one of the most misunderstood places in America... Woman: For us, it's hard to break out of this box they put us in.

Jesus, voice-over: and one of the most misunderstood families in town?

Jesus: One of Vanessa's bits is talking about your Border Patrol career.

Traitors.

Man: No, no, no.

Jesus, voice-over: How do these misconceptions shape who you are onstage?

Vanessa: I get nervous, but as soon as it's go time... Man: Vanessa... Vanessa: you kind of have to jump off the cliff.

Man: Gonzalez!

Jesus: I'm Jesus Trejo, and I do standup comedy, and for me, the stories behind the laughs are way better than the jokes themselves, so I'm hitting the road to understand the roots that bind all comedians together.

[Cheering and applause] dian visiting us all the way from Long Beach, California.

Give it up for Jesus Trejo!

[Cheering and applause] What's up, everybody?

How we doing?

[Cheering and applause] Good.

I just cleaned out my refrigerator.

I realized I've been working on the same bottle of mustard since I was a kid.

[Laughter] This bottle's been a part of my life a long time.

I don't even know if it's bad or not because you're like, "It's mustard.

That's what it tastes like, I think."

Jesus, voice-over: In standup comedy, they say it really starts to come together when you really embrace who you are.

Jesus: Did you guys know that mustard was initially invented to clean jewelry?

Yeah.

That's not true.

[Laughter] Jesus, voice-over: And, yes, for some, that means talking about the inside of your fridge.

You know why you believe that?

Because you know what it tastes like.

Thank you.

That's my time.

Jesus, voice-over: But every comic's different.

I know people just like myself are curious where these jokes come from.

Comedy comes usually from a very real place, from real people and real lived experiences, and Vanessa Gonzalez is a prime example of that.

In fifth grade, this was my body already, so...

I couldn't wear spaghetti straps, so I wore, like, lasagna straps.

Jesus: Vanessa is one of the rising stars out of the red-hot comedy scene in Austin, Texas... Y'all could keep clapping for me because I didn't wear a bra to work all week.

Jesus: with a red-hot career of her own that's seen her put out multiple comedy specials.

I'm not a mom.

I just like the mom look.

Jesus: And she's toured many times with Chelsea Handler.

It's all thanks to her outspoken spin on growing up Mexican American on the border, as she's originally from Laredo, Texas.

Growing up, my parents worked for Border Patrol.

[Audience murmuring] Traitors.

How you gonna cross the border and then be like, "Y'all stop"?

Jesus: That's right.

Her parents worked for Border Patrol while mine had a more traditional relationship with that law enforcement unit.

My dad used to embarrass me because he had this huge trophy case at the house full of trophies.

The thing is he didn't earn not one of them.

I'm like, "Dad, no one's going to believe that you played lacrosse."

He was like, "Yes, I did.

"They gave this to me when I lacrossed the border.

They said, "Here you go."

[Laughter and applause] I'm excited to meet Vanessa Gonzalez because she brings a lot of herself to the stage.

I think her unique upbringing just lends itself so perfectly to her comedy, like the joke about Halloween.

And I was like, "I'm gonna roll up with the best costume."

I went as "Murder, She Wrote."

[Cheering and applause] Angela Lansbury.

Well, she had short, curly hair, wore a blazer and a pencil skirt, so that's what I wore to this costume party, and I was ready to "Murder, She Wrote" it, but when I got to the costume party, everyone thought I was the lady that killed Tejano superstar... [Laughter] Selena.

And they were like, "Hey, Yolanda's here."

They were being racist to me.

It was all Mexicans at the party, but the community turned against me.

[Laughter] Jesus: Wow.

You've been living out here for a while?

Vanessa: I moved here in 2008.

I heard that it was a great place for comedy, performing, everything, so as soon as I moved, I Googled sketch comedy... OK. because that was my dream at the time.

I wanted to be on "SNL," and I was like... -Nice.

-"That's what I'm gonna do."

I was always a fan of standup, but I always felt like they're being themselves.

You have to really be vulnerable, and that was always so scary.

I was like, "Well, I'm gonna do characters because that's safe."

I was doing one of my sketch shows, and one of my good friends was doing a standup show after, and she's like, "Hey, stick around.

-You're doing 5 minutes."

-Oh, wow.

And I was like, "I don't know what to talk about."

And she's like, "You're funny.

Just do it."

So she definitely pushed me in the deep end of the pool... -And you did it.

