what? For what to come and bring and gentrify our land, to try to kill our coquie. Like, what do we need you all?
My mother in law us perto Rican, she said, I'm like, what the fuck.
Is going on? What do we need you for? I don't know, you tell me what we need you for? There you go.
I just said, give me that answer.
I need it. I'm sure some of the dummies will show up in my comments section.
You know, it'll be fine. Listen, it'll be fine. It's a reality. And you know, as as Latinos and you know Puerto rican you see it differently than the way you know America sees it, whether it be black, white, or whatever it is for us is different. And when I visit, I see it, I feel it. And I was reading something that they were like, there's like three hundred thousand like vacant homes in Puerto Rico, and I'm like, it's a beautiful island. There is a reason why these
homes are empty. You know, there is a lot of stuff with you know, the passing down of the homes and the people were not being in order, but people leaving instead of choosing to going to fix this.
We have a corrupt government that is negotiating the island and becoming sick of fans of this administration and they have been, you know, participating in the poaching. You have real estate agents who do not respond to you if you have a Latino surname. Because we were trying to buy wal Term Medicago's house and the realtors would not would not respond to us. And who is me? You? And it was just me and my just people in my life that have been Yeah, and I wanted to
preserve it. I wanted to it was it's a it's it's something beautiful that belongs you know, that belongs to us. It's culture for us. No, they sold it to gringo and and it's because a lot of us who hate ourselves are participating, and you know, in the destruction of what our great grandparents and our ancestors built, and they're going to pay for that.
We should be preserving. Yeah, absolutely, like I said, should be a museum. Absolutely, all his robes, everything he stood for, all his photographs, like they sold that.
You know how many times I reached out to the sold that house to a retired man or something like what they would not do. You know how many times I have all the emails, I have the receipts, they would not respond. And then somebody finally told me they're not going to respond to you because of your last name. Tell one of your wife friends to email them for you.
We got to make fake emails.
As if our money doesn't spend you know.
You would think that if you're Latino realtor in Puerto Rico, you'll be like, yes, let's preserve this, mam. We got to mobilize. We got to make sure she gets this. So my mind is blown.
Right. You know that the politician in Puerto Rico that was speaking about what was happening with the ice, he went off. I forgot his name. I follow him. He goes so and he just went in on this rant and I felt him and my soul like you know, I I pray for the day that we learned to love ourselves, because that's from their stem. So many of our issues that we hate ourselves. We want to be in proximity to whiteness so bad, and those people don't
mess with us like that. Not all white people, but the white people you want to appeal to, they don't mess with you like that you think they do. They just it's opportunity, bro. You know, it's crazy.
That's one thing I've I've always rejected. It's something in my family as far as like you know, wanting to be white, wanting to marry white, wanting to talk white. And they made me fully rejected. I'm like, nah, YoY, I said, I was born and raised here, and I'm like, I'm gonna be extra Dominicana Malcolm Mela Comedia. I've gone to the forty times, I'm like, I'm gonna visit my island. I don't want to do what you people are doing.
I don't believe that, you know, whitewashing myself as a Latina is going to make me better, more profitable.
No, it's sad though. It just makes me sad because I know, you know, some people don't know better, and if you don't know better, you can't do better. Right. They don't have the benefit of an education. They don't And that's the biggest problem that we have is a poor education. But some of these these super successful people that should know better, right, that that's the one. Those are the ones that burned me. Because family.
Are you talking about?
That's gonna be me for like, it's not.
That's my word ever ever, And you know it's I feel like, you know, we've been saying what we want and that's the name of your podcast.
Say what you mean?
I mean, say what you mean?
Yes, say what you mean. I think, you know, it's important for people to express themselves. I think that even though Latinos always say, you know, right, that's the thing we I say what I say, but I say what I want to say. Nothing's going to keep me from saying I keep it real, I keep it a stack. But every body that comes on that show will tell you the most bold people that I know will be like, yeah, there was this time. Because there's always a moment where
we wish we would say something and we don't. And we've been taught that some things are better left unsaid. We don't want to rock the boat. We're afraid, and so I want to create I wanted to create a save space where people could come and say it on the Internet for everybody to hear it, and for a lot of.
People that can be very scary, you know, even sometimes topics that I, you know, take on here sometimes like I had to snow the product on I'm pretty sure, you know, and me and were going in and my BRIDU was like, are you sure, And I'm like, absolutely, if I'm saying it, I believe it, I feel it, I mean it now.
She's yeah, I know somebody I love. I was. I was on our page the other day because somebody said I've never really heard her say she was Mexican, and then she pulled out the receipt all the way back.
And I'm like, that's all I've always known her to be. West Coast Mexican Ghana. But I hate the hold the mucho online. I'm like, yo, the ship people say online, say it the person say it to my face. Never, No, there's no accountability, Say what you mean?
How did you?
How did you decide I'm to do podcasting?
Also, so you know, my my manager and I were talking about a podcast in radio. Right I did radio? I don't. I wouldn't say I started in in the beginning of your career. Well, you know, I dabbled in. I would do underground radio in Miami. But I I respect journalists and I think that as a comedian because so many people. You know, somebody will kiss a cat on YouTube and get ten million views and now they're a comedian. So I try to respect people's crafts I feel.
And so journalism is not easy, you know, being doing radio is not easy. People think that, you know, you just show up and start talking.
Absolutely, you know, listen, just the nerves. I've been in radio ten years and every time you hit that button broad I know you got to compose yourself. You know, when you're on stage, the nerves ain't easy.
No, it's a job, it's a it's a career. It's a craft, it's a skill. So yeah, I've done it before, but not real radio radio as a like a real radio journalist. And but I we were talking about a podcast. I had a podcast before, I Truth Serum, and I did Truth Serum through COVID and it just got really heavy and it was it was much very necessary at the time. You know, Ben Crump did it and Lathan did it. Like I had a lot of people come through and do it. Killer Killer, Mike did it.
