Marcello Hernandez’s First Viral Sketch on 'Saturday Night Live' Was Actually Inspired by His Mom

Saturday Night Live cast member Marcello Hernandez has had his share of crowd-favorite moments after joining the cast in 2022.

His "Protective Mom" sketch was one of the most-viewed sketches of the show's 48th season in 2023, where Pedro Pascal played the mom in question.

Marcello isn't shy about discussing the influence his parents, who immigrated from Cuba and the Dominican Republic to the U.S. Here's what we know about them.

Hernandez once joked that because his mother is from Cuba and his father is from the DR, they were effectively pre-divorced, just based on how they viewed the opportunities available to them when they came to the United States.

"It doesn't work out. They came to America with the same idea, just a little bit different. My mom got here and she was like, 'Oh my god, look at all of these opportunities.' And then my dad got here and was like 'Oh my gosh, look at all of these opportunities, this is not a place to be married, this is the land of opportunities.'"

In an interview with Variety, Hernandez discussed how he was raised by both his mother and father in Miami. Additionally, he stated that his folks, especially his mother Isabel, play a big part in crafting his jokes. "A lot of the jokes I say and the stuff that I write has to do with our relationship growing up," he told the outlet.

"She went through a lot to get to the U.S. and to make a name and a world for herself, so I respect her very much and I trust her judgment," Hernandez stated.

Isabel fled Cuba and headed to Spain when she was 12 years old. Eventually, they moved to the Dominican Republic, where she met Marcello's father.

Isabel ended up moving to America when she was pregnant with Marcello. The comedian stated that his parents weren't afraid to discipline him or quickly shut him down when he complained. For instance, Hernandez quipped that whenever he'd come home after a particularly rough day at school, his mother was always very quick to compare his plight with hers.

"'What happened that was so bad? Did somebody steal your freedom today?'" he said, jokingly giving an example of a cut-to-the-heart-of-the-matter response his mother would hit him with if he was ever feeling down on himself.

Hernandez and his mother had the opportunity to be in a T-Mobile commercial together. The mobile phone company uploaded some behind-the-scenes footage of the two on set together.

In one portion of the video, Isabel smiles and says, "I feel famous," which prompts laughter from Marcello. Following this, she tells him that he's "cute" and he "has a job." The comedian responds that he's going to tell that to himself as a means of empowering himself each and every morning.

Also, on his first ever talk show appearance, which was on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Hernandez's mother was in the audience. At the top of the interview, he gave her a shout-out, thanking her for all of the sacrifices she made for him and telling her that he loves her with all of his heart.

After the camera cut to Isabel, she had visible tears in her ears, and the crowd lapped up the touching moment.

You can see more of Marcello's work on Saturday Night Live, when the sketch comedy show returns on Saturday, March 1 at 11:30 p.m. EST on NBC.