-and got me going.

Yeah.

Jesus: Wow.

That's tough.

I wasn't getting laughs onstage until, like, year 6.

-I was bombing hard.

-Really?

The exact opposite of a standing ovation.

-That's where I was.

-They were lying down.

Jesus: Oh, my God.

It took me so long to learn the self-deprecating aspect of comedy.

As a standup, you're like, "Oh, I can't believe I'm saying this out loud to strangers."

Yes.

There's more pressure, I feel like, right?

Vanessa: Yeah.

The more you do it, it becomes like a therapy, right?

Whenever an embarrassing thing would happen to me, I would be like, "Well, I don't want anybody to know about that."

-Right.

-But then you're like, "Oh, actually this is a really funny bit for standup."

My boyfriend just bought me underwear, which is a big deal.

First thing I notice is how giant they are.

"You saw these, and you were like, 'That's my boo'"?

Jesus: There's no other profession where a setback becomes an asset, right?

Right.

Let's say I was a model or something, right?

The moment I lost my hair, it's like, "You're done," right?

But in standup, that was one of my first jokes.

I'm losing my hair at 27.

Look, I got a comb-over.

Look at this.

[Laughter] That's real, you guys.

You know how windy it was today?

My hair looked like those things outside a car dealership.

It was like... [Laughter] Jesus, voice-over: What was your standup initially?

Were you observational?

Were you talking about your upbringing?

Like, what premises were you tackling early on?

Vanessa: My mom.

All she does is send religious memes.

I'll be like, "Mom, how was your day?"

And she sends me, like, a bloody Jesus.

Vanessa, voice-over: My mom and my grandma were the first ones to show me how to be funny.

They always made fun of themselves.

They always made fun of other people.

Vanessa: We're going to Laredo tomorrow.

[Cheering and applause] I'm taking a whole PBS crew with me to meet my parents.

[Cheering and applause] My mom's so nervous.

She FaceTimed me yesterday.

She's like, "I cleaned the house.

Look."

All of the photos of my brothers, she took down... [Laughter] and there's just photos of me, and I'm like, "You don't even like me."

Thank you so much, Austin.

[Cheering and applause] Jesus: I've never experienced doing a homecoming show just because I'm in the scene where I grew up, and that's something I've always been curious about.

Everyone is gonna be there that knows you.

They're looking to you as their North Star.

That definitely comes with a certain kind of pressure.

Do you feel any pressure at all going back?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Absolutely.

I'm like, "What jokes do I say, or is this too much?"

-I don't know--I know.

-"Ooh!"

They're gonna be like, "Ooh!"

So I've always been nervous, but I feel like if anybody is gonna get my jokes, it's gonna be... Jesus: It's your hometown.

Vanessa: my hometown, the people that also live the same thing I live.

On the border and that want to be seen in a different way than just the immigrant sad, tragic stories that we see all the time, and I feel like it's in our culture to laugh at ourselves.

I'm just excited now.

Jesus: The border towns along Texas have been in the media for one thing or another, so, you know, comedy isn't the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of Laredo, Texas.

Man: ♪ Uno, dos, tres, four ♪ ♪ Yo ando positivo, yo ando positivo ♪ Jesus, voice-over: I'm very excited to be here with Vanessa in her hometown and see what her upbringing was like, meet her friends, her family, and see what is it really like growing up in a border town?

Mujer: Eh, Jesús.

Jesus: Hello.

Hello.

Mujer: Pásale.

Jesus: Hola, buenas.

Oh, my God.

Mucho gusto, señora.

I was anxious to meet you.

Pleasure, pleasure.

Gracias, don.

Mom: Welcome su casa.

Jesus: Wow.

Look at this.

Mom: This is our fun house.

Jesus: So beautiful.

You guys set this up more of like a diner situation?

Yes, and we enjoy it.

We have family and friends over.

Jesus: And these are your cars right here?

Mom: Yes.

The two red ones.

A lot of vintage items here.

Mom: And we have a coffin, but it's an ice chest.

Jesus: It's a cooler, though, right?

Mom: Yeah.

Dad: That's her brother, Air Force.

My cousin, Army.

Other cousin, Marine, and then me, Marines.

Jesus: Marines.

Dad: My dad, Army.

His brother's in the Army, also, World War II veteran.

-Wow.

-My brother, Air Force.

Jesus: Wow.

Vanessa: This is my brother Homer.

