Marcello Hernandez’s parents are his muse.
Hernandez was born and raised in Miami, Florida, by his mom, Isabel, and his stepdad. His mom and dad divorced soon after immigrating to America, but the Saturday Night Live star has remained close with both of them, as well as his stepfather.
“I have two dads and a mom,” Hernandez said during a January 2026 appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “I got lucky with a good stepdad. I think it’s also a difficult position to be in.”
Hernandez decided to pursue a career in comedy after playing soccer in his teen years. Though he said his mom and stepdad were “supportive” of his choice, his dad was a bit harder to convince.
“My dad had gone to a few tournaments and seen me play really well. And I think he had that always in his mind, like, ‘You’re really good. I’ve seen you excel. I don’t think you should drop this for something that you’re not so good at yet.’ But my mom and my stepdad were like, ‘If you want to do this, we’re in. Go for it.’”
Keep scrolling to see everything to know about Hernandez’s parents:
Where Are Marcello Hernandez’s Parents From?
Marcello Hernandez’s mom and stepdad are both from Cuba, while his dad is from the Dominican Republic. The comedian revealed on “Armchair Expert” that his mom fled Cuba when she was 12 years old and briefly moved to Spain and the Dominican Republic before settling down in America.
Marcello Hernandez’s Parents Are Divorced
Marcello Hernandez’s parents divorced when he was young. Isabela remarried when Hernandez was around 4 or 5 years old.
During his stand-up routine at Montreal Just for Laughs in 2022, Hernandez joked about why his parents’ marriage ended in divorce.
“It doesn’t work out,” he said. “They came to America with the same idea, just a little bit different. My mom got here and she was like, ‘Oh my god, look at all of these opportunities.’ And then my dad got here and was like ‘Oh my gosh, look at all of these opportunities. This is not a place to be married, this is the land of opportunities.’”
Marcello Hernandez’s Mom Has Appeared on TV With Him
Marcello Hernandez’s mom has joined him at various red carpet events, as well as a January 2026 interview on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle. Isabel even appeared alongside her son in a T-Mobile commercial in 2024.
“My mom, as a person, is truly an example,” Hernandez said on “Armchair Expert.” “Someone that is moral, that takes care of her family, that is nice to people, that is respectful, gives her time back. She’s just a beautiful human being.”
Hernandez continued, “And she went through a lot of really dark stuff. And she communicated that to me quite a bit. … And when you grow up like that and then something good happens to you and you feel like you’ve made it, the first thing that has come to my mind all the time, whenever I’m doing an interview or somebody’s asking me, all I can think of is like, ‘I can’t believe that she gets to see this.’”
Marcello Hernandez’s Parents Inspire His Stand-Up Comedy Routines
Marcello Hernandez often incorporates jokes about his mom and dad in his stand-up routines, as well as Saturday Night Live sketches. For example, Isabel served as the inspiration for his viral “Protective Mom” sketch featuring Pedro Pascal in 2023. In the skit, Hernandez played a man who introduces his new girlfriend (Chloe Fineman) to his Latina mom (Pascal).
“One of the pieces of the sketch is that my mother doesn’t believe in ADD, so one of the lines is ‘My son don’t have ADD, he just like to jump,’ Hernandez said on Late Night With Seth Meyers in October 2023. “So that kind of sounds like her.”
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