Al Madrigal

Since becoming "The Daily Show's" (Comedy Central, 1996-) first-ever Senior Latino Correspondent in 2011, writer and comedian Al Madrigal transitioned seamlessly into the faux-news network satirical stable of writers. A latecomer to stand-up comedy, he worked for his family's human resources firm for over 10 years, firing more than 1,500 people in the process before trading in his 9-5 punch card for the comedy stage in his late 20s. Mining comedy material as a half-Mexican, half-Sicilian married father of two, Madrigal's skewering of Hispanic stereotypes and political absurdity paved the way for his future gig at Comedy Central.

Born and raised in California, Madrigal left his hometown of San Francisco and worked his way up the Los Angeles comedy circuit before making the big move east to join "The Daily Show" as a full-time correspondent. He hit his comedic stride after being named 2004's "Best Stand-Up Comedian" at the prestigious U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, snagging himself a half-hour comedy special on Comedy Central. His casual storytelling tone earned him the nickname "The Latin Breeze," as he would rhapsodize on everything from the embarrassing realities of family life, his bi-racial or "half-breed" identity to America's prudishness towards race and immigrant culture. Madrigal's act made frequent appearances on late night talk shows such as "Conan" (TBS 2010-), "Lopez Tonight" (TBS 2009-2011) and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (ABC 2003-).

While the trajectory of Madrigal's comedy career was enviable, his acting resume was not without some false starts. He was involved in more than seven pilots, some of which, like his role on "The Ortegas" (CBS, 2003), a sitcom starring famous stoner/actor Cheech Marin, never even made it to air. Having experienced the finicky nature of studio suits, Madrigal learned early on not to put all his eggs in one sitcom basket. He landed his first series-regular role on the short-lived series "Welcome to the Captain" (CBS, 2008), starring comedy-great Jeffery Tambor of "Arrested Development" fame, and later starred in the network's situational comedy "Gary Unmarried" (CBS, 2008-2010), where he played Jay Mohr's best friend.

In between stand-up gigs, Madrigal kept busy with other writing projects and small parts, including the NBC pilot "Americana" with Alyson Hannigan, an untitled "Al Madrigal" project at Fox and a supporting role in the action thriller film "Lies & Illusions" (2009), starring Christian Slater and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Before donning his newscaster suit for "The Daily Show," Madrigal got to briefly work with another comedy legend, Hank Azaria, on the American remake of the British workplace sitcom, "Free Agents" (NBC, 2011). While the show only lasted four episodes, it freed up Madrigal to take on his position alongside Jon Stewart. Madrigal paints himself as a silly caricature on stage, but his work ethic keeps him busy in the comedy world, appearing with fellow Comedy Central alums such as including John Oliver and Nick Swardson.

A longtime participant in the latest comedic zeitgeist, the podcast, Madrigal keeps it clean when discussing the balance between family life and comedy in the weekly podcast "Minivan Men," along with fellow comedians Maz Jobrani and Chris Spencer. He also founded the "All Things Comedy" podcast network with comedian Bill Burr that allowed comedians to maintain creative control over their material and included a YouTube partnership and record label in its initiative.

While maintaining his appearances on "The Daily Show," Madrigal co-starred on the critically-acclaimed comedy "About A Boy" (NBC 2014-15), starring David Walton, Benjamin Stockham, and Minnie Driver.