Before Orlando Leyba ever walked onto the America’s Got Talent stage, he had already done The Tonight Show, filmed an HBO Latino special and made it out of the first episode of NBC’s Bring the Funny. Then all four AGT judges said yes.
Orlando Leyba is a Dominican American stand-up comedian and actor who grew up in Miami and started doing comedy there. He is known for his HBO Latino half-hour special Adorable, multiple sets on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC’s Bring the Funny, and a four-yes audition on America’s Got Talent season 18 in 2023.
- Leyba got into performing after his wife gave him an improv acting course as a gift.
- His half-hour special Adorable premiered on HBO Latino in 2018, and the audio version made Bullseye’s roundup of 2020’s best stand-up records.
- He made his late-night debut on The Tonight Show in November 2018 and returned in 2023 and 2024.
- All four AGT judges voted yes on his 2023 Yellowstone set. He was eliminated in the September live qualifiers.
- His newest album, Say Yes to No, came out in June 2025 on Comedy Records.
Four yeses for a city guy in Yellowstone
On May 30, 2023, the season 18 premiere of America’s Got Talent opened its doors to a comic who had been doing stand-up full time for about 13 years. Orlando Leyba walked out and told the story of visiting Yellowstone National Park for a friend’s wedding. A self-described “city guy,” he riffed on the bison and on Old Faithful, according to NBC Insider.
The panel liked what it heard. “You are just naturally funny,” Simon Cowell told him. Sofia Vergara said, “You deserve to be on a stage.” Howie Mandel called himself “a huge fan.” Heidi Klum, Cowell, Vergara and Mandel all voted yes, and Leyba advanced.
If the bit sounded familiar, there was a reason. He had performed the same Yellowstone material on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon a few months earlier, in February 2023.
Who is Orlando Leyba?
Orlando Leyba, who also goes by “Lando,” is a stand-up comedian and actor. NBC’s Tonight Show guest page describes him as a Dominican American comic who has been seen on HBO and truTV and tours clubs across the U.S. and Canada. His Instagram bio calls him a “Comedian, Actor, Positivity Connoisseur.”
His style leans on storytelling. His own website says he has “a knack for finding humor in just about anything that crosses his path,” and his sets draw on his own life, from his marriage to a trip to Yellowstone.
Off the club stage, he voiced the character Wabo in the animated kids’ film Luis and the Aliens, which NBC notes is on Hulu and features Will Forte and Lea Thompson. He has also appeared on three episodes of truTV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks and on TBS’s Wreck League, according to heylando.com.
Where is Orlando Leyba from?
Leyba grew up in Miami, and that is where his comedy career began, according to The Comic’s Comic. NBC’s coverage of his AGT audition describes him as a stand-up comedian from Miami.
By 2019, The Comic’s Comic reported, he was living in Southern California. His upcoming club dates include two Southern California Improv rooms, in Brea and Corona.
How did Orlando Leyba get started in comedy?
His start came from an unexpected gift. According to NBC Insider, Leyba’s wife gave him a course in improvisational acting. That class led him to storytelling and to finding the funny side of everyday life. On the AGT stage, Vergara told him she was glad his wife had helped him start his career.
He began doing stand-up in Miami and built a touring career from there. By late 2018, The Comic’s Comic reported, he had recorded stand-up for truTV’s Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks, The Tonight Show and HBO Latino’s Entre Nos, been named a Comic to Watch at the 2018 New York Comedy Festival, and released his own half-hour special.
His Tonight Show debut aired in November 2018. NBC’s summary says the set covered how his wife has changed him and his discovery of HGTV, especially Fixer Upper.
Reader poll
Have you seen Orlando Leyba live?
What is Orlando Leyba known for?
Adorable on HBO Latino. His special Orlando Leyba: Adorable premiered on HBO Latino in 2018. The Comic’s Comic called him the first HBO Latino comedian to have his own half-hour special. His website says Adorable is streaming on HBO, and it was also released as an album. Jesse Thorn’s Bullseye included it in its end-of-year special on 2020’s best stand-up records.
The Tonight Show. NBC lists three Leyba stand-up clips from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: his 2018 debut, the February 2023 Yellowstone set and a July 2024 set about losing America’s Got Talent and reading hate comments. His current club bio says he has now been on the show four times.
NBC competitions. In 2019 he competed on NBC’s Bring the Funny. The Comic’s Comic wrote that the judges loved his first set and that he “essentially headlined the first episode.” NBC Insider also notes he was a finalist in NBC’s Stand Up Showcase.
America’s Got Talent. After his four-yes audition in 2023, Leyba returned for the live qualifiers in September. He was among the acts eliminated in that round’s results show, TVLine reported. He later turned the experience into material for his 2024 Tonight Show set.
