Latino Comedy Project<\/a> and performing in local venues such as ColdTowne Theatre and The Creek and the Cave. Her truthful storytelling mixed with comedic timing gives a breath of fresh air to audiences, specifically the Mexican American crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cFrom the beginning, I feel like I\u2019ve always been a storyteller \u2013 a longer, narrative-type of comedian,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n
Coming from a theater background, Gonzalez said things like improv and sketch comedy made her feel like she could be anything she wanted to be and nothing would hold her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VanessaGonzalez10-1024x683.jpg\")
Vanessa Gonzalez performs at SXSW Friday night at The Creek and The Cave. Photo by Mari G. Hernandez\/Special to Austin Vida<\/p>\n
\u201cEven now, for acting auditions, I still only get roles for a maid, server or mom,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cBut with improv, I could play a cat, a man, a lamp. The possibilities are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Improv and sketch comedy gave her the comfort of performing without much risk as she hid behind a character. Eventually, the comedian\u2019s friends started performing stand-up comedy, something Gonzalez never ventured into.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gonzalez, the daughter of first-generation Mexican American parents, grew up in Laredo. As a child, she found ways to stand out while expressing herself through comedy. Today, her comedic work pulls from formative experiences in her life as well as her early adulthood, with her family being at the heart of what she does.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my family taught me to be funny,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cEverybody is always roasting each other, and no one\u2019s ever serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a theater degree from Texas State University, Gonzalez moved to Austin in 2008 after connecting with a community of performers in the Latino Comedy Project. She took to the stage, performing improv and sketch comedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Gonzalez\u2019s friend, Lisa Friedrich, who pushed her into her first stand-up with her original material. During one of Friedrich\u2019s stand-up shows, Gonzalez was given five minutes of stand-up time with a mic and 15 audience members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe [Friedrich] just threw me into the deep end of the pool,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cAfter that, I told myself, I guess I\u2019ve got to keep doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
She took that leap into the unknown and began sharing stories of growing up in Laredo, tales of dating and stories about her mother, Esther, who Gonzalez said is a character all on her own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As her confidence grew in sharing her authenticity and humor with crowds, Gonzalez fell in love with stand-up and hasn\u2019t looked back since. She said she finds joy in working the stage and the crowds, engaging with audiences and connecting with her fans. She does admit that no matter how many shows she\u2019s done, it can still be just as scary, even after 18 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just never know what\u2019s going to happen when you\u2019re up there by yourself,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n
She moved from Texas to Los Angeles in 2018 after being invited to the Just for Laughs Festival, where she was recognized as one of the New Faces of Comedy. Fully supported by her friends and family, a new adventure awaited on the West Coast.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VanessaGonzalez14-1024x683.jpg\")
The Laredo-born comedian shared stories about growing up Catholic and adjusting from Texas living to life in California. Photo by Mari G. Hernandez\/Special to Austin Vida<\/p>\n
As she worked in Los Angeles, she was featured on TV and late-night talk shows, and even had her own 30-minute comedy special on \u201cComedy Central Stand-Up Presents\u201d in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As people began to learn her name, Gonzalez never forgot her roots and recognized the power she held as a Latina comedian. Her hilarious authenticity brings audiences back to her shows time and time again. She said even from traveling across states and going on tours, there\u2019s nothing quite like an Austin crowd cheering you on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the people who come see me in Austin have been seeing me grow over the years and just really know me,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cPeople know they\u2019re ready to have a good time, and I don\u2019t have to win them over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
IF YOU GO<\/p>\n
WHAT: Vanessa Gonzalez at SXSW 2026<\/p>\n
WHEN:\u00a0<\/p>\n
WHERE: The Creek and The Cave<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A poster of comedian Vanessa Gonzalez hangs at The Creek and The Cave Friday night shortly before her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204135,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,4037,80447,2971,2969],"class_list":["post-204134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-comedy","tag-cultura","tag-south-by-southwest","tag-sxsw"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VanessaGonzalez01-1024x683.jpg\")
A poster of comedian Vanessa Gonzalez hangs at The Creek and The Cave Friday night shortly before her set. Photo by Mari G. Hernandez\/Special to Austin Vida<\/p>\n