NEW YORK – Marcello Hernández, the stand-up comedian who has become a breakout star on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” is as busy as ever. But he’s still trying to find time for the people he loves, or in the current moment, the thing he loves: soccer.
Hernández is streaming the final minutes of the Brazil-Japan World Cup match on his phone. The actor, 29, is sitting inside Cantina Cubana in the East Village for an exclusive interview with USA TODAY. It’s one of three stops he is making as part of T-Mobile’s Member Month: highlighting local businesses along with perks that the cellular network is offering to its customers, like a free year of DashPass from DoorDash.
So, Hernández gets a pass for the phone. “I think they are the heart and soul of the economy and they take risks,” he says of small business owners.
He adds that specifically at Cantina Cubana, a restaurant that’s been open for almost three years, “they’ve done a great job.”
Actor and comedian Marcello Hernandez partnered with T-Mobile for the cellular network’s Member Month, highlighting benefits for its customers and local businesses like Remedy Diner in New York City.
“I love to meet hustlers, you know?” he continues, referring to small business owners. “They’re hustlers.”
For Hernández, partnering with T-Mobile has impacted his life in more ways than a typical campaign or endorsement.
“T-Mobile pays for my phone plan, which is nice because my mom used to pay for it,” the comedian explains. “Even when I started making money, I was like, ‘I want to pay for it.’ And she goes, ‘Just leave it.'”
“They just want control, parents,” he quips.
Hernández was born in Miami to a Dominican father and Cuban mother, a topic he discusses in his 2026 Netflix special, “American Boy.” So, it’s no surprise that his parents come up in conversation with USA TODAY.
“[T-Mobile] sent my dad a new phone, but my dad won’t use it until I personally set it up for him, which is a messed up thing that I never could understand,” he laments. “I’m working. Go to T-Mobile, go to the store!”
Hopping off of his parents’ cell phone plan is far from the only change Hernández is navigating.
Celebrities at 2026 World Cup matches – See Penelope Cruz, more
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(Jessie Alcheh, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)Marcello Hernández recalls quitting soccer to pursue comedy
Speaking of the World Cup, Hernández recently attended the Colombia-Portugal match in Miami. He was photographed in a suite with John Leguizamo and Matt Damon. It was a reunion for Damon and Hernández; the two were in a sketch on “SNL” in May when Damon hosted.
Hernández says he introduced the “Jason Bourne” star to both his mother and younger cousin, who is heading to Kansas State in the fall to play soccer on a full scholarship.
“You’re next to Matt Damon for long enough that you’re like, ‘If I don’t say something, I’m an idiot,'” he recalls of hanging with the actor. “So I ask questions and I try to get some game from him. When I played soccer, if I was ever with somebody that was playing on a better team or older than me, you try to ask them questions.”
Hernández played soccer right up through college at John Carroll University, a private Jesuit institution in University Heights, Ohio. He quit three games into his sophomore year to pursue comedy. According to the university, after a day of classes and soccer practice at night, Hernández would Uber to comedy clubs to work on his set. Eventually, he realized he had to choose.
Hernández remembers crying as he told his coaches he was leaving the team. His coaches understood, but told him that he would have to break the news to his teammates.
“I had to tell my team with tears in my eyes that I’m quitting,” Hernández recalls. “That drove me to work hard because I was like, ‘If I’m going to quit something that I’m kind of good at, I should get really good at this new thing.'”
Though Hernández believes he’s “probably better now at comedy than I ever was at soccer,” he jokes that it’s more a reflection on his soccer skills. In addition to playing Division III in college, Hernández earned all-first team honors in Miami as a high school senior.
He sees some similarities between the sport and his current full-time job on “SNL,” notably that both are six days a week.
“Soccer’s a full-time job because you’re taking care of your body and I think that ‘SNL’ is a full-time job because of the schedule, but also you’re taking care of your mind, you’re trying to write stuff,” he explains. “It’s a much more mental game than a physical game, but pretty demanding for sure.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 21: (L-R) Marcello Hernandez and Adam Sandler attend the Happy Gilmore 2 World Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on July 21, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Netflix)
Marcello Hernández on navigating newfound fame
Hernández joined “SNL” for its 48th season in 2022. Some of his breakout sketches include “Protective Mom” and “Immigrant Dad Talk Show.” But his impression of comedian Sebastian Maniscalco has gone viral, with millions of views online. Maniscalco has even praised the sketches.
Now, Hernández will tackle several new gigs: on July 15, he’s set to host the 2026 ESPYS, a full-circle moment for the former college soccer player. He grew up a Miami sports fan and is happy the NBA’s Miami Heat acquired former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Hernández says he’s currently working on the show with other comedians and writers at ESPN. His family will be in attendance as well.
Marcello Hernandez, Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral make Met Gala debut
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“Saturday Night Live” star Marcello Hernandez made his Met Gala debut in a Thom Browne suit, alongside girlfriend Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral in a black feathered gown.
(Dimitrios Kambouris, Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
On July 24, Hernández stars in the Netflix film “72 Hours” alongside Kevin Hart, who plays an executive who accidentally gets added to a group text of a bunch of guys planning a bachelor party. And in 2027, Hernández will voice Fergus, the son of Shrek and Fiona, in “Shrek 5.”
Hernández says his busy schedule has been an adjustment as he makes that aforementioned time for his family and his relationship (he’s currently dating Ana Amelia Batlle Cabral, a New York City-based architect).
Now he’s focused on taking care of his body, saying he wants to go to the gym ala Mark Wahlberg. But Hernández won’t be waking up at 3:30 a.m., which is Wahlberg’s infamous start time for his day.
“I’m trying for 7 [a.m.], we’ll see what happens,” he jokes. “But ultimately just grateful that I have a lot of work. That’s what I always wanted. Now I have the opportunity to work, so it’s a blessing for sure.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘SNL’ star Marcello Hernández quit soccer in tears. It changed his life