Alexis Valdés does not shy away from tough questions, even when they come from a young comedian eager to take on the world. This Sunday, the Cuban comic posted a reel on Facebook that lasts just a minute, in which he answered, with his usual blend of candor and humor, what it takes to succeed in comedy. The answer, as he points out, is "your truth" — the same truth that has guided him for over four decades on stage.
"The answer is simple: you have to be the best in the world," Valdés begins in the video. And before anyone gets scared, he adds, "Clearly, you're not going to be the best in the world, or maybe you will, but at least you have to try." The goal is not guaranteed perfection, but the attitude of someone who does not settle for less.
But the path to that comedic Olympus doesn’t just involve having natural talent. Valdés is clear: one must study, read, watch the best, consume film, theater, and art, and listen to good music. "When you have so much information, you can stand on a stage and say something that is not only funny but also interesting to people," he explains. In other words: laughter without substance runs dry; laughter infused with culture endures.
That perspective of humor as a serious profession is not new for Valdés. In a previous interview, he declared, “you are born a comedian, but like in any profession, you have to work hard to develop it,” highlighting the distinction between being funny at a family gathering and being a professional in comedy. Today's reel is, in a way, a condensed version of that philosophy.
The trajectory of Valdés himself is the best endorsement of his words. Born in Havana in 1963 into an artistic family —his father is the actor and comedian Leonel Valdés— he studied engineering before dedicating himself to the arts, which speaks volumes about his intellectual appetite. He emigrated to Spain in the 1990s, where he gained fame on El Club de la Comedia, and in 2005 he made his directorial debut with Un rey en La Habana.
In Miami, he established himself with programs like Esta Noche Tu Night and Seguro que Yes, and in September 2022, he premiered the humorous series Amores de Banco alongside Carnota. In 2023, he launched the podcast Qué Desastre!, and in 2024, he received the Martín Fierro Latino in the category of Humoristic Work on Television and Platforms. In 2025, he added a new string to his bow by narrating The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway.
Valdés' advice resonates particularly strongly when we consider the role of humor within Cuban culture. From the bufo theater of the 19th century to the monologuists of the diaspora, comedy in Cuba has been much more than entertainment: it is a way to reflect on reality, to survive it, and, in the best cases, to transcend it. Experts have pointed out that Cuban humor "is not something collateral," but rather an identity pillar that serves as a social pressure valve and a tool for criticism in times of crisis—which, as is well known, have not been in short supply in Cuba.
Comedians like Ulises Toirac, Mario Sardiñas, Osvaldo Doimeadiós, Miguel Moreno, and Luis Silva, to name just a few, have been consistent critics of Cuban reality; a fact that the regime finds quite unamusing. In fact, the creator of the satirical channel Despingovery Channel, Eddy Ceballos, was detained on June 1st in Havana during a heavy police operation.
Valdés embodies that tradition from exile with a proposal that does not shy away from depth. His message today is not just directed at the young comedian who wrote to him: it serves as a reminder that making people laugh, authentically and consistently, is one of the most serious tasks there is.
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