Oye, mi gente! Ian Lara: the next household name in comedy is a Queens native and soon to be known as much more than a “little man with pretty ass eyebrows” – a name he revealed he was once called during his hilarious new special.
If you haven’t already seen (and laughed your ass off at) the long-awaited HBO Max special, Ian Lara: Romantic Comedy (directed by comedian Aida Rodriguez) you’re certainly in for a treat.
While waiting in line last week outside of New York City’s iconic Chelsea Music Hall, the location where HBO Max set to screen the special world premiere of Ian Lara: Romantic Comedy, a buzz of excitement could be felt amongst the crowd. 
Amidst the various conversations heard between the press and Lara fans alike, one statement stood out above the rest: “Ian Lara is the next Dominican Kevin Hart!”
While that may seem like a bold statement, it is surely one that many can agree with.
With an easy-going but crowd-provoking presence, excellent timing, and hilariously relatable and sometimes raw punch lines, Lara is certainly the next up-and-coming contender in comedy and one to watch in comedy.
Lara’s set was especially enjoyable inside the intimate atmosphere of Chelsea Music Hall, which provided the perfect environment for an unforgettable night.
Complete with an open bar, and delicious food selections ranging from Henny-infused chocolate cupcakes, Presidente Beer-battered chicken sliders, Henny BBQ, chimichurri, teriyaki wings, and crispy mac and cheese bites, the HBO Max Pa’lante team truly showed out in incorporating Lara’s love for comedy and his Dominican heritage.
In between savory bites and tasty sips, I found my cheeks hurting from laughing throughout Lara’s 38-minute-long set.
Lara’s charm and confidence were shown between every punch line, even the ones that got very real and straight to the heart.
If you didn’t already catch the hint from the title, Lara’s self-proclaimed “sexy” set centers around the intricacies and nuisances of modern dating, complete with the struggle that is dating apps, expectations vs reality, and sex updates.
In other instances, Lara touches on adjustments during pre and post-pandemic life, as well as the all-too-relatable situations that arise when navigating friendships in your 30s.
Clever and comedic, Lara perfectly nails the language barrier that often occurs between men and women when discussing relationships, questioning the audience when they’d actually “ever had a good conversation with a man about anything.”
Following Lara’s set, was an exclusive talk-back Q&A between the man of the hour himself and Aida Rodriguez.
Even with Rodriguez mentioning how hard Lara has worked to get where he is today, Lara remained humble and explained that it is all a testament to his late mother.
In fact, Lara revealed he recorded prior to filming Romantic Comedy, he was working within the business for 11 years.
In just one year after his mother’s passing Lara says through his grief, “writing was the only thing that made [him] feel better;” when asked about his favorite joke he mentions that it pays homage to her.
Driven, passionate, and proud of his culture Lara, says that overall he wants “to make people proud” and this latest special is “everything to him.”
You can follow the beginning of Ian Lara’s amazing journey by tuning into HBO Max now!
