Club Shay Shay - Gabriel Iglesias Part 2

Thank you for coming back. Part two is underway. You said I drink Diet Coke so I can eat regular cake. Yeah. Are sweets your favorite food? Or do you like the traditional Mexican cuisine? You know what? With sweets, believe it or not, sweets are not my my number one. I love more salty. OK, so you fry. So, yeah, I'm more I'm more of a. Yeah, whether it's chips or just steak or whether it's a hot dog. My favorite food is a hot dog. You eating glizzies like that? Oh, my God. I think that's why I love Costco so much. And not just because it's $1.50, but that is a legit good hot dog. It is so good. So I know you love the Dodger dog because that Dodger dog. Well, you don't got to go like that. Yeah. put the shat in right there hey put it in your mouth but you know it's sticking out both ends I mean come on now can y'all get a bun just a little bit longer you can't have the glitz it's sticking out on both ends you know I love a good hot dog that's definitely my favorite so what do you put on your hot dog I'm so basic I just want ketchup mayo mustard on a hot dog well that's a lot of judgment right there That's a lot of judgment. Hold on. Okay. I've never heard of anybody putting mayo on a hot dog. Okay, mustard, ketchup, onions, relish, chili, cheese, sauerkraut. Mayo? Yeah. I'll put mayo on a sandwich. So I like mayo on a sandwich. But for me, a hot dog is just the same. It's just a different, you know, the meat is shaped different. You know what I mean? You do realize a hot dog is not a sandwich, right? I, I, I, we can agree, we can agree to disagree, Shannon. We can agree to disagree. I'm just trying to, so, so at what age did you say, you know what, I want something different. I don't want ketchup. I don't want mustard. I don't want relish. I'm going to try mayo on a hot dog. I think because of the fact that I always grew up eating mayo. So I would put mayo basically on everything. Really? Yeah. Is that, is that, is that, is that tip? That was from a very early age, and that was just something that I did. I mean, once it caught on, it was like, all right. So when I go to England, and they're like, oh, they eat their fries with mayo. I'm like, cool. And I'm just like, yeah, I'll show you how to do it. French fries with mayo? That's what they do in England, yes. Oh, no, man. Come on, bro. Are we still cool? Yeah, yeah. So I'm just trying to – so now what do you put – I know you don't put mayo on a burger. You liked me more when I was just a Raider fan. Now I was like, oh, mayo. That's where I draw the line right there. Gabriel, please tell me you don't put mayo on a burger. Yes, I put mayo on a burger. Oh, this man. Shannon, really? Oh, God damn it. You do realize that mayo doesn't have to go on everything. You're doing so good. I swear, I've never heard of people putting mayo on a hot dog. He's about to cancel you, boo-boo. So you like salty food. So at what point in time do you say? So, for example, one of my favorite salty things to eat is Spam because I grew up on it. Okay. I grew up on Spam. Fried? Yes. See? Okay, I'm back. We're back. We're back. We're back. Thank goodness. We're back. I was nervous. I'm like, oh, man, how much of a time I got to drink before Shannon gets on me. I mean, we good. So you fried? Yeah, on the pan and everything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sandwich. I love Spam. I already know you put mayo on it. Yeah. We were doing so good. I think you just pulled it back. But you know what? I'll give you that. I mean, I think that's really the only way that you can eat Spam. You got to have mayo on it. You got to have mayo to do Spam. But you still eat it. You know you don't have to, right? I know I don't have to. And, you know, I was having this conversation with someone earlier about how there's certain foods in certain restaurants that I still go to, even though I know the level, the caliber of quality of food that I'm about to, you know. Right. But because of the fact that it ties into my, it's nostalgic. It ties into my childhood. Yes, yes. So I enjoy it because the taste and the flavor reminds me of, you know, when I would go eat with my mom and being a kid and stuff like that. But I do know that a lot of these restaurants, I'm like, mmm, yeah, no, I've tasted Wagyu. I know what A5 is. I'd rather have Spam right about now, but okay, it's good. What's your favorite food? If somebody said, okay, give me your list, your last list, what's your favorite food? What's the one thing that, you know what, Gabriel says, I got to have? Grilled cheese sandwich with Spam in it. grilled cheese if that's my last i'm about to go to the electric yeah grilled cheese sandwich was was with fried spam in the middle grilled cheese yeah i am such i'm such a basic seriously i grew up eating quesadillas like my mom would make me a quesadilla not even like on the grill i'm saying it again so so we've been saying it wrong because we say quesadilla well i'm saying it because i'm mexican and i have an You know what I'm saying? So, how do you say it? Quesadilla. Quesadilla. Quesadilla. Quesadilla. Yeah. It's okay if you don't say it right. No, we don't say it right. It's all good. Hey, appetizer, let me get the quesadillas. But it's the same thing. I grew up eating quesadillas, very basic. It's just the tortilla, some cheese, you fold it. Sometimes my mom would put it on the stove. Sometimes she'd just throw it in the microwave. Right. But that's what I grew up on. So I'm very simple. My writer, when I do shows, like, you know, a lot of times entertainers have certain shit in their thing. Yeah, they want M&Ms. They want ginger ale. I am so basic. I just need a George Foreman grill or a microwave. Do you keep it? No, no. I got one on the bus. I'm good. So I just need a George Foreman grill, a microwave, you know, some tortillas or some bread. Okay. And just some cheese. That's it. As a writer, that's all you get. And mayo. And mayo. So you like mayo or do you like salad spread, salad dressing? No, no, no, mayo. Like, for example, people go, what about like Miracle