Club Shay Shay - Gabriel Iglesias Part 2

Summary

Club Shay Shay – Gabriel Iglesias Part 2

Podcast: Club Shay Shay
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Gabriel Iglesias ("Fluffy")
Date: March 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

In part two of their conversation, Shannon Sharpe sits down with renowned comedian Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias for a candid, humorous, and insightful discussion covering Gabriel’s love of comfort foods, struggles and triumphs with weight, perspectives on relationships and marriage, life on the road, cultural identity, comedy origins, and the debut of his very personal tequila brand. Expect the signature camaraderie, playful banter, and touching moments between two men who know what it takes to keep striving no matter the odds.

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Food, Comfort, and Mayonnaise: Fluffy’s Simple Pleasures

[01:40 – 09:11]

• Not a Sweets Guy:

  • Gabriel clarifies he’s not a "sweets" guy, preferring salty foods:

    "I love more salty sweet. Whether it's chips, steak, or a hot dog. My favorite food is a hot dog." (02:08)

• The Hot Dog Debate:

  • Shannon and Gabriel joyfully debate the merits of the famous Dodger Dog, the perfect bun length, and favorite toppings.
    • Gabriel’s go-to toppings: "ketchup, mayo, mustard."
    • Shannon is shocked by the mayo:

      "I've never heard of anybody putting mayo on a hot dog." (03:08)

    • Gabriel defends his hot-dog-as-sandwich stance:

      "For me, a hot dog is just… it's the same [as a sandwich]. The meat is shaped different." (03:19)

• Spam & Childhood Nostalgia:

  • Fluffy fondly recalls growing up eating Spam, often fried, with mayo:

    "For example, one of my favorite salty things to eat is spam. Cause I grew up on it… It's nostalgic. It ties into my childhood." (05:06)

  • His ultimate comfort food? Grilled cheese with Spam:

    "If that's my last meal… grilled cheese sandwich with fried Spam in the middle." (06:44)

• Rider Requests:

  • Gabriel’s backstage wants are basic: tortillas, cheese, a George Foreman Grill, and mayo:

    "So basic. I just need a George Foreman Grill or a microwave." (07:57)

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Weight Journey: Health, Struggles, and Ozempic

[10:06 – 19:39]

• Hitting a Wall:

  • Gabriel details his highest weight (~440 lbs), initial sense of invincibility due to youth, and the onset of panic attacks:

    "Everything's functional…Then I just got to a point where it became uncomfortable… I'd have to go outside and just let the cold air hit me." (10:51)

• DDP’s Influence:

  • Inspired by Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) and his program—credited for helping him lose nearly 100 lbs:

    "He helped me to lose almost £100. So I credit him for that." (12:45)

• Ozempic, Quick Fixes, and Aftermath:

  • Gabriel tried Ozempic:

    "Ozempic works…It does curb your appetite. You just look at food, I’m like, I’m good." (13:53)

  • Downsides: lost muscle ("My shoulders… I lost my shoulders") and rapid weight regain after stopping—plus a million-dollar offer from Ozempic:

    "I got off the Ozempic and immediately I gained back 20 pounds like that. And…Ozempic reached out to me many years ago… incredible deal to be the face….but I was going to do better on the road." (16:09)

• Would Losing Weight Change Fluffy?

  • Shannon raises the issue of Gabriel’s brand being tied to his size. Gabriel’s response:

    "If I lose 100 or whatever the amount of weight is. Yeah, I might not be fluffy. But man, I'm gonna be alive. And I think that's the most important thing." (18:01)

• On-Stage Life Challenges:

  • Documentary look at life on the go: unhealthy schedules, eating late, limited workout options:

    "You travel…your schedule is reversed of what a normal person would do." (18:33)

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Sleep Apnea, Veganism & True Health

[19:39 – 22:02]

• Sleep Apnea:

  • Both discuss struggles with sleep and CPAP machines:

    "Pretty sure I have…that condition. I haven’t done the sleep study, but I know that I snore." (19:45)

• Trying Vegan:

  • Gabriel spent six months as a vegan, didn’t lose weight, and found it socially isolating and physically odd:

    "My pee smelled funny. It was bad….I know a lot of fat vegans, which... if you’re gonna be giving up meat and you’re still fat, you might as well eat the steak." (21:29)

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Marriage, Relationships, and Priorities

[22:04 – 26:48]

• Not Married, By Choice:

  • Common misconception: Gabriel has never been married.

