Santi Espinosa
Treating the immigrant language barrier like a daily practical joke.
1 special · 2026
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Espinosa works at the speed of someone whose mouth is trying to keep up with two languages at once. He will start a story in plain English, hit an emotional snag, and drop into Spanish cadence to capture how ridiculous a situation felt. When a punchline lands, he does not linger on it. He shrugs, widens his eyes, and explains why an idea that sounded reasonable in Bogota sounds deranged in New York. The rhythm is casual and conversational, anchored by exasperated looks and sudden shifts in volume.
Stand-up specials
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Espanglish — Traumatically Bilingual
Bilingual stand-up about Colombian mothers, therapy, and new fatherhood.
YouTube
On stage
In the New York club circuit, he bridges audiences that rarely share the same room. Performing bilingual standup often risks losing half the audience, but Espinosa avoids that by making the misunderstanding itself the joke. He assumes the crowd can follow the emotion even if they miss a specific idiom.
His material sticks close to home: raising a child, talking to his mother, and the small humiliations of immigrant bureaucracy. The sharpest bits focus on daily embarrassments, like altering an accent to sound wealthier on a customer service call. When he leans too far into familiar complaints about domestic chores, the set can feel conventional, but he recovers whenever he returns to the chaos of his own head.
Born in Colombia and shaped by years in Montreal before landing in New York, his background supplies the vantage point rather than a lecture topic. The displacement is just how he sees the room.
Turning points
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Move to New York and Comedy Cellar Workshops
After beginning stand-up in Montreal, Espinosa relocated to New York City and honed his joke structure under veteran comedian Rick Crom, later securing showcase spots across the city.
At a glance
Podcasts
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What's Going On · host
Santi Espinosa talks to comedians, actors, and directors about life, comedy, and what is happening in the world.
A clip to start with
Santi Espinosa: Espanglish - Traumatically Bilingual - Full Special