Whip? No, no, no. I don't know. So you get Hellman's, huh? Yeah, Hellman's or, you know, what's the other name? It's either Hellman's or not Kraft. What's the other name, guys? It's Hellman's or we're talking about mayonnaise. Best Foods. Best Foods. So it's either Best Foods or Hellman's. It's the same brand, but. Yeah, but see, this man says if his last meal, he going out, he want grilled cheese and spam. My last meal, grilled cheese sandwich was spam, and that's on record because I've said this before. No, I'm going out with a bang. I'm eating all, I'm getting Wagyu, I want ribs, I want oxtails, french fries, yeah. I eat all of that on the reg, seriously. But as a rider, what he's saying is that him being who he is, he has a rider. So they'll ask you, what do you want? What type of water do you want? What type of self-drinks do you want? Do you want ice? Do you want champagne? Do you want beer? No, I don't want ice. Really? I'll leave it at that. No. In my dressing room, there's Diet Cokes, bottles of water. And usually what I'll do is when I have bottles of water, I got kind of like a crystal-like type of thing where you put it in there sugar-free, kind of mix it up. Bread. They'll usually provide deli meats because no matter where you go, they'll always have the deli trade. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I just need it to be simple. Particular type of bread? You like brioche? I like that artesian. Okay, yeah, okay. I'm a little bougie. Yeah, okay. I like the wheat artesian one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And mayo. So you mentioned that you were almost five. When did you realize that, you know what, guys, I'm too big. I'm too heavy. So when you're young, it's easier to carry around that weight. Yes. You know what I'm saying? So it's one of those things where everything's still functional. There's no issues. Nothing hurts yet. Yes. I was in my 20s and I'm pushing, you know, I'm pushing for 450. You know, my heaviest, I was, like I said, right around 430, 430, 440. Let's just say 440. Okay. 430, 940. Yeah. And everything's functional. Like I said, functional. Like, you know what I mean? Yeah. I didn't need a pill. I didn't need nothing. And then it just got to a point where it became uncomfortable where I started getting panic attacks. I would wake up and I'm just like, I can't breathe right. I don't feel good. And I'd stand up and I'd have to go outside. I'd have to go outside and I'd have to take off my shirt and just stand there and just let the cold air hit me. And I remember I was in Washington, D.C. And I got hit with a really bad panic attack because I had a sinus infection and I couldn't breathe right. And then I had that and I just had to run outside and it was snowing. and I'm outside in the snow and I took off my shirt and I'm standing outside. I look like a homeless dude on the street because I'm just standing there, no shirt. But the panic attack was so- Hopefully this is pre-internet. Nobody saw that. No, nobody saw that. But it was one of those things where it was such a moment where it affected me so much. And I still get panic attacks, but it really takes a lot for one to kick in. But back then, because of the weight, it was just like that. And then I said, man, all right. So I started going to the gym and I lost a little bit of weight, but it wasn't enough. And then I wound up meeting a gentleman by the name of Diamond Dallas Page, DDP. DDP. DDP. Yeah. And he's got this program and I met him. I was doing an interview podcast with Roddy Roddy Piper, the late, great Roddy Roddy Piper. And I met him at the studio and I talked to him for a little bit and I said, hey, man, I met you in Florida. You were really cool. And you got this program. I'm interested. And he turned me on to it. And not only did he turn me on to it, he was checking on me every day. He was checking on me. Hey, man, are you good? Are you doing what you're supposed to do? And he helped me to lose almost 100 pounds. So I credit him for that. Wow. I stuck to his program and it really helped change me because it's like I became flexible. I dropped all this weight. The panic attacks stopped and then I just plateaued and this is you know I've been at this weight since but uh it's one of those things where it's like to carry that much weight you know a lot of times people are telling me hey hey Ralphie Mae how you doing they would confuse me with Ralphie Mae and uh you know I miss him Ralphie Mae passed away a few years ago but he he was much heavier than me but the fact that I was being confused for him told me hey man that's another reason Like, hey, man, yeah. Have you thought about going GLPs or the Ozympics, the Majornos, the trisepatides? So I did try, like, I went and did a consultation to see about gastric bypass because I thought, okay, maybe this, if I can tie it up, maybe we can control it. And then they told me, well, you got to lose, like, 50 pounds first, get yourself to a certain place, and then we can do the procedure. And I'm like, if I can lose 50 pounds, then I can lose 100 pounds. I don't need this. Right. And then when it came down to medication like Manjaro, Ozempic, and stuff like that, I got on Ozempic for maybe five months. And Ozempic works. Ozempic is scary how good it works because it does curb your appetite to a place where you're like, do I even need food? Like seriously. I just would look at food. I'm like, not like it was gross, but I'm like, I'm good. You're right. And I started losing weight. But the problem with Ozempic is you're going to lose more muscle than fat. Yeah. And my shoulders, like, even though I'm a big guy, like, you know, overweight. And that ain't coming back, Gabe. Gabe, it's not coming back. I'm strong. Oh, you're like, yeah, you're sturdy. I'm sturdy. Feel, feel, feel. Ooh, yeah, you could have been a lineman. Yeah, yeah, no, I'm, you know, I got strength. So the fact that I was, I lost my shoulders. But I'm like, okay, yeah, I'm losing weight, but I'm like, ooh. And so I didn't like it. And then, you know, you're a little bit nauseous. That's part of the deal. And