Launching today on the 74th anniversary of ‘I Love Lucy,’ the 10-part series hosted and executive produced by Valderrama guides listeners through Arnaz’s life, career and the legacy he left behind

Listen to the first three episodes now HERE

NEW YORK -- October 15, 2025 – iHeartMedia, the No. 1 podcast publisher according to Podtrac, today premiered “Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama,” 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’s exclusive slate with My Cultura Podcast Network, a network dedicated to elevating Latino voices and stories and of which Valderrama is a stakeholder. Co-produced by Valderrama’s audio production company WV Sound, the 10-part series will join previously released podcasts from this partnership, including “More Better with Stephanie & Melissa,” “Forgive Me For I Have Followed,” and “Dos Amigos,” which Valderrama co-hosts alongside Freddy Rodriguez. 

When “I Love Lucy” premiered in 1951, it revolutionized television by featuring Arnaz, a Latino actor, as one of its stars. On “Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama,” Valderrama will guide listeners through Arnaz’s life, including his prolific career and personal narrative – 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’s influence shaped not only his own path, but also the broader culture.

“As 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,” said Valderrama. “This 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’m so excited to partner with iHeart and the My Cultura Podcast Network to celebrate his legacy.”

“Our partnership with Wilmer and WV Sound has brought many powerful and authentic stories to the network,” said Leo Gomez, head of iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Podcast Network. “‘Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama’ 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’re proud to share it with people everywhere.”

The My Cultura Podcast Network launched May 2021 in collaboration with Enrique Santos, iHeartMedia’s 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 “Chiquis and Chill,” “The Moment with Jorge Ramos and Paola Ramos,” “Princess of South Beach,'' “Wrestling with Freddie,” “Sacred Scandal,” “Radio Ambulante,” “Magical Rewind,” “He Said, Ella Dijo with Eric Winter and Roselyn Sanchez,” “Enrique Santos Podcast,” “You vs You with Lex Borrero” and many more. In tandem with the network’s 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 here.

“Starring: Desi Arnaz & Wilmer Valderrama” will be available today, October 15, 2025, with new episodes released every Wednesday on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard. The podcast is executive produced by Wilmer Valderrama and Erick Galindo—journalist, creator and host of the Podcast Academy Award-winning series “Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez.” All My Cultura shows are distributed by iHeartPodcasts.

Editor’s Note: Podcast cover art is available for download HERE. Use the below embed code to include the podcast audio player in your article.

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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 ‘Fez’ 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 iHeartMedia, Valderrama launched WV Sound to help curate the network’s slate of Latino-focused podcasts. Continuing off the success of ‘Essential Voices with Wilmer Valderrama’ and ‘More Better with Stephanie & Melissa,’ 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’s 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’s 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’s stakeholder partnership with iHeart and My Cultura Podcast Network, the company has a robust slate of projects including the true-crime series “Forgive Me For I Have Followed,” “Dos Amigos with Wilmer Valderrama and Freddy Rodriguez,” and “More Better with Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero.” 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.