Fresh Air Comic Cristela Alonzo
11 snips
Sep 29, 2025 
Cristela Alonzo, a Mexican-American comedian and actress, shares her remarkable journey from living in an abandoned diner in Texas to success in stand-up and television. She reveals the challenges of growing up in a mixed-status family, including protecting her undocumented mother from ICE raids. Alonzo discusses her mother's escape from an abusive marriage and the hardships they faced in poverty, fueling her comedic voice. She highlights the importance of activism in her work, using humor to advocate for immigrant rights.
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Growing Up In A Squatted Diner
- Cristela grew up squatting in an abandoned diner in South Texas with her mother and three siblings for seven years.
- They survived with borrowed electricity, space-heater cooking, and warming water in a pickle tub to bathe.
Childhood Duty To Protect Mother
- As a child Cristela and her siblings would create tantrums or noise to quickly leave public places when Border Patrol agents were present to protect their undocumented mother.
- Those strategies created ongoing childhood fear and responsibility for keeping her family safe.
Mother Escaped An Arranged, Abusive Marriage
- Cristela's mother left an abusive marriage after being effectively forced into it in Mexico and raised four children alone in the U.S. despite limited education and language barriers.
- Her mother refused contact between Cristela and her father as punishment for his abuse and infidelity.