I got off of it. I got off of the Olympic, and immediately I gained back 20 pounds. Like that. It is scary how quick you regain the weight. And you want to hear a crazy story. I was actually supposed to be the original face for Ozempic Ozempic reached out to me many years ago And we like we got this brand we got this product and we want to see if you interested and they offered me a freaking incredible deal to be the face of Ozempic before freaking oh oh oh I was supposed to be the guy singing that yeah in the commercials they wanted me to be the brand the face for it and even though it was a it was a you know million dollar deal I couldn't do but it wasn't a voiceover role. What they wanted from me was more than what I could give because I was going to do better on the road. Because they actually wanted you to. They wanted me to go out and tour and be basically the face. Okay, you're selling Ozempic around wherever. But let me ask you this. Let's just say for the sake of argument, you lost another 60, 70 pounds. Do you think that'll change you? Because I think people, you can't be fluffy anymore. You're not fluffy. So I had this conversation with Big Boy. You know, Big Boy here, L.A., Real 92.3. Yes, yes. I've known Big Boy for 20 years, and I knew him when he was 500-plus pounds, when he was really Big Boy. Yeah. Now he's, you know, he's maybe 210. Yes. You know, and it was one of those things where I said, hey, man, how did things change for you once you lost all that weight? You weren't Big Boy anymore. He goes, no, I wasn't big boy no more, but I was alive. And that's the most important thing. So if I lose 100 or whatever the amount of weight is, yeah, I might not be fluffy. Right. But, man, I'm going to be alive. Right. And I think that's the most important thing. Yes. And I think my fans and people would rather see me alive and able to function and do what I do. 100. Rather than be the big guy. Right. Because the majority of my material, I'll touch on the fact that I'm big because we know that. Right. I got stories. I got other things that are happening in my life. You can talk about it. Absolutely. I'm not one-dimensional, so I'm good. Right. So I really want to lose weight. Right. Shannon, it's a serious thing. But it's hard when you're on the road. Like, you travel and you, bro, you don't get to sit around, bro. No, you've got your schedule is is is is reverse of what a normal person would do because you're eating at wee wee hours of the morning and then you up for another hour or two and then you go to bed. So it's not like, you know, you got it. I mean, you would literally have to, like, come out the show, eat, wait an hour or two and then go work out. People don't be wanting to work out. I mean, unless you Mark Wahlberg working out at three o'clock in the morning. Mark's. Yeah, he's a special person. That's something else. But I do realize that I need to be around not just for myself. Yes. But I need to think. And I feel like I need to say it out loud just because I won't do it for me. I have to do it for someone else because I'm wired that way. I'm wired that way where I'm trying to always please others. Everybody else. And I'm the last person. Right. So if I'm going to lose weight, I actually got to do it for others because I can't do it for myself. And that's kind of crazy. Right. So how's the sleeping? Because I had to get a sleep apnea machine. I have sleep apnea really, really bad. Pretty sure I have that condition. I haven't done the sleep study, but I know that I snore. If I sleep on my back, I snore. Yes. But if I sleep on my side, I don't. And if I sleep face down, I definitely don't. Right. So I've had multiple people tell me, all right, when you sleep on your back, you snore, and then you stop breathing. Yes. But then when you sleep face down, you purr, you don't snore. Right. It's just like a little little kind of a thing. Oh, I know I have it. Yeah. I know I have it. Yeah. There's no question. Because I had to test, and I have a machine. They're not like big and bulky like they used to be, Gabriel. They're nice and neat. I travel with it. And once you get it, you can't sleep without it. But the question is, like, I consider you to be in incredible shape. Have you thought about the surgery where they can remove the piece of skin? No, they're not cutting anything unless they have it. Nice. Yeah. See, in my case, like, I know that there's a potential, but I'm afraid of cutting that piece of skin. Exactly. Because I feel like it would affect the way that I speak or perform. Correct. And that's the only reason. Yeah. I say, no. I'll go get the, I got the CPAP machine. I put it on. Hey, put the water day. I could start a gang with the amount of people I know that have that machine. You know what I mean? Like, wow. You know, I got to put extra outlets on the bus. Like, here you go, guys. Go ahead. Vegan. You couldn't do no vegan stuff, huh? You tried that too? Yep. I went six months being vegan. I went full cold turkey on the meat. Yeah. No meat. I was eating at a place. What the heck was it called? I think it was called Veggie Grill. It was my go-to spot because they used to have these chicken tenders that weren't real chicken. Yeah. But they taste like real chicken. Right. And so that was like my cheat thing. Yeah. But yeah, I did salads and just no dairy, no nothing, no eggs. six months and I lost so many friends like nobody wanted to hang out with me my pee smelled funny it was bad I thought you about to say you lost so much weight no I didn't lose no way no I I know a lot of fat vegans which by the way is like a gyp if you're gonna give up meat you might as well be skinny but right if you're gonna if you're gonna be giving up meat and you're still fat you might as well eat the steak yeah you know what i'm saying so uh you was once married is marriage in your future again i don't know where you read that i've never been married you never been married never been never said i do never went down the aisle never no one ever got me that close i've always um from day one i made a choice that my career was