Damn That’s Crazy

Frankie Quiñones is best known as the face behind the viral CholoFit workout skits and his scene-stealing work in the sitcom This Fool. For his debut stand-up special, directed by Ali Wong, he sets aside his beloved Creeper persona to perform entirely as himself. He arrives on stage at Portland’s Revolution Hall with a blast of high energy, opening the show with beatboxing and physical crowd work before settling into a set about his chaotic life.\n\nMuch of the set is standard, fast-paced club material. He tracks his history of dating eccentric women, including a zoo keeper and a hippie, and details the high-stakes politics of a family carne asada. He also turns himself into a visual punchline with a highly physical bit enacting how a T-Rex would have sex.\n\nHowever, the hour takes a hard pivot into deeply personal territory in its final third. Quiñones walks the crowd through his pandemic-era struggles with substance abuse, an accidental sex toy addiction, and a stint in rehab. He then goes even further, opening up about childhood sexual abuse and the long road to talking about it with his family. He uses the absurdity of his own rock bottom to bridge the gap between heavy trauma and stand-up comedy, ensuring the crowd stays with him even as the subject matter turns painful.