Marcello Hernández is one of the Saturday evening liverising stars – an achievement he is happy to share with his parents, especially his mother Isabel Cancela.

The comedian was born and raised in Miami by his mother and father, originally from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Hernández frequently references his upbringing in his comedy, drawing inspiration from his culture – and his mother in particular – for his settings.

“A lot of the jokes I say and what I write have to do with our relationship growing up,” the SNL the star said Variety in August 2024 from his mother. “She went through a lot to get to the United States and make a name for herself and a world, so I respect her a lot and trust her judgment.”

In fact, one of Hernández’s escapes SNL That’s when her “Protective Mom” ​​sketch – inspired by her own mother – became one of the five most-watched live sketches of season 48.

From how they provide content for his comedy sketches to starring in commercials alongside him, here’s everything you need to know about Isabel and her father, Marcello Hernández’s mother.

Hernández’s mother is from Cuba and his father is from the Dominican Republic.

Hernández has roots in two countries, his mother an immigrant from Cuba and his father from the Dominican Republic. The actor joked during his 2022 Montreal Just for Laughs The fact that they are from these two countries “means that they are divorced”.

“It doesn’t work,” he said. “They came to America with the same idea, just a little different. My mother came here and she said to me, ‘Oh my God, look at all these opportunities.’ ”

“And then my father came here and said to me, ‘Oh my God, look at all these opportunities, this is not a place to get married, this is the land of opportunity,'” Hernández continued, joking that his father saw relationship potential. , in addition to the career goals envisaged by Isabel.

By VarietyIsabel fled Cuba with her family at age 12 and moved to Spain and the Dominican Republic before coming to the United States alone. She attended college and graduated while pregnant with Hernández.

His parents weren’t afraid to scold Hernández when he complained

Coming from an immigrant family who faced hardships on their journey to the United States, Hernández’s parents didn’t hesitate to put their son in his place when he complained when he was a child.

During his Just for laughs While there, Hernández joked that he could never respond to his mother the way other children would because “I have a Cuban mother who escaped communism.”

“The only reason I know is because she told me every morning,” he said. “For me it’s ‘Hello Marcello, have a good day, but just remember…I’m setting you free.’ ”

The comedian went on to joke that in his house he wasn’t allowed to have a bad day, otherwise it would be compared to his mother’s struggles. For example, if he came home from school and said he had a hard time that day, his mother would respond, “What was so bad that happened?” Did someone steal your freedom today? ”

Isabel inspired her famous SNL sketch

In February 2023, the “Protective mom” SNL sketch — featuring Pierre Pascal – went viral. The actor plays a man who introduces his new girlfriend (Chloe Fineman) to his Latina mom (Pascal). Her mother has a lot of questions and doubts about the relationship until Chloe’s character asks for her favors when she asks him to say grace.

Hernández wrote the sketch after Pascal had the idea to play “his protective mother”. The last of us the actor said Variety. Although the track is not “physically” based on Isabel, Hernández said during an October 2023 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers that he had his antics in mind while writing.

“One of the elements of the skit is that my mother doesn’t believe in ADD, so one of the lines is ‘My son doesn’t have ADD, he just likes to jump,’” Hernández said. “So it looks like him.”

He often talks about his parents in his stand-up shows

Hernández’s experience as the son of immigrant parents often comes up in his stand-up scenes, including in his first set on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In the show, Hernández jokes that his parents have “different levels of English” – and it leads to an interesting conversation.

“I brought my father to SNL recently, and all the writers were like, ‘It’s so nice to meet you,'” he said. “And my father’s response was, ‘Me too.’ ”

He went on to share that his mother is “much better” at English and is even somewhat of a “philosopher” with the “most interesting” questions.

“One day at dinner she asked me, she looked at me and she said, ‘Marcello, what’s the difference between anal sex and sex?’ ” he joked. “I thought, ‘Wow, that’s an incredible question. Touched, my queen. I don’t know.” ”

Isabel appeared in a T-Mobile commercial with him

Isabel often joined Hernández on various red carpets and was by his side at important events, but in October 2024 she also starred in a commercial alongside him.

T-Mobile released a TikTok of the two preparing to shoot the spot, including behind-the-scenes footage of Hernández harassing his mother by shoving microphones in her face, to which she responded, “Stop, stop, stop.”

In another segment, Isabel flips her hair back and says, “I feel famous.” Later in the clip, she compliments Hernández by saying he looks “cute” and that he has a job.

He yelled at his mother during his first appearance on a late night show

Hernández made his first late night appearance in October 2023 on Late Night with Seth Meyers and one of the first things he did was shout to his mother, who was sitting in the audience.

“Mom, real quick, I just want to say, I’m so grateful for you and everything you’ve sacrificed for me in my life,” he said. “Everything I do, including this, is always for you.”

He went on to say, in Spanish, that he loves her with all his heart. The camera then turned to Isabel, who was crying.

Meyers then joked that he met her backstage and asked if she was proud of her son, to which she responded, “Eh.” “It looks like him,” Hernández admitted with a laugh.