going to be number one okay and no one was going to top that and every relationship i've been in that's the first thing i told him the closest you're going to get is two is number two unless i have a dog and then you're number three and so you gotta let that build up you can't start off like that gabriel you know no no you you you um you know i i feel like as long as you're up front you can you know there's a lot of things you can get away with. But the fact that I said I never wanted to be married. So that's out of the question. You should never say never. Correct. You should never say never, but it's never been a priority. Okay. Okay. I don't see marriage as something that's like, wow. I see marriage as like a business transaction. That's all I see it as. I see it as a business transaction and people can look at me any kind away, but you know what? At the end of the day, if things don't work out, then you realize it's exactly what I said it is. It's a business transaction. I didn't work this hard to give up half. I didn't work this hard to put myself in a position to lose. I sacrificed everything, Shannon. And I think that's one of those things a lot of people forget. Like, okay, yeah, you got the talent, the skill, the mindset. Sacrifice is part of that and should be part of that because the things you're willing to give up, you're willing to give up the parties, the anniversaries, those special occasions, those moments, those family gatherings, all those times when I was on the road working my ass off creating and doing what I do to create that next special, that next thing, growing this brand. People don't realize it's sacrifice. What you give up is so huge and crucial to what we do. And getting married is one of those things where I'm like, every friend that I've had that I've participated in and their marriage thing, you know, it didn't work out. And then I had to watch what happened. And I'm like. And as a comic, every comic I know that has gotten married, it's like, ugh. Didn't work out. Right. It didn't work out. And then I had to watch what happened after that. And I'm just like, mm. And the more you see that happen, the less likely it's going to happen. The less likely. So I'm not against the relationship. I think relationships are great, and it's always awesome to have somebody by your side, somebody to be there with you. But as soon as you say I do or a marriage, like, it doesn't feel. Do you think people change, man or woman, once they get married? I don't know that they change as much as they show what the real agenda was. oh okay because i've seen that happen too as soon as i do happens it's like click and then it's like you feel the energy and just everything it's like so the whole while you was talking to the representative and then once we said i do now yeah yeah the representative go now now you got me so um the longest relationship i was in was um almost 14 years we were together but from day one we both said we weren't trying to be married okay we you know we both agreed that this wasn't going to be a thing so it never was a conversation it never was a we have to figure things out it's just like all right we weren't this long right you know and and unfortunately things didn't work out and fortunately for me right you know that's a long time it's a long i mean did you have a cohabitation agreement there was no call you know in california you don't have to have that okay Because it's not a common law thing. For me, I didn't feel like I needed to have any type of agreement because when my ex came in, she came in with a son. Right. And I took him on. Right. I said, all right, you're bringing him in. He's mine. Good. We broke up in 2017. Okay. And I still have a great relationship with my son. I didn't need a piece of paper to tell me he's mine. I didn't need some agreement, some judge or nothing that He's mine And even though he's pushing 30 I'm still checking up on him I'm still, you know, I'm very involved in his life That's awesome Even though I'm not with her no more Whatever she wants to say, at the end of the day, guess what? I kept my word and I took care of him Even after the fuck, I'm married now And I'm still looking out for him, right? You know, who do you think paid for his furniture? Anyway. Ashley, bitch. Ashley. Not Bob's. Ashley. So can I do my shameless plug for two seconds? Yeah, go ahead. For many years, anybody who knows me knows that I'm a big fan of tequila. I've been drinking tequila from day one. And whether you want to call it a Mexican thing or not, that's just been the case. I've always drank tequila. So my go-to has always been Patron. Year after year after year, Patron, Patron, Patron, Patron. And I've been approached several times to have my own brand. And I'm like, ah, I like Patron. So unless you can make something as good or better than Patron, for me, I don't want to entertain it. Right. And so this past year, I was approached by a company and they said, Gabe, look, we know how you feel about Patron. And we think that we can create something that you will enjoy just as much. And I said, well, all right, let's see about that. and sure enough not only did they uh meet my expectations they allowed me to uh create something that was one of those things where because when they approached me about doing a tequila they said well because you know you're from mexico so you know we want to make sure that we do something that's like you know on brand and i go you do realize i was born here right and they're like oh shit and I'm like yeah shit so I said I am Mexican I'm Mexican American and I think that that's one of those things that a lot of times people forget they just think it's one side or another it's like they don't realize that there's a there's there's a hybrid yes you know it's it's combination of the two and so I said look man there's never been a story told about someone who has a brand that's Mexican and American the two worlds coming together and so uh they allowed me to create something. And then between the two of us, we came up with this brand and I said, look, Mexicans