““Joe is one of the most brilliant, courageous and gifted artists on the globe. He tells difficult truths with unsparing honesty leavened with glorious wit and humor.””
A two-time HBO Def Poet and Emmy Award-Winner, Joe Hernández-Kolski is an actor/poet/comedian who is constantly in demand, known for his live performances that are hard-hitting, truthful and incredibly funny. He has opened for everyone from legendary musician John Mellencamp to Hillary Clinton. He has performed at over one hundred high schools, colleges and universities around the country. His blend of comedy, social commentary and personal stories attracts fans from all different backgrounds. Click here for an article about a recent college show. Click here for detailed testimonies about his performances.
Originally from Chicago, Joe now lives in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Princeton University where he worked closely with Cornel West and Toni Morrison.
As an actor, Joe stays balanced between film, television and stage. Most recently, he appeared as Dr. Maurice Acevedo on NBC’s Law & Order. He also appeared in the Netflix reboot of Gilmore Girls in a role that was written for Lin-Manuel Miranda. Joe writes a lot of his own material, from award-winning short films to numerous solo shows. His work has received glowing reviews in the The New York Times and LA Weekly. Joe’s first solo hip-hop theater piece, You Wanna Piece of Me? was published by the University of Michigan press in a hip-hop theater anthology, Say Word: Voices from Hip Hop Theater.
As a spoken word poet/comedian, Joe created a very personal storytelling video with Rainn Wilson’s web company Soul Pancake. Joe was chosen to warm up the crowd for Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Unidos US annual conference. He performed on both season four and season six of HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. He currently tours around the country performing for college and high school audiences. His blend of comedy, social commentary and personal stories attracts fans from all different backgrounds. As Joe says, “My goal is to always help students find their own voice and be their best version of their self.” To watch his college demo reel, click here.
As a teacher, Joe continues to work with several organizations throughout Los Angeles teaching Hip-Hop Culture and Spoken Word Workshops. He co-created Downbeat 720, an open-mic for high school youth sponsored by the City of Santa Monica. For over twenty years, they have created a safe and supportive space for high school performers. The televised version, Downbeat Showdown, that Joe hosted and produced, received the LA Emmy for “Outstanding Youth Programming.”