Where can you watch Orlando Leyba?
| Year | Title | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Orlando Leyba: Adorable (half-hour special) | Premiered on HBO Latino; his site says it is streaming on HBO |
| 2018 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (debut set) | NBC; clips on NBC.com |
| 2023 | The Tonight Show: Yellowstone set | NBC; The Tonight Show on YouTube |
| 2023 | America’s Got Talent season 18 audition | NBC; AGT on YouTube |
| 2024 | The Tonight Show: losing AGT and reading hate comments | NBC; clips on NBC.com |
| 2025 | Say Yes to No (album) | Comedy Records, on major streaming services |
Say Yes to No is his latest release. Apple Music lists it as a June 2025 album from Comedy Records, and his website credits it to Comedy Records and Leyba Media Inc.
He also posts short stand-up clips to Instagram, where he had about 143,000 followers as of October 17, 2026, and he runs a YouTube channel, @heylandoshow.
Is Orlando Leyba on tour?
Yes. As of October 2026, the dates listed on his official Linktree, which his website links for tickets, are:
- Thursday, October 29, 2026: Brea Improv, Brea, California
- November 5 to 7, 2026: The Comedy Club of Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
- January 28 to 31, 2027: Corona Improv, Corona, California
In early October 2026 he also posted a thank-you on Instagram to Gabriel Iglesias (@fluffyguy) “and your whole team for bringing me out,” with a reel showing the marquee at Austin’s Moody Center. Check the venue links before you go, since club dates can change.
Where to follow Orlando Leyba
- Website: heylando.com
- Instagram: @heylando
- YouTube: @heylandoshow
- Facebook: heylandocomic
- Tour dates and links: linktr.ee/orlandoleyba
Frequently asked questions
Who is Orlando Leyba?
Orlando Leyba is a Dominican American stand-up comedian and actor who grew up in Miami. He is known for his HBO Latino special Adorable, his sets on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC’s Bring the Funny and America’s Got Talent season 18.
Was Orlando Leyba on America’s Got Talent?
Yes. He auditioned on the season 18 premiere on May 30, 2023, with a story about visiting Yellowstone, and all four judges voted yes. He competed in the live qualifiers that September and was eliminated in the results show.
What is Orlando Leyba’s comedy special?
His half-hour special is Orlando Leyba: Adorable, which premiered on HBO Latino in 2018. His website says it is streaming on HBO. The audio version was featured in Bullseye’s roundup of the best stand-up records of 2020.
How did Orlando Leyba start doing comedy?
His wife gave him an improv acting course as a gift, according to NBC Insider. That class pointed him toward storytelling, and he began doing stand-up in Miami. By 2023 he told the AGT judges he had been doing stand-up full time for about 13 years.
Has Orlando Leyba been on The Tonight Show?
Yes. He made his late-night debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in November 2018 and returned with sets in February 2023 and July 2024. His current club bio says he has appeared on the show four times.
Image credits
- Featured image: Orlando Leyba, with comedian April Macie, during the Armed Forces Entertainment “Bring the Laughs” tour stop at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium, March 2026. Image: U.S. Air Force video by Senior Airman Christina Carter, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Still frame.
- Leyba performs for service members at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium during the Armed Forces Entertainment “Bring the Laughs” tour, March 2026. Image: U.S. Air Force video by Senior Airman Christina Carter, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Still frame.
Sources
- Orlando Leyba official website (heylando.com)
- Orlando Leyba on Instagram (@heylando)
- Orlando Leyba official Linktree
- NBC Insider: This Is Why the Hilarious Orlando Leyba Looks So Familiar (May 30, 2023)
- NBC: Orlando Leyba on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
- The Tonight Show on YouTube: Orlando Leyba Stand-Up: Yellowstone, Kevin Costner and Old Faithful
- America’s Got Talent on YouTube: Orlando Leyba audition, AGT 2023
- TVLine: AGT season 18 live results (September 2023)
- The Comic’s Comic: Last Things First Episode #233, Orlando Leyba (November 12, 2018)
- The Comic’s Comic: Who advanced out of the premiere episode of NBC’s Bring the Funny (July 10, 2019)
- The Hype Magazine: Comedian Orlando Leyba on His HBO Max Special Adorable (January 12, 2021)
- Maximum Fun: Bullseye End of Year 2020 Comedy Special
- Apple Music: Say Yes to No by Orlando Leyba
- Brea Improv: Orlando Leyba
- The Comedy Club of Kansas City: Orlando Leyba
- Corona Improv: Orlando Leyba
The LA Note and our team of talent networkers, writers, social media managers, and management are excited to present you with unique stories of amazing individuals following their dreams.
Read us often? Make The LA Note Magazine a preferred source in Google Search and see our reporting more often in Top Stories.
Tell The LA Note about your work. Use our editorial submission page to introduce yourself and your story.