in Mexico have a word for Mexicans born in the United States. And the word is pocho. P-O-C-H-O. Pocho. And it means you're from over there, not from over here. You're one of them, Not one of us. And so even though I'm brown, I'm still considered an outsider. Really? Yes. And so, for example, I tell stories about performing in Mexico and that I wasn't welcome with open arms because I'm still considered an American. So I said, all right, well, if we're going to do a tequila, then it needs to be established that it's from a person who's Mexican but born in the U.S. So the word is pocho. So normally that's considered a negative word. Mm-hmm. So I said, let's flip that word and make it a word that's like, all right, I'm acknowledging what you call me, but I'm going to make it awesome. So I came up with a tequila called Pocho Fino. So Fino is fine I a fine pocho So it like one of those things where it like the flavor is as good as Patron if not better Honestly, I say that because I drink a lot of it. And when I say I drink a lot, you saw what I did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And what I'm going to continue to do. So on average, I do about three bottles a weekend, and I've been doing that for me. A weekend? You know what, Shannon? You've been judging me for the last hour and a half. My bad. You're right, Gabriel. You're right. You're right. I'm sorry. Why share if you're going to continue to be? So anyway, we came up with this brand called Pochofino. And if you notice on the bottle, you'll see two little dogs. Chihuahuas. Yes, two Chihuahuas. Chihuahuas are very Mexican. And those two dogs in particular are my dogs that unfortunately passed away about a year and a half ago. And I took them on the road with me. They've been to 40-plus states. And I said, all right, if we're going to do something, I want to find a way to honor my dogs, honor the brand, honor who I am. And we came up with this brand called Pocho Fino Tequila. And this is the first time we are ever featuring it. It's not been on. I haven't done anything on social media. There's been no commercials. There's been nothing to promote this brand. This is the very first time we are featuring this. So respect to you, even though you judge me about the male. So Pocho Fino Tequila. We've been saying, I've been saying, so it's Chihuahua. Chihuahua. Chi- Chihuahua. Like, yeah. Chihuahua. Chihuahua. We say chihuahua. However you want to say it. Shannon. Shannon, you're not Mexican. You can say whatever the fuck you want. You want to say quesadilla? You say it extra black. Quesadilla. Yeah. Quesadilla. There's no accent. If we said quesadilla, you ain't have no meat in it. We get chicken. We get beef. No, but I'm basic. I told you. You didn't have no meat in your quesadilla? Growing up, we didn't have it. Shad it. It was just cheese. What about spam in the quesadilla? Spam? That might be a dish. You open up a restaurant and put spam in quesadilla. That might be on something. That might be on something. And you know what? I've thought about opening up a restaurant. A lot of work goes into it. I'd rather support a local business. Right. Put up a poster, Fluffy Eats here. And then tell them, hey, can you make some spam? Because there's a restaurant in Long Beach that did that for me. it's kind of like a think of Benihana and they call themselves Mexijana because they'll add like jalapenos, they'll add tortillas they'll add all kinds of random stuff there and I told him, I go hey can you add spam to the menu and put in a burrito and everything he goes whatever you want I'll make it and then he made it and then he called it the fluffy I'd rather do that which I think is awesome because I can support a local business but this for me was very personal. Very personal. Pocho fino. Pocho fino. So remember, pocho means a person born in the U.S., not a person born in Mexico. And it's a word that it's a negative word. Right. So they look at you differently. So people that was actually born in Mexico look at you, although you're a Mexican descent, they look at you differently because you were born in the States. Exactly. You're considered an outsider. And I think this is also something that resonates with a lot of different cultures because anytime you are a certain cult, you know, like for example, let's say Indians born here in America versus born in India or, you know, Chinese born in America versus in China. Right. There's always a word or a thing where like, uh, you're not one of us, you're one of them. And so that's, that's the word that they created. And I said, you know what? Let me flip that word. I'll make it positive. and, you know, it was a way for me to honor my dogs, but at the end of the day... But you got another one, right? Yeah, we can get into that. So you got another puppy. What type of... Is it a chihuahua? Yes. Say it again. Say chihuahua. Chihuahua. I like you to call her she, like you made it a girl. Chihuahua. Chihuahua. Chihuahua. Yes, I have a little puppy. She's not even a puppy at this point. She's a year old. She's four pounds. She's a four-pound dog. And let me tell you, having senior dogs versus having a puppy is night and day. Because my senior dogs, one was 14, one was 17. I would put them down, no leash. And where I'd walk, they would walk. And what was cool is that we all had the same pace. And so no matter where we walked, it was the same, you know what I mean? and um having a puppy she's a little bullet so when i put her down she gone she's gone if i if if i leave the door open shannon i no longer have a dog and my friends go well would you chase her and what risk cardiac arrest i'm not that attached i will get another shewa i will get another shewa how are you gonna how are you gonna just let the dog just go i i won't but that's not that's not the plan i mean uh what she got out one time yeah and the neighbors fortunately caught her brought her back so i was very lucky that they did that but now i know i have to always leave a leash on her right so i can at least step on it and then catch her but uh yeah so um very happy to you know have