When Marcello Hernandez first appeared on our TV screens and social media feeds as a new
Saturday Night Live cast member; in the fall of 2022, he quickly became an audience favorite with his hilarious, relatable skits.
Though by no means the first Latino on the show, Hernandez is the first to bring Latinidad to the forefront with his popular skits such as “Overprotective Mom” (featuring the internet’s boyfriend, Pedro Pascal, in the titular role) “El Chavo del Ocho” (featuring the one we’re ready to risk it all for, Bad Bunny) and my personal favorite, “Sabado Gigante”, which perfectly captured the chaos of the popular variety show that many Latinos watched growing up.
Now, in his first comedy special for Netflix, the aptly titled American Boy, Hernandez continues to be a champion for Latinidad in an age of seemingly endless cultural adversity and gives us some much-needed laughs along the way.
From the intro music, observations on the guilt-ridden ways in which our parents tried to keep us in line as kids (who knew we all got the “everything you think is yours is mine” line?) and juxtapositions between Latino vs. white culture, Hernandez shares some undeniable truths throughout his performance.
In particular, the reality of “not being allowed” to have mental health issues. Hernandez underscores the fact that many of us who are first or second-generation Americans may feel frustration or resentment for not being taken seriously by our parents when sharing our mental health struggles, but they have also had a lot of life experiences that we have not stopped to consider. While the existence of one does not negate the other, it can be difficult for our experience to make sense to our parents, as we have grown up with privileges that they never even dreamed of when they were trying to make their way through the world.
Hernandez’s material has resonated with viewers to such an extent that, less than a week after his debut, he landed on the Netflix top 10 list. A major feat for Latinx content, especially considering that many beloved shows like Gentefied (I’ll never forgive you for that one, Netflix!) and One Day at a Time were canceled in part because they didn’t reach the top 10, despite high critical acclaim, with a respective 96% and 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Although I found some of the jokes a bit problematic at times (there are a lot of shared experiences we can bond over that don’t need to include laughing off being hit or physically hurt as a kid), Hernandez’s use of his platform to embrace, uplift, and celebrate us is so needed.
His intentional choice to call his special American Boy, as the Miami native leans into his cultural identity to connect with a widespread audience, is brilliant, especially when people outside of our community, like Hernandez said, “there’s a group”, insist on labeling and vilifying us at every opportunity.
In a now viral clip, Hernandez addresses some of the often spewed lies, specifically about immigrants, by quickly reminding fearmongers that the call is coming from inside the house. He also makes it a point to acknowledge that while he is no expert on laws or politics, he is a product of immigrant parents, and many people he grew up around, both family and community members, were also immigrants and shouldn’t be seen as a threat.
I appreciate Hernandez taking a moment to offer some perspective on the topic during such a pivotal moment in his career and to counter the narrative constantly being peddled by the current administration.
Overall, American Boy offers us a welcome break from the American experience.
