Raffi Umanzor and NuNu Paris Share Comedy and Culture with “Wait! Don’t Do It!”

The podcast hosts talk the story behind their show, their events and what’s next for them.

We spoke with 11 of D.C.’s performing arts professionals to learn more about how they set the scene. Check out the rest of the roundup here. 

Listening to “Wait! Don’t Do It!” is like stumbling into an intimate, honest and outrageously funny conversation between two best friends. Created and co-hosted by Raffi Umanzor and NuNu Paris, the show covers everything from Rihanna’s Superbowl halftime show to faking orgasms. Read on to learn more about what they’re all about — and why if you tune in, you’ll have a ball learning what not to do.

District Fray: What’s the story behind “Wait! Don’t Do It!”?
Umanzor: NuNu and I started it right before the pandemic. At the time, I was working at the local queer gym in D.C. — I’m a personal trainer — and I felt there wasn’t a space uplifting voices like mine that speak about [being] Latino and queer. So, NuNu and I said, “Hey, people are interested in what we have to say. Let’s figure out how to do this together.” We came up with a title, bought a mic and the rest is history. 

Paris: I didn’t start drag until we started our podcast in 2019. The pandemic happened and NuNu Paris was born. Then we started doing YouTube, which led us to TikTok where people get to see Raffi’s humor and directorial viewpoints. It all came from wanting Black and Brown voices to be heard. We want to be advocates for fun, safety and just having a good time. 

What about the name, “Wait! Don’t Do It!”?
Umanzor: We were throwing names back and forth, thinking of funny quips like the show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” And we said, “Wait! Don’t Do It!” That’s really on brand for us: the messy podcast that tells you what not to do.

Paris: And make sure you’re not limiting yourself — that you’re giving yourself a chance to explore and be creative, because that’s what we’ve done for ourselves. When we say “don’t do it,” it’s because we’ve made lots of mistakes. We’re open and honest about that. But the point of the podcast is growth and being real with people. 

How does recording the podcast work?
Paris: Every Friday night, Raffi travels to my place and we watch any shows or music videos that just came out. We fight every time because we are like siblings. Then we set up and we look at each other: “Are you ready?” And when we go it’s like a zone.

Umanzor: We talk on the phone every day, so the podcast is based on our normal communication. We focus on having honest conversations regarding dating, working, nightlife, relationships and friendships. We hope that listeners feel like they’re in the room with us, getting honest perspectives from both of us. 

And they can be in the room with you at your events.
Umanzor: I’m a partier. I like to have a good time. But for a while nightlife felt stagnant to me. The new bars were just reflections of existing places. And the nights for Latin Heritage Month felt watered down. I just wanted to have a say in it — my own avenue —  because for me, being Latino is a celebration. Especially in the Salvadorian community, we prioritize joy even in chaos. So our Reggaeton Brunch shows people how I grew up, the music I was into. I know if I want this, other people want this. It showed us we have the power to get it done. We just have to put ourselves out there. The people who have come out to support us have shown us it was necessary. 

Paris: We were like, “Oh, people do want to connect in life.” They want to have moments free from the standards of the bar scene. You don’t have to look a certain way. You don’t have to act a certain way. You don’t have to pay a certain amount of money to have fun. It’s really important that people come to our events and feel a sense of love and acceptance. 

What’s next?
Paris: We’re going to continue branching out, making spaces, working with brands. We have our Fabulosé event on September 23 at DC9 celebrating Latin Heritage Month. Halloween is around the corner. We do a lot with Capital Pride. We’ll just keep working with different organizations who resonate with our message of diversity and inclusivity.  

Listen to “Wait! Don’t Do It!” on any major streaming platform and on YouTube, and find them on Instagram @waitdontdoitpodcast. Follow NuNu Paris @nunuparisyall. Reggaeton Brunch at El Rey occurs on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month. Queen’s Brunch takes place bi-weekly the 1st and 3rd Saturdays at Le Mont Royal.

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Chad Dexter Kinsman