that and again this is the first time i'm ever featuring it right and i know i'm drinking your beverage and uh at the end of this i'd very much like it if you at least took a sample yeah i'm taking it home you can you can can i take home you know yeah that's yours that's yours okay yeah but this is the first time we're featuring it so uh respect to you because we appreciate that this means a lot you know i i appreciate the fact that um you know with with your show i've done many shows i've done many podcasts i've done many interviews late night talk shows, I appreciate the fact that you do your homework. You take time to really get to, all right. So I listen to everything that you're asking, things that you're saying, and I'm like, all right, let me see. All right. Okay. How much research went into that? Because you got to figure, I've done a million interviews, so I've been asked the same question a thousand times. So I appreciate the fact you hit me with a couple of good ones where I'm like, oh, how did he know that? Where did that come from? We know a lot. You know. But at home, you mentioned you got someone at home and you got your puppy. Yes. And she understands. Like, look, you do understand what I do. I travel a lot. She knows what I do. I can't say that she always understands what I do because, you know, we are in a different vein. We're not a plumber. We're not the 9 to 5 guy. We're not the norm. And so because of the fact that we're not the norm, there's certain things that come with that. There's a tension that a lot of times we don't ask for. Walking from the valet to this room right now, I probably got stopped six times. And maybe 100 yards. Like there are people, you know what I mean? And that's not something that comes with a normal situation. That's not something that comes with a normal relationship. And so you hope that they understand. You hope that they see it and get it and go, all right, okay, this is going to be a thing for a while. Because when you go out, obviously, it's hard. When you go out, you want to go to dinner or you want to go to a show, going to do something other than what you do. It's hard. Hey, Fluffy, man, how you doing, Fluffy? Can you take a picture? Can you take a picture, mom? Can you take a picture? But if it's a female, most can't handle that level. No, I'm not saying that's her, but I'm saying most can't handle that. What? Like, what's going on? Like, who is she? That's somebody that just got out of the car and saw me. Right. You know what I mean? And so a lot of that, it goes back into the whole marriage thing where it's like, okay, you know, year after year after year, it's like, is this something that you can navigate through? It is a lot. Anybody who wants to be with an entertainer or an athlete or someone who's prominent, someone who has a huge platform, someone who's famous, it's not an easy situation to get into. It sounds cool. It sounds glamorous. It sounds sexy. It sounds fun. But at the end of the day, you got to know that people are coming after this person. Right. And you got to either be cool with it or just say, this is not for me. And unfortunately, I've had a few relationships that just they couldn't handle the fact that. That you're a sex symbol, buddy. That's you. That's you. You know what's funny? I hear the crew laughing in the back, but I promise you my body count's bigger than yours, bitch. You know what? So, yeah, whatever you want to say. Whatever you want to say, boo-boo. Yeah, no, Fluffy got it for many years. Absolutely, for many years. And so it's kind of one of those things where, you know, it sounds like a joke. Right. It sounds like a joke, but a lot of times people say, well, you know, what is it? what's the most attractive quality in a man? A sense of humor. Women love men that can make them laugh. Not abs. A sense of humor. You've always been able to make people laugh. I've always been able to make people laugh. I've always, you know, that's never been one of those things where it lacked. I think the hardest part for me was just self-control in the sense that, like letting myself get to a place that was uncomfortable, which first of all was my weight, or not being able to sit down and have an honest conversation with someone. I think a lot of times, if you're not willing to have a conversation with someone and go, look, this is what's going on. Can we be real? I want to have this, but understand that this is what comes with it. And a lot of times, I never wanted to have that conversation. I just felt like it was easier to just hide it versus being real with someone and be like, look, this is part of the deal. And unfortunately, early on, I found out quickly, just be upfront, just be real, just be honest. But you're afraid to because you don't want to disappoint. You don't want to make the person feel uncomfortable. You'd rather hide it. And unfortunately, every single time I tried to hide it it didn't work out have you have you ever uh uh has a woman ever told you gabriel that i really like you a lot but you're a little bit too heavy uh the weight situation never came into question uh because i was always functional i was all i was always functional and it never required any extra, you know, I didn't need attachments or medication or anything. Everything worked. Everything was good. But now I'm pushing 50. So yeah, a pill might help. But there's never been a thing where a person ever looked at me and said, and when a person, I'm going to say a female, because I don't want people to freaking dissect that and go, oh, he likes dudes too. I just, I'm, yeah. there was never a situation where someone said, you don't look attractive to me. Right. You know? And obviously, sometimes, you know, when you're overweight, some people don't like that. Some people don't find that attractive. Some people are cool with it. I think ultimately at the end of the day is, you know, how does this person make me feel? And then after that, because I feel like guys are more visual. Women are more like, how do you make me feel? And fortunately, every relationship I was in, I