Inside L.A. restaurant Jaragua, on a current Friday evening, Justin Alexio moved with a measured urgency from the backroom to the entrance of the restaurant with out disturbing anybody’s dinner. The comedian, producer and creator of the Los Angeles-based comedy present, Pupusas and Punchlines, Alexio escorted friends to their tables, switched on the microphones positioned across the room, and pointed a digital camera to the middle stage earlier than the present was to start.
The eating space contained in the Salvadoran restaurant is reasonably quiet for a Friday evening; there’s a soccer recreation taking part in on TV as a household of six locations an order for dinner. As individuals within the viewers unfold their curtido, or pickled cabbage and carrots, on their pupusas, others await for his or her meals with anticipation, whereas some select to stay to drinks. The room is full of distractions, however comedians should not fazed — it’s a welcoming environment, they usually know that quickly the sounds of laughter will fill the air.
“I really feel like consuming is such a big a part of Latin tradition and most cultures,” Alexio mentioned. “I wished a spot the place you’ll be able to eat Latin meals and hearken to Latin jokes.”
Within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, unbiased comedy reveals had nearly change into a factor of the previous in L.A. To not point out that discovering gigs is a troublesome job, particularly for Latinx comedians; based on Alexio, most comedy rooms don’t wish to guide a couple of Latinx comic.
Pupusas and Punchlines presents a spot the place they’ll carry out in entrance of a packed room and joke concerning the immigrant expertise within the U.S. — and the absurdities of the American dream in 2025 — whereas sharing a scrumptious meal.
Pupusas and Punchlines producer and creator Justin Alexio performs on March 7, 2025.
(Drew Steres)
Alexio mentioned he began the present in 2023, after he took a protracted break from stand-up comedy, to as an alternative pursue performing full time. His résumé contains appearances on NBC’s comedy collection “Superstore” and ABC’s late-night present “Jimmy Kimmel Stay!”
“The way forward for leisure needs to be extra actual,” he mentioned of his choice to return to the stage. “Stand-up is dwell.”
The L.A. stand-up scene is kind of aggressive — particularly for Alexio, who’s an Afro-Latino of Puerto Rican, Dominican and Ecuadorian descent. As a solution to the marginalization of Black and brown individuals in mainstream comedy, Alexio mentioned he determined to supply his personal present, with hopes to spotlight different Latinx performers as properly.
Since then, he has expanded “Pupusas and Punchlines” immensely — from performing solely as soon as a month at half-capacity to promoting out 115 consecutive weekly reveals.
Alexio attributed the present’s success to the high-quality comedians he’s booked, in addition to the meals and the sensation of group it has created. Folks have advised him they’ve pushed greater than an hour only for the present, whereas others have attended on a number of events.
“They wish to help me and the present, they wish to help the restaurant, they wish to help the Latin comics … The gang seems like they wish to assist these comics rise,” he mentioned.
Patrons snicker at Pupusas and Punchlines on Might 16, 2025.
(Drew Steres)
The vast majority of the comics Alexio books are Latinx, however he additionally contains performers who belong to different underrepresented teams. He showcases upcoming comics whereas offering clips to assist develop their social media presence. After acting on his present, he mentioned, comics have famous an uptick of recent followers on social media.
Onstage at Friday’s present, comics pulled humor from subjects associated to immigration, faith, salsa, sexuality and different typical first-generation immigrant dilemmas. Performers really feel like they’ll focus on subjects they often can’t carry out in entrance of a extra normal membership viewers.
“I believe any ethnicity in an ethnic crowd at all times thrive,” mentioned comedian Gregory Santos. “Clearly you is usually a white boy and do a very good job right here. I really feel prefer it’s simply an additional layer of stuff which you can discuss.”
Daisy Roxx performs at Pupusas and Punchlines in March.
(Drew Steres)
Pupusas and Punchlines is without doubt one of the few reveals that caters towards the Latinx group, mentioned comic Rell Battle, as he rattled off a listing of reveals that sadly don’t exist anymore.
“Mockingly, in a majority Latin metropolis, there aren’t [many] constant Latin reveals,” Battle mentioned. He described Pupusas and Punchlines as a street present of kinds — scored by real laughter. The viewers members really feel extra appreciative, in comparison with a run-of-the-mill comedy membership in Hollywood that caters extra to vacationers.
“Those that come out to reveals in Hollywood will ask me to carry the digital camera and take an image of them,” Battle joked.
The gang at Pupusas and Punchlines is just not one to dismiss or antagonize comics that aren’t Latinx. But viewers members would gladly appropriate any comedian who’d assume the restaurant was Mexican, or mispronounce the phrase “pupusas,” as Battle sheepishly recalled throughout his personal set. On the finish of the day, they often bond with comics over what they share in frequent: the drive to make it in L.A.
“When the neighborhood reveals up, these are the most effective reveals,” mentioned Santos, between units at Jaragua. “It’s regular individuals, it’s on a regular basis neighborhood L.A. individuals.”
For extra data on upcoming occasions, go to Pupusas and Punchlines on Instagram.
