Grab the turkey from the oven, open a couple of cans of cranberry sauce, get the tamales ready, and set out the tableware that matches and isn’t chipped. Thanksgiving 2022 is finally here! That means it’s time for some good eatin’, but also time to bring the people you love together to cherish those relationships. Yes, even the one with your Tía Marta who’s always getting into everyone’s business.
Thanksgiving is also a great time to make new friends. And who better to make friends with than some of the celebrities that have inspired you with their talent over the last year? Here’s a list of seven Latine celebrities we’d like to invite to our house for Thanksgiving 2022. No need to RSVP. You can even show up at the end for dessert or even after dinner when everyone is asleep on the couch watching the 2022 World Cup.
We’ll keep a place at the table open for any of these guests and promise it won’t be next to our Tía Marta.
1
Tenoch Huerta
If anyone has made a cultural impact in the film industry this year, it’s Huerta, whose role as Namor in the Marvel sequel Blank Panther: Wakanda Forever was a memorable one. The conversation at the dinner table wouldn’t just have to be about superheroes either. Huerta’s upcoming book Orgullo Prieto covers the racism and colorism in Mexico, which is a heavy topic, but equally important, especially on a holiday tied to some fictional meal between happy natives and colonists at Plymouth. Huerta seems like such a nice guy, he’d probably bring a dish to share – maybe a nice corn salad in honor of Namor’s Mesoamerican roots.
2
Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny’s the only celeb on this list that was on last year’s, so he must’ve done something right. We can start off by pointing to his album Un Verano Sin Ti, which was just named the best album of the year by Time magazine. He also won big at the Latin Grammys and became the first Latine ever to be named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year. At this point, we don’t even need to invite Bad Bunny to Thanksgiving dinner. It’s an open invitation every year.
3
Katya Echazarreta
If she’s not still floating around in the cosmos, Echazarreta can be a guest of honor at our Thanksgiving this year. The electrical engineer became the first Mexican-born woman to ever travel to space when she boarded a Blue Origin rocket this past summer. Talk about a story to tell at the dinner table. Just as long as Echazarreta doesn’t try to turn the glazed ham into a battery, we’re sure it’ll be a lovely visit.
4
Liniker
If Brazilian singer-songwriter Linkier is coming to dinner, we’re definitely asking her to bring the Latin Grammy she recently won for her first solo album “Indigo Borboleta Anil.” She became the first trans artist to win a Latin Grammy in the history of the awards show. That’s such an impressive feat, we’re giving Liniker the honors of carving the turkey this year. She deserves everything she has and more.
5
Ismael Cruz Córdova
Speaking of a strong cultural impact on the entertainment industry – this year, Córdova is to the TV landscape as Huerta is to film. His participation in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has not only shown people that Latines can play any role that Hollywood has to offer, but they can also do it convincingly. We’ll be sure to put out some Lembas bread for our favorite LOTR elf and will make sure to have another place at the table ready if he decides to bring Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) as a plus-1.
6
Feid
The singer and songwriter would look great rolling into dinner wearing a flashy outfit and some silver chains around his neck. His Thanksgiving visit is going to have to be a quick one. He’s wrapping up his U.S. tour in Los Angeles the following day, so maybe we can send him off with an extra plate in case he gets hungry at the airport.
7
Keyla Monterroso Mejia
Assuming everyone wants Thanksgiving to be a big celebration, we’re going to need some laughs at the dinner table. Who better to turn to than Mejia, who proved this year that even a guest role in a popular comedy series could become a hit for audiences? In two episodes of Abbott Elementary, Mejia brought the house down as Ashley Garcia, a teacher’s aide who has an enthusiastic approach to connecting with students in the classroom. Hopefully, she brings that model skeleton from Abbott Elementary for a sing-a-long.