was cool. I was nice. You know, hey, what's up? What you want to do? At the end of the day, it's like, you want to get something to eat? Every girl I dated was like, yeah, I'm hungry. What was that feeling like when you got your first laugh on stage? So keep in mind, the first laugh I got on stage was when I was 10 years old. Really? Yeah. Like earlier, I said, I did a school talent show, went up on stage, and I started doing these impressions. So as a 10-year-old, think of a 10-year-old doing impressions of Mickey Mouse, Ronald Reagan, Pee Wee Herman, who was in his prime at that time. And so when I went up on stage to do this show, I didn't really understand what stand-up comedy was. I'm a 10-year-old kid, and I just did impressions. But the impressions were so close that the people were like, oh, my God, this 10-year-old kid is nailing these impressions. So I'm up there doing freaking pee with Herman. You know, like a 10-year-old, right now it looked weird, but a 10-year-old doing that is like phenomenal. And then Ronald Reagan, well, Nancy, basically we have. So a 10 doing that was like and then I did Bill Cosby I won do the impression now because yeah but at 10 years old I was killing and so it was one of those things we like all right and you I remember my mom my brother and my sister-in-law being in the audience it was only the three of them in the crowd and then when I went out there and I did the impressions and the crowd they just applauded and I I didn't know what the reaction was supposed to be I didn't know are they supposed to laugh I didn't know what to expect so when I went out there and I did the characters and the voices and they're just applauding and this and that and then at the end when I said thank you good night and people started standing up and they're applauding and I'm like And I didn't know that this, that that's like that. I didn't realize at that moment that audience understood what they were watching. And I don't want to sound arrogant, but they, the crowd knew what I was doing before I knew what I was doing. And in hindsight, because I've been back to my elementary school, I've been back to that theater, I've been back to that room. and I realized like, wow, that moment, like who knew? You were hooked. I was very much hooked. I was very hooked. I remember sitting at home with my friend watching Deaf Comedy Jam on Saturday nights and we were just, because I was the only comedy or that or BET's Comedy View. BET's Comedy View and Deaf Comedy Jam was what I would watch growing up. That's what I understood. That's what I gravitated towards. There was no shows to showcase or feature Latinos, Mexicans, people that like, this was the closest thing. This was the closest thing because it wasn't an evening at the improv. It wasn't, you know, any of these other shows that were out there. It was very, very much like close to me. It was very urban, very hood, very like, yeah, I get that. Because that's my next question, and I've got a few more. Who is your inspiration? Because, I mean, are there, like, if you're black, you have Eddie Murphy, and you go back to Pryor, and you go back to some of these old guys, and you come forward, and the white guys, you come back with Jack Benny, and you come back with Carson, and all those guys. So in the Hispanic community, who did Gabriel Iglesias? You know what? During that time, you got to figure there wasn't really any form of real representation for Latinos. A lot of Latinos, from what I remember, were gravitated towards Martin Lawrence and Martin. We would watch Martin. Martin was like a staple, like, oh, my God, this show's so good. And I love the fact that we're talking about this now because I just met Martin Lawrence a week ago. Really? I met Martin Lawrence a week ago, and I felt like, you know, it's rare for me to meet someone and geek the f*** out to the point where I'm like, oh, shit. it felt weird for me to talk to him because I just wanted to tell him how impactful his show, his presence, what he did on Def Jam, what he did on his specials meant to me. Because it's like, oh, like I remember watching his shows on the weekend. And it's just like back when I was a kid and it was, it was so huge. And so to meet him, I didn't want to be that, that, that's like, you know, that overwhelming person that's like, ah, shit, but I, but I did. I geeked out. I geeked out. Shan, I geeked out hard. I geeked out hard with him. But yeah, like we didn't really have somebody that we could gravitate towards and be like, this is our person. This is who is, you know? So for me, watching Dio Hughley doing Comic View, watching Martin Lawrence do Def Jam, and it was always one of those things where it's like, okay, there's Martin Lawrence doing Def Jam on the weekends, and there's Dio Hughley doing Comic View during the week. And it was one of those things where it's like, which one are you? Are you Comic View? Are you Comic View or are you Def Jam? And you're like, ugh. And then I started doing stand-up. and then I got an opportunity to go do Comic View, and I'm like, holy shit. It was so huge. I remember I was at the Normandy Casino here in L.A., and the host that year, because they changed host. The host was Rinaldo Ray. Rinaldo Ray, yeah. Everybody, this is Rinaldo Ray. And I just remember, I'm like, oh, I went out there on stage, and I had such a, I had a great, and I don't want to toot my own horn, but I had a great show. And I just remember like, wow, I'm on Comic View. It was so awesome. I never enjoyed that $150 more because that's what they paid you. That's right. That's all they paid you back then. There was no residuals, no nothing. And I remember there was a whole argument back then like, oh, they're not paying residuals, they're not paying SAG, they're not paying after. I'm like, we're doing a show in a casino. Be happy that you're on TV. That's another thing, Shannon, that I feel like a lot of times these comics would get in a place where they made it more about the money than the actual craft. They focus more on like, am I getting SAG? Am I getting AFTRA? Am I getting