Two years ago, a San Antonio native went viral for representing the “210” while competing on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge. It was just the beginning of their journey inspiring audiences online. This month, they made their way back to the big screen by guest-starring on the Jennifer Hudson Show.
Jackie Gonzalez, a deaf artist and content creator, appeared on an episode that dropped on YouTube on Friday, October 10. However, you probably already know her from TikTok, where her videos of lip-reading celebrity conversations gather over 100,000 views. Whether it’s Pedro Pascal chatting with paparazzi or sweet nothings between Taylor Swift and her new fiancé, Travis Kelce, she can figure it out. This skill, her artistic talent, and bold personality have brought in an audience of over 1.8 million people.
Being asked to speak with the Emmy-, Grammy-, and Oscar-award-winning host was a “pinch me” moment, Gonzalez said on Instagram. When the show first reached out on Thursday, September 11, she thought, “Is this real?”
Two weeks later, the Brandeis High School alumnus was sitting on a couch inside California’s Warner Bros. Studio, discussing her gift, deaf identity, and how investing in community impacted her for the better. Though “a tad” nervous, her family and Hudson’s team made it “an easy and fun day,” she tells MySA…