"If your kid hasn't bathed in two days, it's fine," she says in the clip, filmed during the early days of the COVID pandemic. It was a shot of honesty spiked with Caribbean wit and motherly exhaustion: A joke, a vent, and unknowingly, the start of a brand-new life.
Growing up, Esteve dreamed of being an actress, but life took her down more practical roads. She studied international relations, taught elementary school in Miami, married at 23, and became a full-time mom of three. "I was the drama queen of the house. I'd stub my toe and make it a whole show," she says, laughing. Her family was her audience, and the performances stayed behind closed doors. Then COVID hit.
A friend suggested Esteve create a comedic Instagram page to cope with quarantine life. They called it "Madres en Cuarentena (Mothers in Quarantine)," and once it launched, thousands of women instantly related to her tales of pandemic parenting. "We were all locked in, all moms going crazy at the same time," says Esteve, whose audience has ballooned to 1.5 million Instagram followers since then.
"I never imagined this," she tells New Times. "I had dreams, sure — but not like this."
Motherhood and Margarita Therapy
Esteve's Cuban persona — influenced by her dad — was the first of many characters she'd develop."I had no clue how to film myself," she remembers. "I was ranting in my closet, telling moms to take a shot of a margarita if their kid stressed them out." That video got 5,000 views in one day. "I was like, 'Who are these people?'"
Soon came Dominican, Venezuelan, and Puerto Rican personas. No wigs. No costumes. Just voices, expressions, and brutally honest mom-life observations. She was improvising in real time, and people loved it.
As the world slowly reopened, it became clear Esteve's comedy would not suffer the same fate as countless other abandoned quarantine hobbies. She declined an initial offer to produce a live show, but eventually took up producer Alexandra Fuentes' offer to take her content to the theater stage. With coaching from actress Norwill Fragoso and script guidance from Mike Phillip, she created her first live show.
She performed at Puerto Rico's Teatro Tapia in February 2024 and returned to the island three months later for two Mother's Day shows at the Coca-Cola Music Hall. On Friday, May 16, she'll take her act to the James L. Knight Center.
Esteve remembers her onstage debut: "I was so nervous I thought I was pregnant — even though I had my tubes tied! My husband said, 'Well, it must be the Holy Spirit.'"
The nerves disappeared when she opened the stage door and felt the audience's energy. "I said 'Good evening,' and I knew — I was home. I wasn't just 'mom of three' or 'Jero's wife.' I was Maritere again."
Her two eldest sons were at that first show. "When they ran on stage and hugged me, saying 'Mami, you did it,' I felt complete." She knew they weren't just proud because she was their mom, but because she was chasing her dream. "That's the example I want to set," she says.
Social Media by Instinct, Not Strategy
Esteve makes it a point to film when her kids are in school. "I never want them to feel like the phone is taking their mom away," she says. Even her husband has had to remind her to put it down. "It's about balance. If it stops being fun, it loses the magic."She's not one for editing, filters, or social media calendars. "I press record and go. That's my production team — me and my phone in the car." She laughs. "Could I take it to another level? Probably. But this realness is what people connect with."
Of course, not every comment is kind. "Someone once wrote, 'This shrill woman is giving me an aneurysm.' I cried. But my friends told me: Grow thick skin and move on." Now, she blocks trolls without a second thought.
But the positive messages? They've changed her. "People told me they hadn't laughed in months after losing someone during the pandemic; that my videos helped them cope. I thought I was just venting for my own sanity, but I was helping others, too."
She's leaned into her accidental fame, which continues taking her to unexpected places. Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sánchez invited Esteve to cameo in her recent feature directorial debut, Diario: Mujer y Café. Another film role came from a producer's wife who saw her videos and said, "That's the mom we need!" She's open to more, so long as it works around her kids' schedules. "Sixteen, twelve, and six... that's not easy, girl."
Maritere Castellanos Esteve. 8 p.m. Friday, May 16, at the James L. Knight Center, 400 SE Second Ave., Miami; 305-416-5970; jlkc.com. Tickets cost $79.45 to $190.45 via ticketmaster.com.
