The Marcello Hernández’s Show

Marcello Hernández Is Keeping It Real

Yve Spengler

I had no idea what to expect going into the Marcello Hernández and Friends comedy show. Sure, I expected humor and a cute guy from SNL—what I didn’t expect, however, was for everyone and their mom to be there. Or for such tactful humor that made me ponder about what it means to live in America for many Latino, Hispanic, and Black communities. 

Marcello Hernánez charmingly used crowd work to connect with the audience. Throughout the night, we built a genuine connection with him. After much anticipation, he finally appeared on stage, only to be yelled at repeatedly by a girl, “I LOVE YOU!” He laughingly responded for them to “get out,” before telling them he loved them back. 

Hernández, who is Cuban-Dominican and a Miami native, used his humor to elaborate about his upbringing, connecting to others in the Latino or Hispanic community. As a white person, these jokes may not have been directly relatable, but I found them to be just as worthwhile because of the opportunity to observe what racism can feel like for the many who experience it daily.

One of his final jokes was about how “we do more fun crimes.” Hernández puts us in the scene of a couple of characters running away from the police on a boat while high on cocaine and almost falling off. His stand-up routine humanizes minority communities, especially those that hold them in a negative light, seeing crime rates and statistics before the person. For me, his comedy was an opportunity to empathize with the experiences of those who are judged differently than me by our society, and I’m grateful for the chance to take in more perspectives through Hernández’s comedy.