Aida Margarita Parada Rodriguez (born August 29, 1977) is an American comedian of Puerto Rican/ Dominican descent who is best known for her appearance as a contestant on the eighth season of ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

'' and as a commentator on ''

The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (TYT) is an American progressive news commentary show on YouTube that additionally appears on selected television channels. TYT serves as the flagship program of the TYT Network, a multi-channel network of associated web se ...

''. She is also an actress, producer, writer, and podcaster.

Early life

Rodriguez was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and taken to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

shortly afterward. As a child, her mother

kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

her from her father in the Dominican Republic, and brought her to the U.S. 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. Her uncle was later murdered in a hate crime. She attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

where she met her future husband 'Omar Ellison. She studied English and law, but left before graduating after she became pregnant. She was recruited by modeling agency

IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...

. She and Ellison later divorced. Rodriguez moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s with her two children after her divorce from Ellison. After a bout with

anorexia Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

and a divorce, she turned to comedy for healing. For a time, she and her children were homeless and lived out of a car.

Career

Rodriguez attempts to transform painful episodes of her life into comedy material, while also addressing difficult issues such as misogyny and racism. She was a top ten finalist in the eighth season of NBC's ''

'' (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. Rodriguez is a five-time host of the

Imagen Awards The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in film, Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a medi ...

, which recognizes "the positive portrayal and creative excellence of Latinos and Latino cultures on screen". Through the stand-up comedy circuit, Rodriguez met

Tiffany Haddish Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish (born December 3, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. After guest-starring on several television series and lead role on a cable drama, Haddish gained prominence for her role as Nekeisha Williams on ...

, who has proven a long-time friend and a strong advocate for women of color comics. In August 2019, Rodriguez was featured in the comedy anthology series ''Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready on Netflix''. She was one of six featured comedians, each given a half-hour comedy special. Currently, Rodriguez appears as a co-host of ''

'' online platform. In collaboration with

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

, 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.

Filmography

Film

Television

Comedy releases

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Aida 1977 births Living people Actresses from Boston Comedians from Massachusetts Female models from Massachusetts American stand-up comedians American political commentators American women comedians American actresses of Puerto Rican descent American people of Dominican Republic descent American expatriates in the Dominican Republic Puerto Rican female models Hispanic and Latino American female models The Young Turks people 20th-century American women 21st-century American women 21st-century American comedians