含羞草传媒鈥檚 My Cultura Podcast Network Debuts 鈥淪tarring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama鈥
Launching today on the 74th anniversary of 鈥業 Love Lucy,鈥 the 10-part series hosted and executive produced by Valderrama guides listeners through Arnaz鈥檚 life, career and the legacy he left behind
Listen to the first three episodes now
NEW YORK -- October 15, 2025 鈥 含羞草传媒, the No. 1 podcast publisher according to , today premiered 鈥,鈥 a new podcast from actor, producer, entrepreneur and activist Wilmer Valderrama, which unravels the life and career of Cuban-born actor and performer, Desi Arnaz. The weekly series is the latest from Valderrama鈥檚 exclusive slate with , a network dedicated to elevating Latino voices and stories and of which Valderrama is a stakeholder. Co-produced by Valderrama鈥檚 audio production company WV Sound, the 10-part series will join previously released podcasts from this partnership, including 鈥淢ore Better with Stephanie & Melissa,鈥 鈥淔orgive Me For I Have Followed,鈥 and 鈥淒os Amigos,鈥 which Valderrama co-hosts alongside Freddy Rodriguez.
When 鈥淚 Love Lucy鈥 premiered in 1951, it revolutionized television by featuring Arnaz, a Latino actor, as one of its stars. On 鈥,鈥 Valderrama will guide listeners through Arnaz鈥檚 life, including his prolific career and personal narrative 鈥 along with the legacy he left for Valderrama and many others. Valderrama has credited the icon with inspiring his own career and often points to the parallels between their journeys, in life and work. Throughout the podcast, he will weave in personal reflections, exploring how Arnaz鈥檚 influence shaped not only his own path, but also the broader culture.
鈥淎s a young boy growing up in Venezuela, it was Desi Arnaz and his unapologetic Cuban accent on a major television show that gave me permission to dream of entertaining audiences around the world. Without him, so many of us would have stopped trying a long time ago,鈥 said Valderrama. 鈥淭his podcast is a love letter to the man who revolutionized our industry, with contributions that continue to shape and sustain the television business today. I鈥檓 so excited to partner with iHeart and the My Cultura Podcast Network to celebrate his legacy.鈥
鈥淥ur partnership with Wilmer and WV Sound has brought many powerful and authentic stories to the network,鈥 said Leo Gomez, head of 含羞草传媒鈥檚 My Cultura Podcast Network. 鈥溾楽tarring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama鈥 celebrates one of the most influential Latino icons and gives audiences from all walks of life incredible insight into the depth of his impact on culture and storytelling. We鈥檙e proud to share it with people everywhere.鈥
The My Cultura Podcast Network launched May 2021 in collaboration with Enrique Santos, 含羞草传媒鈥檚 top-rated on-air personality and President and Chief Creative Officer of iHeartLatino. Since launch, the network has seen steady listener growth and has become home to more than 60 podcasts including hit series 鈥,鈥 鈥,鈥 鈥'' 鈥溾 鈥,鈥 鈥,鈥 鈥溾 鈥,鈥 鈥,鈥 鈥溾 and many more. In tandem with the network鈥檚 fourth anniversary this past June, it was announced that Eva Longoria and her studio Hyphenate Media Group joined actor, producer, entrepreneur and activist Wilmer Valderrama as stakeholders of My Cultura. Listeners can find the full catalog of My Cultura podcasts.
鈥溾 will be available today, October 15, 2025, with new episodes released every Wednesday and everywhere podcasts are heard. The podcast is executive produced by Wilmer Valderrama and Erick Galindo鈥攋ournalist, creator and host of the Podcast Academy Award-winning series 鈥溍峝olo: The Ballad of Chalino S谩nchez.鈥 All My Cultura shows are distributed by iHeartPodcasts.
Editor鈥檚 Note: Podcast cover art is available for download . Use the below embed code to include the podcast audio player in your article.
Embed Code: <iframe allow="autoplay" width="100%" height="300" src="" frameborder="0"></iframe>
About Wilmer Valderrama
Actor, producer, entrepreneur and activist Wilmer Valderrama has been making audiences laugh, listen, and think for nearly two decades. Perhaps most recognized for his role as exchange student 鈥楩ez鈥 on the Emmy-nominated series That 70s Show, Valderrama currently stars in the #1 TV drama NCIS on CBS. On the big screen, he most recently lent his voice to the hit Academy Award-winning Disney animated film Encanto. Behind the camera, Valderrama launched his production arm WV Entertainment to bring underrepresented stories to life across traditional broadcast and streaming platforms. Over the years, the team has produced beloved and impactful content including Yo Mama, Handy Manny, Charming, and the recent runaway hit Netflix docuseries Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult. In their partnership with CBS Studios, the team also has a robust slate in development. As an extension of his production arm and his expanded role as a shareholder in the My Cultura Podcast Network from 含羞草传媒, Valderrama launched WV Sound to help curate the network鈥檚 slate of Latino-focused podcasts. Continuing off the success of 鈥楨ssential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama鈥 and 鈥楳ore Better with Stephanie & Melissa,鈥 the team is committed to a slate of new programming that will be executive produced by and/or star him. Seeing a gap in the marketplace for bringing new below the line talent into the US marketplace, Valderrama partnered with John Pollack to launch Allied Management Group, which focuses on partnering with, collaborating, and representing new and existing Latino voices across traditional and digital media. In 2024, Valderrama also added author to his credits with the release of his memoir An American Story: Everyone鈥檚 Invited. Outside of acting and producing, Valderrama is active in several philanthropic agencies including HARNESS, which he co-founded with America Ferrera and Ryan Piers William to connect communities through conversation to inspire action and power change. He also serves on the board of Voto Latino, a spokesperson for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Valderrama is also a USO Global Ambassador and was recently honored with their Merit Award, which is the org鈥檚 highest civilian honor given to individuals with years of dedication and extensive work supporting deployed service members through various tours and events worldwide.
About WV Sound
WV Sound is a creative audio production company dedicated to crafting compelling stories and original podcasts. Founded in 2022, as part of Wilmer Valderrama鈥檚 stakeholder partnership with iHeart and My Cultura Podcast Network, the company has a robust slate of projects including the true-crime series 鈥淔orgive Me For I Have Followed,鈥 鈥淒os Amigos with Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez,鈥 and 鈥淢ore Better with Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero.鈥 WV Sound is committed to producing bold, high-quality audio experiences that connect with listeners everywhere and focuses on celebrating and elevating LatinX voices and stories.