scale? Am I getting paid what I'm supposed to be getting paid? Right. They focus more on that more than, hey, man, how many people are going to see this clip? How many people are going to see this show? How many people are going to get what I'm doing right now? A lot of times the comics get wrapped up more in the money, and I feel like the best advice someone told me early on was don't worry about the money. Work on your craft. The money will come. And I still feel like that still is the thing. If you're more focused on the money, then you don't really give a f*** about what the thing that is you're doing. Because there was a lot of comedians, that was everybody's first introduction to them. It was Comic View, yeah. It was Comic View. Def Jam was a lot more challenging to get into. Unfortunately, I never got to perform on Def Jam. I wish I did. I had a lot of friends that got to do Def Jam, but I never got that opportunity. I will tell you the opportunity I did get, though. The first time I performed in New York, first time I performed in New York, was on It's Showtime at the Apollo. And for those of you that don't know, It's Showtime at the Apollo was the most, I don't think there's a room or a venue or a show that was more challenging than It's Showtime at the Apollo. Because It's Showtime at the Apollo was one of those places where, man, if you even flinched and felt like you were not supposed to be there, the audience would know. there's a show called American Idol. There's a show called America's Got Talent. And you have an opportunity to go out on that stage. You present yourself. You do what you got to do. And you have four chances to impress that audience. Correct. Because if the judges don't like you, and okay, and all right, okay, and you have, And then you have that dynamic of the audience and the judge. So if the audience still loves you and the judges don't, the audience is like, stop doing that. They're good. Give them a chance. It's Showtime at the Apollo was the rawest, most honest form of an audience because you had seconds to show them what you could do. And if they didn't like you, they could smell through anything you were trying to present. So I went to a showtime at the Apollo in 1999. Okay. And I feel like an old guy already. There I was standing there. We were on that stage right there. 1999. Steve Harvey was the host. And I don't care what Kat said. He had his man unit. He had his man unit. Steve's always been nothing but nice to me, so I don't want to ever say anything negative about Steve. So has Kat. All these guys. I'm the last person to say anything negative. Kat was incredibly welcoming and inspiring early on. But let me tell you, Shota Matiapalo, 1999. The guy that went out before me was a comic that I went there with, and this was very uncomfortable because the comic that I went there with, we were sharing a hotel room, Shannon. We were sharing a hotel room. The idea was we're both going to New York for the first time. Right. We don't know what to expect. Right. It's expensive. Yes. So we went in together to share a hotel room. Mm-hmm. And then we go to a showtime at the Apollo. He goes out before me. Oh, my God. He bombed so hard. Like, he went out there, like, unfortunately, another Mexican dude, he went out there, and when he went out in front of the audience at the Apollo, he went out there trying to be something he wasn't. So he went out there, and he's like, yo, yo, what's up? How y'all do? How y'all feel? But offstage, he's like, no, hombre, cabrón, estaba aquí el otro día. Like, you're Speedy Gonzales offstage, and you're trying to be this person onstage. and the audience smelled right through it. They booed him off the stage. Yeah, you got to be good at the rap on Apollo. It was ugly. So he comes off stage and he just got his head down. And I remember as soon as he walked past me, Steve Harvey looked at me. He looks at me and he goes, you next. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Oh, my God. So then Kiki Shepard, who was the co-host in 1999, comes up to me and she goes, baby, your shirt is way too loud. The audience will boo you on the shirt alone. I go, so what do I do? Take off the shirt. I go, but I just have a white T-shirt underneath. Trust me, they will boo you on that shirt. Take it off. So when you see my clip from a showtime at the Apollo, I'm walking out on stage in just a white T-shirt. and um not saying that had anything to do with me but i had one of the best sets i was like oh my god like it went really well and so i was very happy about that but the problem with having an incredible set at its showtime at the apollo and getting a standing ovation is now i gotta go back to my hotel room and share a hotel room with the whole body got just got booed yeah And so I couldn't enjoy my night. So the next day, I went to go visit Gary Owen. Okay. Gary Owen, longtime friend. We've worked together many times. He's an awesome human being. We went to go visit Gary Owen at the comedy club there in New York called Caroline's. And I said, Gary, I said, hey, look, man, my friend right here, he had a rough set. He got booed at the Apollo. Can he give him five minutes so he can work out his set because they're going to give him a chance to go up on stage tomorrow night? Gabe, whatever you need, no problem. Sure. So we're in the back. My friend goes up on stage, the one that got booed. He goes up on stage, and we're in the back of the room, and Gary and I are standing there. Gary's like this. Gary's like this. He's like, he going to get booed again. I'm like, oh, my God. He looked at me and said he could get booed again. He got booed again. He got booed again. They never aired either one of the two episodes. One of the few guys that sell out Madison Square Garden, thecrypt.com, Sydney Opera House, and he sold out Dodger Stadium, which is the largest baseball facility in the U.S., and he and Joe Cole have a show at SoFi. Here he is, Gabriel Iglesias, a.k.a. Fluffy. appreciate you bro thank you man I really appreciate that thank you bobo thank you bobo I'll see you next time.