Comedian’s Foster Parenting Joy
Alec Mapa has guest-starred in more than 40 TV series, including Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives, but what you may not know is that he's also a father.
Alec is Asian, his husband Jamison is white, and his adopted son Zion is black. “We look like the last two minutes from ‘It’s A Small World,’” he jokes.
Zion came to live with Alec and Jamison three years ago, when he was five. “We were like instant parents and we were clueless. Like I didn’t know that five-year-old boys had meltdowns at the end of the day and needed naps.”
His son had three rough weeks adjusting, “One minute he was living in Compton, in the hood. The next minute he was living with two gay guys. So it was like “Who are you, where am I, what’s gazpacho?”
“As soon as he knew he was safe and cared for, a light went off in his eyes and he became a regular kid.”
Alec hopes to encourage more people to adopt from the foster system. “People always said to me, ‘Aren’t you afraid the kids gonna have issues?’ Yeah, ‘cause people who have both parents from birth never have any issues at all.”
When Mapa isn’t enjoying parenthood, he travels to small towns around the country for Showville. He and the crew land, then have an open call for talent acts. They pick four finalists and work with them for two days. On the fourth day, they host a big talent show. The whole town comes, watches, votes for their favorite, and that person wins ten thousand dollars.
Ali and Alec each have special talents—to watch their impromptu talent show, check out this episode of Daily Shot!
WATCH: Want a talent of your own? Learn to beatbox
Showville airs Thursdays on AMC.
