Latino USA

Comedy Legend John Leguizamo: A Self-Proclaimed Ghetto Intellectual and Freak

April 12, 2026·27 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

John Leguizamo is back on our screens—though he never really left. For decades he has played characters that have become comedy cult classics: Chi Chi Rodriguez in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, to Benny Blanco in Carlitos Way, and Tybalt in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. He’s the voice of Bruno in Encanto and Sid the Sloth in Ice Age. Roles that he argues would have skyrocketed any white actor to stardom. In this episode we break down his roles, why he thinks entertainers have a responsibility to speak up and get a peek into his new Hulu show where he plays Pablo Escobar.  Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Latino USA and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.