Laughing through it all: a comedy special like no other

One of the hardest decisions for Jules Rodriguez and his wife, Maria, was whether to go through with a tracheotomy. They had agreed in advance that if it came to that, they wouldn’t proceed. But when the time came, Jules changed his mind.

But he still wanted to perform, to tell jokes on stage, and to share his passion for comedy. With his voice gone, Jules turned to our voice cloning tools paired with a Tobii Dynavox eyegaze device. For the first time since his diagnosis, he could hear himself again. “It was overwhelming,” Maria said. “Hearing that voice was like bringing part of him back.”

In 2024, Jules performed his first stand-up set at Dania Improv in Miami, delivering every line in his AI voice and we had the privilege of capturing the entire journey. Jules and Maria also host The Couple Shift, a podcast where they share their day-to-day lives and their experiences navigating ALS.

The stand-up performance was a moment of resilience, humor, and connection. Jules reminded everyone in the room there’s always space for joy and creativity. As Maria put it, “Life didn’t stop because of ALS. We’ve had to adapt, but Jules hasn’t lost his spark.”

Watch his full comedy set below: