Cristela Alonzo to Release New Netflix Comedy Special “Upper Classy” in Late September

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Tom Castaneda

Cristela Alonzo is upp(er)ing her comedy game…

The 46-year-old Mexican American comedian, writer, actress and producer is set to globally release her new Netflix special, Upper Classy, on September 23rd.

The special, filmed at The Majestic theater in Dallas, finds Alonzo in pursuit of happiness.

Whether finding out she’s doing better than her high school bully, visiting a spa and getting too much self-care or taking her family on their first vacation ever, Alonzo teaches her family (and herself) how to enjoy life, whether they like it or not.

The special is Alonzo’s third original for Netflix, following Cristela Alonzo: Middle Classy in 2022, and Cristela Alonzo: Lower Classy six years before that.

In addition to writing and performing, she executive produced the special alongside Page Hurwitz and Wanda Sykes for Push It Productions, with Hurwitz also serving as director of the special.

Alonzo made history in 2014 as the first Latina to create, produce, write and star in her own network sitcom with Cristela on ABC, a semi-autobiographical series that drew on her working-class upbringing in Texas.

Starting to experiment with stand-up back when she was working as an office manager at the Addison Improv in Dallas, TX in the early 2000s, she was a semi-finalist on Last Comic Standing in 2010 and has also been seen on the likes of Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Live at Gotham.

Alonzo has also voiced roles in projects like His Dark Materials and Cars 3 and released her memoir, Music to My Years: A Mixtape-Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up, in 2019.

Amazon to Release Gina Brillon’s Latest Comedy Special in June

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Brillon is bring the laughs to Amazon…

Amazon will premiere the Puerto Rican comedian/actress’ one-hour comedy special Gina Brillon: The Floor Is Lava on Friday, June 5.

In her third stand-up special, Brillon pulls no punches when discussing her childhood, culture and the transition from single to married life with her Midwestern husband as she guides the audience on a journey of love, laughter and heart.

Brillon’s first one-hour special, Pacifically Speaking, was produced by Gabriel Iglesias and aired on NuvoTV (2014).

She has made appearances on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham,E!’s Chelsea Lately,AXS’Gotham Comedy Live, The View,Late Night with Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Brillon has also appeared on television in CBS’ Kevin Can Wait on ABC’s The Conners.

In 2012, she became the first (and only) Latina winner of NBC’s Stand up for Diversity Showcase. She was selected to be part of Montreal’s Just For Laughs New Faces Showcase.

Brillon is also a singer, published writer, and poet. Her pieces have appeared in The New York Post and Daily News, among others.

In 2019, she was featured on Gabriel Iglesias’ “Beyond the Fluffy Tour” – hitting 46 cities around the US.

Her most recent half-hour special, Easily Offended, was one of the top shows among the Entre Nos franchise on HBO Latino, and is now streaming on all HBO digital platforms.

Alonzo to Star in ABC’s Drama Pilot “The Gospel of Kevin”

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Cristela Alonzo is preaching the gospel…

The 38-year-old Mexican American stand-up comedian/actress has been cast as the female lead opposite Jason Ritter in ABC’s The Gospel of Kevin, an hourlong drama pilot from ABC Studios.

Directed by Paul McGuigan, The Gospel of Kevin is a light one-hour about Kevin (Ritter), a down-on-his-luck man who is tasked by God with a mission to save the world. Kevin is a cluelessly self-serving jerk who’s on a dangerous path to despair. After a failed suicide attempt, he’s going home to stay with his widowed twin sister and niece for a time, only to be met with a crisis in the person Yvette (Alonso). Tough-talking but not without compassion, a “source of luminescence” and clearly divine, Yvette is a “warrior for God,” who explains to Kevin that he’s been “tasked with a sacred mission.”

Alonzo, the first Mexican American woman to create, produce, write, and star in her own US network show, has been courted to return to series television for awhile now.

Her 2014 sitcom Cristela was a Cinderella story, with a full pilot shot on a shoestring budget that beat the odds and landed on the ABC schedule, subsequently earning a full-season order. She appears regularly on Conan and The View, in addition to being featured on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham and Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution. She most recently can be seen in her comedy special Lower Classy on Netflix.

Brillon Signs with William Morris Endeavor

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Gina Brillon is one step closer to getting laughs on a bigger stage…

The Bronx-born Puerto Rican comedienne has officially signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Brillon has been performing stand-up since she was 17, serving as a headlining act at clubs throughout the country, including Caroline’s, The Comedy Store and both Los Angeles and New York City outposts of The Laugh Factory.

Montreal’s prestigious Just For Laughs international comedy festival selected her to be part of its New Faces Class of 2013, and the year before she became the first Latina to receive top honors at Stand-Up NBC, an annual showcase for diverse comedians whose alumni include Hannibal Buress, W. Kamau Bell and Brandon T. Jackson.

Her television appearances include The View, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham, E!’s Chelsea Lately, AXS’ Gotham Comedy Live and NuvoTV’s Stand Up and Deliver.

Earlier this month she generated laughs with a special set at the upfront presentation for the Jennifer Lopez network.

Brillon, who also has published poetry in The New York Post and the Daily Newsand as a singer served as the opening act for artists including Ne-Yo, will appear in comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias’ upcoming documentary The Fluffy Movie, and is preparing to shoot her first one-hour special later this year.

Alonzo’s Semi-Autobiographical Comedy Project “Cristela” Still Alive at ABC

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Cristela Alonzo’s television dreams are still alive…

The Mexican American actress and stand-up comic’s semi-autobiographical comedy Cristela still has a shot at ABC with a potential Fall 2014 premiere date.

The network, which originally bought the 20th TV-backed comedy in August, has given the green light on what it describes as a “proof of concept” for the project, which has acquired many fans among ABC’s top leaders.

On the recently released breakdown for Cristela, it’s listed as a pilot presentation with John Pasquin directing a cast of 10, led by Alonzo.

The show, co-written by Alonzo and Kevin Hench, tells the story of Cristela (Alonzo), an American Latina straddling two cultures while not fully belonging to either.

Cristela, in her sixth year of law school and living rent-free with her sister and brother-in-law, hopes to land a prestigious law firm internship as her mother badgers her about getting a real job, her brother-in-law encourages her to move out and her sister runs low on patience.

20th Century Fox Television is producing the project, with Alonzo executive producing.

Alonzo, originally from the South Texas, has appeared on Conan, Live At Gotham and Last Comic Standing.

Alonzo Receives Script Commitment from ABC for Her Sitcom “Cristela”

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Cristela Alonzo is television-bound…

ABC has given the 34-year-old rising Mexican American standup comedian/actress a script commitment with a sizable penalty, reportedly in the six figures, for the half-hour multi-camera comedy she co-created as a starring vehicle.

Entitled Cristela, the project, inspired by Alonzo’s life, is the story of an American Latina (portrayed by Alonzo) straddling two cultures while not fully belonging to either.

Alonzo will co-write the script with writer-producer Kevin Hench.

20th Century Fox Television and 21 Laps/Adelstein will produce the series.

Alonzo, originally from the south Texas border town of San Juan, has appeared on Conan, Live At Gotham and Last Comic Standing.

She made her acting debut on FX’s Sons Of Anarchy. And Alonzo’s first stand-up special, The Half Hour, recently premiered on Comedy Central.

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