The first Latina woman to create, write, star and produce her own TV show in the USA, Cristela Alonzo is a stand-up comedian, actress, producer, and writer. It was the tragic death of her mother in 2003 that paved way for her career in comedy. Alonzo began doing stand-up comedy after she got a job as an office manager at the Addison improv. Later, she moved to Los Angeles to become a full-time stand-up comedian and eventually created and starred in the comedy TV show Cristela which was aired on BBC from May 10th, 2014 to May 7th, 2015. Her comedic style is inspired by Roseanne Barr and Bill Cosby and being an observational comic, she usually picks up stories from her own life.

Cristela has appeared in guest roles in several TV shows including Sons and Anarchy (2011) and General Hospital (2015). Apart from scripting her own show Cristela, she has also written 15 episodes of the American television comedy, Mind of Mencia (2006). In 2016, she voiced the character of Shirley in The Angry Birds Movie and in 2017 she voiced the character of Cruz Ramirez in the movie Cars 3.