The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Gabriel Iglesias heads to Rancho Mirage — again
Comic's next stand will include his 25th show at Agua Caliente venue
Shis Netflix special “Stadium Fluffy.” He’s also taken on more prominent TV roles, joining George Lopez’s sitcom “Lopez vs. Lopez” for Season 2 and becoming a regular on “The Santa Clauses.” Before his three shows in Rancho Mirage, Iglesias talked with Southern California News Group about headlining the baseball stadium, sharing the stage with Lopez, social media’s impact on comedy and more. The conversation was edited for space and clarity. tand-up comedians often play casinos as part of their tours, but Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is taking it to another level. Iglesias’ upcoming performance at Agua Caliente Resort
Casino Spa Rancho Mirage will mark the 25th time he’s presented his show at the venue.
“Clearly, I hate change,” Iglesias joked in a phone interview ahead of his three performances at the property from
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May 3-5. “It’s going to be a great You’ve performed some time. I bring a great show with massive sold-out shows, including really good production. There’s famously at Dodgers nothing like it but wrestling. Stadium. How did you feel after My show’s like WWE meets the doing that performance? Food Network.”
The 47-year-old Long Beach resident known for his Hawaiian shirts grew up in Southern California, including Riverside, Santa Ana, Baldwin Park and Compton. He says he enjoys playing roulette and checking out the cocktail menus at casinos, but for Iglesias, Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage holds sentimental value.
“For my mom and I, that was our little hangout,” he said.
“She would always go with me, and without getting too emotional about it, she passed away about 10 years ago. So it was
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one of those things where it was We haven’t worked together a nice place to go and remember since about 2000. We were her. That particular venue on a television show called “Que was one of those places where Locos” on Galavisión and he there were always good memories.” was one of the hosts. I was an up-and-coming comedian and
In 2022, he became the first that’s the first time we got to comedian to headline Dodger work together. We didn’t really Stadium, a show that made up run into each other again until
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I felt very hungover the next day, and I might’ve celebrated a bit onstage. The next day was very surreal. My head and stomach were hurting but I’ve never been happier. It was the greatest day of my life. The whole next day, I just saying, “Wow, I can’t believe that happened.”
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You shared the stage with comedian George Lopez for the Golden Globes. Was it the first time you two have done something together like that?
the Golden Globes. I thought that was really cool that the two of us could do that together. I love the fact that people could see us working together on such a huge stage. While everybody was focused on Taylor Swift, I’m telling George, “Do you realize how big this is? The two of us on that stage together?” We’re living in a time where we’re all watching other comedians tear each other down, so I thought it was really awesome that we could do that.
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There is a lot of talk right now about Latino representation in the media and in Hollywood. How do you feel about representation in the current environment?
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If I relied strictly on Hollywood to make me, I’d still be at my day job.
All I heard when I was starting out was no. I couldn’t get into comedy clubs. Since I couldn’t get into comedy clubs, I performed wherever they would allow me to perform: at quinceañeras, barbecues and little holes in the wall until I was able to get myself into a position where somebody could help me get into a comedy club. By the time I got there, I was seasoned because I was used to performing in environments that were not conducive to comedy. So of course, I came out killing it out of the gate because
I was used to people throwing bottles and calling me fat from the crowd and threatening me in a parking lot.
Sometimes we spend too much time feeling held down, feeling oppressed, feeling pushed back. I think we can
A grow out of that. It was not Hollywood This isn’t a specific person, who put me here. It was but I would like to perform me making a decision to take in the ’70s for an audience just matters into my own hands. to see what that would feel like. I feel like in the ’70s it was the last time where you could say anything you wanted up there and people knew you were just a comedian. Nobody was going to be pissed off when they got it in the parking lot. There were also no cellphones to record you and no social media. There was none of that, and it was just people out having a good time.
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Speaking of taking matters into your own hands, what do you think of comedians who are succeeding because of their social media presence?
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Social media is a double-edged sword because it’s one of those things where, yes, you can promote yourself and get your content out there quickly, but there’s something to be said about taking your time to do it right.
There are a lot of people out there who have gotten sparks, and then they go out and do their shows but unfortunately, all they have is their two or three minutes that went viral. They don’t have enough to sustain a full show because they haven’t been around long enough to hone in their craft and really build something to have a strong show. For most comics, it takes anywhere from 10 to 15 years to have a solid act where you can tour, headline and work.
So to pick the fast pass with social media, sometimes it doesn’t work, but sometimes it does and they’ll catch on. Most of the time, I think that you’re missing out on the struggle and you’re missing out on the growth.
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If you could perform for any person or people living or dead, who would they be and why?
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What’s one of the funniest situations you’ve been in that at the time was super serious but you had to prevent yourself from laughing?
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I got a massage yesterday for my messed-up sciatica. I get massages regularly and usually I’m on my back or on my front. That’s how you lay down on the table. I kept complaining about my side and she goes, “Well, why don’t you lay down on the side?” and I’m like, “Oh, OK, let’s do that,” and it was awesome. I go, “Man, this is great,” and she goes, “Yeah, I do this all the time for pregnant ladies.” So, I’m like, wow, OK, I guess I’m six months.