Jesus: Hey, Homer.

Hey, good to see you.

Thank you so much for welcoming me into your beautiful home.

This is really cool.

Mom: That's our family wall of fame.

Jesus: The family wall of fame.

-That's so cool.

-Yeah.

Vanessa: They're proud.

Jesus: Yes, as they should be.

Mom: Vanessa would bring her friends and say, "Don't freak out because my mom is into Coke," and I said, "Vanessa, you need to finish the sentence--Coca-Cola."

[Laughter] Jesus: When you first heard Vanessa come to you and say, "I want to be a standup comedian," what was your first thought?

Mom: It was her passion since she was little.

We had other plans, but, you know.

Vanessa: My dad wanted me to be a tattoo artist.

Oh, cool.

OK. Dad: She did some real nice art at school, so maybe she could be a pinstriper or a tattoo artist.

Homer: I just knew that it was supposed to be.

Like, my sister's made me laugh since I was a kid.

Vanessa: He was my first audience, I think.

I would, like, sit him down, and he's trying to watch cartoons, and I'm like, "I'm gonna sing a song," or do whatever.

Ha ha ha!

Mom: I said, "No, we got to be supportive."

Vanessa: And I told them--I said, "Well, I can be a comedian or a stripper."

Dad: No, no, no.

Vanessa: No, no, no.

I feel like if I was a stripper, they would support.

Homer: I would go to your shows.

[Laughter] Vanessa: You guys wouldn't go?

We'll wait for you in the parking lot.

Jesus: OK. Yeah.

Mom: I would ask you, "Are they hiring?"

I love it!

I see where you get your, like, sense of humor from.

Vanessa: Ha ha ha!

Yeah.

Usually the story that we hear with comedians is "They don't really like that I'm doing it."

I'm one of those stories.

Like, My dad was like, "I don't know what you're doing."

He made this joke, where he's like--he's like, "I think your special is funnier on mute," you know.

He's like, "Seeing you move, that way, I can imagine you saying something funny."

I was like, "OK. Well, thank you, Dad," you know.

One of the things I love about Vanessa is that her comedy is very autobiographical, you know.

I feel like I know you guys so well through her comedy.

Vanessa: My mom calls me every day, and she's all, "I read a article that women who eat "a lot of chicken nuggets, "um, they can't have babies anymore.

"The chicken nuggets, um, mess up down there real bad, "and, well, you know, I don't want to name names, but... you eat a lot of chicken nuggets."

[Laughter] Jesus: Do you like to hear references to yourselves in her comedy?

Mom: Oh, I love it.

Jesus: You love it?

Yes.

It's like one time, she impersonated me, and I was like--I got up, and, "There's my mom."

-I'm, like, "Oh, my God."

-Yeah!

And her material is good because there are mom-and-daughter problems all the time in every single house.

Jesus: One of Vanessa's bits onstage is talking about your Border Patrol career.

Did you guys ever feel like, "Oh, leave that one out"?

Mom: No, no, not really.

It was just a job.

Vanessa: I never thought of what my parents did as a negative thing.

It was normal life for me, and people told me, "That's bad," and I was like, "Oh, I didn't know."

So I come home, and I'm like, "Hey, did you know you're traitors?"

They're like, "OK. What do you want me to do?"

Everybody's parents worked there, and then my best friends are undocumented, the neighbors are undocumented.

We're all mixed in.

I started seeing the absurdity in it, that the people asking "U.S.

citizen?"

have thicker accents than the people crossing.

Like, that's absurd, you know, but that's comedy, you know, and they took that path so that now I can make my path.

Dad: What I like best is there's some people that haven't laughed for a long time.

Then they show up for a show, and they have a good time, and they go up to her and thank her.

That's the way it should be, you know.

People need to laugh and enjoy life, you know.

-Yeah.

-It's awesome.

Having my parents, having my brothers, like, this is what makes me stand out.

Jesus: Nice.

Are you excited for the show that's coming up?

Yes, absolutely.

I'm gonna be there, selling T-shirts.

-Really?

-Yes.

-Nice.

-I put her on merch duty.

Jesus: I love that.

I didn't go to my high school reunion, but I feel like I'm about to have one.

Everyone's there, and I'm gonna be like, "Oh, I think I was mean to her.

I don't know."

Dad: Free T-shirt.

Vanessa: Free T-shirt.

Dad: Welcome to the family.

Jesus: Thank you.

