LOS ANGELES — Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias says he didn't tell his family or friends he was going to be performing at Dodger Stadium.
Instead, he let them find out through the news, so he wouldn’t have to deal with comments such as “Are you singing the national anthem? Are you throwing out a first pitch? Are you cleaning?" Iglesias said. "The last thing they think is that I’m gonna be performing there."
Despite his humorous comments, Iglesias, a Los Angeles native of Mexican heritage, acknowledges he's not just performing at the iconic venue: This Friday and Saturday, he'll be making history as the first comedian to perform and sell out at Dodger Stadium.
More than 45,000 fans will be in attendance, making it the largest crowd he’s ever performed for.
“It’s very surreal — I don’t even know the best way to put it,” Iglesias said in a recent Zoom interview.
The show was originally scheduled only for Saturday; after it sold out, Iglesias and his team added an extra show on Friday. “Maybe that’s the reason why we added a second show, just for them,” he said, joking about the fact that family and friends were asking for tickets. “Because it’s home, it’s always going to be one of those, everybody’s going to want to come out to it.”
“This is a home-field advantage show — I’ve done big shows, but this is definitely the biggest,” Iglesias said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years. I gave up a lot of hair, hope and happiness to make sure that a show like this could happen."
Known for his iconic Hawaiian shirts, Iglesias, 45, is celebrated for his family-friendly stand-up comedy, recounting personal experiences and making jokes about topics as varied as his weight to his Mexican American family.
His act has earned him a place as one of comedy’s most popular figures — he was ranked sixth on Forbes' 2019 list of highest-earning comedians, at $22 million.
Alongside his Netflix sitcom, "Mr. Iglesias," and stand-up specials, "One Show Fits All" and "I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry," Iglesias has been featured in animated films like "Space Jam: A New Legacy" and "Coco."
After a hiatus largely due to the coronavirus pandemic — "a year is the longest I’ve ever been offstage" — Iglesias said the pair of performances is the perfect way to mark a quarter-century in show business.
The break has allowed him to feature all-new material, including updates about his life during the pandemic and his relationships with family and friends.
“It’s a continuation of a story that’s been happening since 2007,” Iglesias said.
Getting ready for the 'Super Bowl' of comedy
In interviews and reports, Iglesias has referred to his coming performances at the iconic ballpark as the “Super Bowl for comedy.”
Asked about the possibility of a "World Cup of comedy," he said the next step would be to break the world record for attendance at a comedy show, which is held by the German comedian Mario Barth, who performed in front of 67,733 people at the Olympiastadion in Berlin in 2008.
“I think aiming for maybe a football stadium," Iglesias said. "I would definitely be trying to break that record if I did go for it."
The show, "Fluffy on the Field," will be recorded for his third Netflix special, which will premiere later this year and be featured as part of Netflix's coming comedy event, "Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival," featuring an all-star comedy lineup.
"People keep asking me: 'Hey, so are you looking forward to it? Are you excited? What's going on in your mind?'" Iglesias said. "I go, it's not real till I'm there."
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