Well, these have yeah, don't give us the truth.
Yeah, they came and did it. It was a really it was during the protest, George Floyd's lynching all of that stuff. So we had and it was great, but it ended because you know, all things have to end. And then so for this one, when I said I wanted to do another podcast, we were talking about it. I wanted it to also have some levity and to be fun and people to see that side of me because Truth Serum have been so heavy and so and I wanted to keep it short. It's a thirty minute
podcast and it's fun. I've had some of some great people sat Lena's Leva has done it. She's yeah, I can't remember anybody right now because I'm sleep deprived. But we've had some really good interviews, some really great people to stop by and sit in that seat, and I'm just really excited about it because I've also had a'mou forty nine. I've done forty nine episodes.
That's dope. But you haven't pushed them all out just yet.
No, they're they're are all forty. Yeah, we're on hiatus right now and we go back at the beginning of the year for our fourth season.
You're on break right now?
Yeah?
Yeah, what are you doing when you're on break?
Well, I'm on the road. I'm touring because I'm getting ready for a new hour that I'm going to shoot at the beginning of the year. So that's why I'm here. I've been doing some stand up. I also was hosting a book event with a Dominican writer, Alejandro Edida, which you should know. He wrote a book called Loca, just got nominated for an award, and it's a beautiful novel about a Dominican queer kid. Uh, these queer kids in the Dominican Republic and here, and it's it's it's really
really a beautiful novel. And so I hosted that we had. We did a say what you Mean episode about the book yesterday. But I'm here working on my stand up and I'm shooting a movie. I'm in a movie called Hurricane Seasons. I shot part of it here in August and I go to Puerto Rico next month to shoot for a month. It's gonna come out. I mean, I'm sure next year. Yeah, because we finished shooting at the end of December. And Elvis Nolasco's in it. Alicual who's Dominican.
She's my daughter A Journesco nachosen it. She played Lisa Lisa. She was here in Alsa Lisa movie. I got to hit her up. A Louis Bonsa is in it like it's it's really because yeah, we're going back and forth between the islands. So yeah, we're shooting that. And then when I come back, I go back to the podcast and then I do my special.
You're busy, You're moving, gotta stay busy. Listen getting to that coin to.
See you know, I'm okay. I'm working on my getting my Dominican citizenship right now. To get we have to go back and regentrify our islands. We have to go back to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic and lead by example and buy property there and raise the property value and our and our mother lands. It is important it starts with us.
Definitely, I got some property out there, Dominican Republic.
You look like you got some property.
Absolutely. My mother is actually there now. My mother, she's always been about real estate. My mother has apartments, houses, commercial buildings. She don't invest her money and nothing but real estate. She's like, you're selling, then she runs them and then she takes all the money. You know, Dominican Alpine, you got her own lands. But I love Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. I posted, I'm like, yo, this is dope. Come here, come to this hotel you know something. Yeah,
But definitely by the properties, especially Puerto Rico. Man, there's a lot of properties. You get yourself a nice house where you could go back and make sure you bring your kids there and be like, this is where we're from.
That's right.
We can't really separate ourselves too much, even if we were born here. Yep, I say, I'm Dominican.
Oh, that's right, that's right.
You know some people like Dominican American. I'm like just Dominican.
Yeah, I'm Puerto Rican, and I'm Puerto Rican and Dominican because my father's Dominican. I grew up with my Puerto Rican family. But I don't feel like I should have to say I'm Puerto Rican American because Puerto Rican is American. And I'm tired of them doing that.
All that's right, that right there.
Yeah, it's crazy, it's it's it's it's unnecessary to say that. That's them othering us. But you know, I love us, I love my people, and I look forward to the day where we are victorious, which is all the time, we do great things. In spite of all the things that they've done to us and try to hold us back, were still standing and we still make it happen.
We're winning, you know, We're leading, and no matter how they want to paint us, we're gonna fight back.
That's right. We're always gonna win.
We're gonna show them we're gonna be like someone. We got our degrees, we got our careers, we got our cribs, we got our whips, we go on vacations. We're just as good as any other race.
Yeah.
Absolutely, I want to thank you so much.
Today. Thank you.
I want you to go to your hotel, get some.
Sleep, and get ready for my shows.
Get ready for your shows. Are you gonna be able to sleep before you go to those shows?
Probably not because I don't. It's just it's just because I'm only here for a few days, the time difference between LA.
So forget about I can't.
I can't.
I can't get with the jet lag.
But but I come here every month because I have to come here for stand up and I wasn't because that had become so busy in l A and I was working on some other stuff. But now that I'm back, because I was here a few weeks ago, I get used to it.
Bring bring your ass back.
I love it here.
I'm so happy we got to talk.
I know you're a little bit better.
We didn't joke around too much. But it's okay. I can watch you on TV.
You can come to a show, you can show you want.
You'll hear me right in the background.
Person is coming to the shows tomorrow. Really, she comes. When I directed the special, she was there when I was in Puerto Rico and the Dominican republiced shooting the documentary from my special. She came to Puerto Rico. She shows up.
Angeliae's a real one.
I love her. Yeah no, she told me the same about you, that we're good.
But you know, I want to really really thank you for showing up today, you know yours.
Thank you for having me. This is beautiful.
Thank you so much.
We need you.
I'm here, I'm working.
Album.
Are you a photographer, your director? As long as you know you're part of MICHAELA. I'm going to support you. Meicano Clad put.
In the word I will.
You'll see Grassiers and come again.
Thank you.
Grassiers Come Again is a production of Honey German Productions in partnership with Iheart's MICHAELA Podcast Network.