Hell, yeah.

Hell, yeah!

Jesus, voice-over: The Gonzalez family is certainly one I'm happy to be welcomed into as they are yet another example that Mexican American culture is not all the same... Jesus: Yeah!

Jesus, voice-over: and now my journey through Laredo rolls on.

What's the last meal you would expect this close to the border?

If you guessed a vegan kale quinoa salad, well, you might be right, but if you had another guess, you might say sushi, and you'd be wrong.

Mmm!

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

It's very fusion, Mexican sushi.

[Mouth full] And it's good.

They need to put jalapeños in the soy sauce all the time.

Wasabi's all mad about it, too.

It's like, "How did I get pushed out of it?

Like, I'm supposed to be here."

Yeah.

I feel like this place is, like, a perfect example of, like, Laredo, the culture here.

It's like a ball of contradictions, but somehow, altogether, it works.

I don't know what to expect.

You know, it's, like, I think I'm guilty of-- it's, like, we have a preconceived idea of what a border town is.

Yeah.

I think--I think if-- especially for us, again, it's, like, hard to break out of this box they put us in, so all the shows about a border town is "Narcos," "Sicario," like, El Paso, Juarez.

It's, like, all negative, but that wasn't my experience.

You know, I grew up laughing and partying, you know.

When me and my friends were in high school, we would cross the border to go and drink.

The legal age is, "Yeah, you look 18."

Ha ha ha!

Yeah.

So we were never scared.

Ha ha ha!

You know, I have a somewhat stereotypical upbringing.

My father was a landscaper, and my mom cleaned houses, you know, and I personally definitely felt-- not necessarily shame, but there was a level of it where I wanted to talk about myself, but I did not know how.

I didn't have the tools or the experience.

Same.

I don't know if it's just, like, a Mexican American thing, but I definitely had that hurdle, and I feel like I'm there now.

I just want to be honest and, like, embrace it, and the more that I'm free and open, I feel like more people are relating.

You know, we're all over these, like, little towns everywhere, and I'm talking about my story, and they're laughing.

They get it.

People always think we're one thing, you're just the one thing, but it's so much more than that.

-Right.

-Mexican Americans, I think we've made it an artform how we can hold such pride of being Mexican and such pride of being American, and two things can be true.

♪ Do you feel safe?

I do.

I feel safe.

Yeah, yeah.

-Oh, good.

-This is great.

This is a Catholic school, church.

I grew up very Catholic.

Jesus: Same.

Do you still practice?

Vanessa: No.

I tell my mom I go to church, -but I don't.

-Ha ha!

-Maybe don't tell her that.

-Don't we all?

Jesus: I got baptized, first communion, but I never did a confirmation.

Vanessa: Me either.

Are we missing some documents?

Like, when we get to heaven, are they gonna ask for those papers?

Jesus: Ha ha ha!

How far from the border are we right now?

Oh, like, we can just walk that way, and Mexico's right there, like, behind these buildings.

So make a right, and we're in Mexico?

You'll see it.

Yeah.

This hotel is famous, La Posada.

-I've heard it's haunted.

-Really?

But I feel like every place is haunted here in Laredo.

Anywhere we go, like, "Careful.

It's haunted there, too."

[Both laughing] This is what I wanted to show, you know, the Laredo that people don't see in the movies.

-I love it.

-It's beautiful.

It's nice.

This could be "The Good Place," you know?

Right, right.

Jesus, voice-over: Laredo has certainly opened my eyes to what the definition of a border town truly is.

It's a melting pot like most cities across the country, where no matter what your background is everyone loves to come together for a good laugh.

Vanessa: Whoo!

It's happening.

[Indistinct chatter] ♪ Yeah!

You're late!

Mom: I know.

Oh!

Put the disabled card.

Woman: Hi.

Brenda.

Brenda Camacho.

I love you so much.

Vanessa: Good to see you.

Mom: Hey, girl.

If I were you, I wouldn't sit up front.

[Cheering and applause] Man: Cultura Beer Garden, how are we feeling tonight?

[Cheering and applause] OK. Go sit down right here, VIP.

OK?

-No fighting.

-Mom: OK. Laredo, Texas... are y'all ready for your headliner of the night?

[Cheering and applause] Jesus, voice-over: Do you get nervous at all?

Vanessa, voice-over: I get nervous, but it's almost like the nerves almost give you that, like, fire.

Man: You've seen her on HBO.

