Richard Villa

One of the funniest Latino comics in the world, Richard Villa grew up in Compton, California, probably one of the un-funniest neighborhoods in the world – unless you’re Richard Villa. Playing off his urban, inner-city upbringing, Villa’s humor often touches on issues of race by using a unique style of satire.

Villa began doing stand-up by attending open-mic nights in Los Angeles, but quickly moved on to The Groundlings. There, the troupe’s on-the-move improv style honed his skills for bigger things like hosting the Hollywood Improv – the first Latino comic to achieve that honor.

As a rising comic star in LA, Villa also hosted at the Ha-Ha in North Hollywood and ultimately performed half way around the world to make the U.S. Armed Forces laugh between firefights in Iraq.

Richard Villa’s first DVD special, Richard Villa: Performing This Way, came out in 2005. Villa has since made appearances on numerous Latino TV shows and specials, most notably HBO Latino.