Aug 6, 2025 - Culture

John Leguizamo does New Orleans

Middle-aged man in a blue blazer and denim shirt sitting on a blue bench, raising his left hand, smiling, with a bridge and trees in the background. — John Leguizamo. Photo: MSNBC

In a new show, Emmy Award-winning actor John Leguizamo visits a handful of American cities, including New Orleans, and explores how Latinos are shaping their history, culture and food.

Why it matters: The show highlights how Latino people helped rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, "Leguizamo Does America" director Ben DeJesus tells Axios.

Yes, but: Latino influence here extends far earlier than that, too.

"You think of New Orleans — the birth of jazz — but then when you dig a little deeper, you start realizing that jazz is really a fusion of a lot of Spanish and Afro Caribbean rhythms that have created that sound," DeJesus says.

Between the lines: The show's first season was the most viewed MSNBC original in over two years on Peacock.

That proves, DeJesus says, that telling Latinos' stories doesn't just make audiences "feel good" — it's "good business." Go deeper.

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John Leguizamo does New Orleans

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