You've seen her on Comedy Central.

Vanessa: As soon as it's go time... Man: Vanessa... Vanessa: the light hits, they call your name, you kind of have to jump off the cliff.

Gonzalez!

Vanessa: Let's go!

[Cheering and applause] What up?

¿Qué onda, Laredo?

¡Puro 956!

Yeah.

I love being back home.

It's crazy to me.

Jesus was asking me-- he was, like, "You're not nervous any exes are gonna come?"

And I said, "I don't have any exes "in Laredo, thank God.

"Everybody I know that has an ex in Laredo also has restraining orders."

Están psychos aquí.

My dad was a canine officer at Customs... [Cheering and applause] and I would ask my mom, "Mom, Mom, what bridge is Dad working at tonight?

No, no.

I just want to send him prayers."

Que pesque muchas drogas.

Sí.

And she would be like, "Oh, Bridge Two."

And I'd be like... " Órale, Vicki, Bridge One."

[Laughter] And every weekend, we would go across.

♪ Mesa, mesa ♪ ♪ Mesa que más aplauda, mesa que más aplauda ♪ ♪ Za, za, za, y a tu za, y a tu za ♪ [Cheering and applause] Yeah, 15 years old.

Con las falditas.

... all out, ready to get abducted... [Laughter] but even the cartel was like... "No, esas no".

[Laughter] I went to Hawaii recently, but I was nervous because when I booked my ticket to Hawaii, all of my Instagram, all of my Twitter, I saw videos.

People were mad, and they were like, "Don't go to Hawaii.

"The people of Hawaii don't want you to go.

If you go to Hawaii, you're a colonizer."

And I was like, "What?

Not--That's y'all.

I'm not"-- [Laughter] "I'm not a colonizer.

I'm from Laredo, Texas," you know.

The fact that I'm going to Hawaii is like Make-a-Wish for me, you know.

OK.

Thank you.

Thank you.

♪ Jesus, voice-over: It's a big deal.

Your first homecoming show.

Man, I feel like all day I've been, like, so nervous, and, like, I feel like I can finally exhale.

So I call it my stuffed crust.

Yeah.

Oh, I know y'all like stuffed crust.

Vanessa, voice-over: It's overwhelming.

You know, just in our culture, growing up, like, it's hard to, like, take in the love sometimes.

-Yeah.

-And, you know, in therapy, I've been working on taking in the love.

I've always been so proud to be from Laredo, and I'm so proud that Laredo's got my back, too.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Vanessa, voice-over: I just feel so loved and supported, and it's--yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot.

Jesus, voice-over: The love was here tonight.

I mean, Vanessa, that was amazing.

-That was amazing.

-Aw.

Thank you so much.

Amazing.

So great to see.

Vanessa: And I want to say a quick shout-out to my parents for always supporting me no matter what.

They've never told me no.

They always tell me to keep going, and I love them.

Thank you so much.

Jesus, voice-over: Do you feel like you did Laredo proud?

I don't know.

Let's ask.

Hey, Laredo.

Did I make you proud?

Man: You sure did.

[Cheering and applause] Ay, ay, ay, ay.

They're never gonna let us finish.

I wish you continued success.

Keep killing it.

I'll see you soon.

-Thank you so much.

-Yeah.

-Vanessa!

Laredo!

-Shots.

-Shots.

-Shots.

OK.

I'm done.

Yay!

Jesus, voice-over: Standing there, basking in the after-show glow, I couldn't help but think about the love and support Vanessa has all around her.

That's what I've discovered on this trip.

Her comedy focuses so much on her background because it's misunderstood, but getting people to understand her community and her family life is like a superpower that fuels her comedy drive, and it's taken her from the small border town to making audiences laugh around the world.

Mom: We did it, everybody.

High-five, everybody.

[Cheering] ndup was the roasting style.

-Yes.

-I was always a very big kid.

I couldn't fight, I couldn't do anything.

I would get my ass kicked, but they were gonna get a verbal beating, as well.

I was like, "Hey, this is a trade-off," -you know what I mean?

-It's true.

I look back, and I'm like, I think I was a bully, and, you know, I have an older brother.

He would roast me.

I have a younger brother.

I would roast him.

-Right.

-It's just how we bond.

It's like heirloom insults.

"These hurt me, and they're gonna hurt you.

-Here you go."

-Oh, yeah.

They're like hand-me-downs.

[Laughter]