Inside L.A. restaurant Jaragua, on a latest Friday night time, 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 digicam to the middle stage earlier than the present was to start.
The eating space contained in the Salvadoran restaurant is somewhat quiet for a Friday night time; there’s a soccer sport 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 crammed with distractions, however comedians will not be fazed — it’s a welcoming environment, they usually know that quickly the sounds of laughter will fill the air.
“I feel like eating is such a large part of Latin culture and most cultures,” Alexio mentioned. “I wanted a place where you can eat Latin food and listen to Latin jokes.”
Within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, impartial comedy reveals had nearly turn into a factor of the previous in L.A. To not point out that discovering gigs is a troublesome process, particularly for Latinx comedians; in line with Alexio, most comedy rooms don’t need to e-book multiple Latinx comic.
Pupusas and Punchlines affords a spot the place they’ll carry out in entrance of a packed room and joke in regards to 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 an extended break from stand-up comedy, to as a substitute pursue performing full time. His résumé contains appearances on NBC’s comedy sequence “Superstore” and ABC’s late-night present “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The future of entertainment has to be more real,” he mentioned of his choice to return to the stage. “Stand-up is live.”
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. Individuals have advised him they’ve pushed greater than an hour only for the present, whereas others have attended on a number of events.
“They want to support me and the show, they want to support the restaurant, they want to support the Latin comics … The crowd feels like they want to help these comics rise,” he mentioned.
Patrons chortle 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 latest followers on social media.
Onstage at Friday’s present, comics pulled humor from matters associated to immigration, faith, salsa, sexuality and different typical first-generation immigrant dilemmas. Performers really feel like they’ll talk about matters they often can’t carry out in entrance of a extra normal membership viewers.
“I think any ethnicity in an ethnic crowd always thrive,” mentioned comedian Gregory Santos. “Obviously you can be a white boy and do a really good job here. I feel like it’s just an extra layer of stuff that you can talk about.”
Daisy Roxx performs at Pupusas and Punchlines in March.
(Drew Steres)
Pupusas and Punchlines is among the few reveals that caters towards the Latinx group, mentioned comic Rell Battle, as he rattled off an inventory of reveals that sadly don’t exist anymore.
“Ironically, in a majority Latin city, there aren’t [many] consistent Latin shows,” Battle mentioned. He described Pupusas and Punchlines as a highway 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.
“People that come out to shows in Hollywood will ask me to hold the camera and take a picture of them,” Battle joked.
The group at Pupusas and Punchlines will not be 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 widespread: the drive to make it in L.A.
“When the neighborhood shows up, those are the best shows,” mentioned Santos, between units at Jaragua. “It’s normal people, it’s everyday neighborhood L.A. people.”
For extra data on upcoming occasions, go to Pupusas and Punchlines on Instagram.