    "I've never been married. Never said, 'I do.' Never went down the aisle…From day one, I made a choice that my career was going to be number one." (22:10)

• Marriage as Business:

  • Views marriage as a business transaction, not a romantic ideal:

    "I see marriage as a business transaction, that's all I see it as." (23:09)

• Sacrifice for Career:

  • Acknowledges sacrifices made for his comedy career, and skeptical due to observing many failed relationships among peers.

• Longest Relationship:

  • 14 years; took on a role of stepfather, and maintains a close relationship with his ex’s son even after the breakup:

    "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." (26:18)

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Launching Pocho Fino Tequila: Identity and Legacy

[27:25 – 34:18]

• A Brand with Purpose:

  • After years of patron loyalty, Gabriel co-created Pocho Fino Tequila—blending Mexican roots and American upbringing:

    "There's never been a story told about someone who has a brand that's Mexican and American, the two worlds coming together." (28:51)

  • Reclaims "pocho" (term for Mexican-Americans, sometimes negative):

    "Normally that's considered a negative word. So I said, let's flip that word and make it a word that's like...I'm going to make it awesome." (29:34)

• Honoring His Dogs:

  • The bottle features his late chihuahuas, who traveled with him throughout his career.

    "If we're gonna do something, I want to find a way to honor my dogs, honor the brand, honor who I am." (30:52)

• Cultural Experience of Being “Pocho”:

  • Discusses not being fully accepted as “Mexican enough” in Mexico, and how that echoes for other children of immigrants:

    "Even though I'm brown, I'm still considered an outsider. And…anytime you are a certain cult, you know, like...Chinese born in America versus Right. In China…you're not one of us, you're one of them." (33:49)

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Life with Dogs & Balancing Fame

[34:36 – 41:47]

• New Chihuahua:

  • Gabriel shares stories of his new puppy and what he learned from his older dogs. Comedic take on losing track of the energetic young pup:

    "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." (35:16)

• Relationships & Fame:

  • Navigating public attention as an entertainer:

    "Anybody who wants to be with...someone who is famous; it's not an easy situation…you got to either be cool with it or just say, this is not for me." (38:46)

• Sense of Humor as an Attractive Quality:

  • A running joke about his "body count" and the power of humor:

    "My body count's bigger than yours…a sense of humor [is most attractive]." (39:46)

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Comedy Origins and Influences

[43:26 – 54:24]

• First Laughs & Hooked on Performing:

  • Recalls his first stage moment at age 10, doing impressions at a school talent show:

    "The crowd knew what I was doing before I knew what I was doing." (45:44)

• Lack of Latino Representation:

  • Early comedy inspirations were Black comedians, due to the absence of Latino representation in media:

    "A lot of Latinos...gravitated towards Martin Lawrence…There wasn’t really any form of real representation for Latinos." (47:15)

• Def Comedy Jam & Comic View:

  • Emphasizes importance of Comic View, meeting Martin Lawrence, and performing at the Apollo.

• Comedy Over Money:

  • Advice to comics about not chasing money at the expense of the craft:

    "Don't worry about the money. Work on your craft. The money will come." (50:00)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "You do realize a hot dog is not a sandwich, right?" – Shannon [03:30]
• "We can agree to disagree, Shannon. We can agree to disagree." – Gabriel [03:36]
• "I didn’t work this hard to put myself in a position to lose. I sacrificed everything, Shannon." – Gabriel [23:09]
• "If I lose...yeah, I might not be fluffy. But man, I’m gonna be alive. And I think that’s the most important thing." – Gabriel [18:01]
• "You want to know what’s the most attractive quality in a man? A sense of humor." – Gabriel [39:59]
• "The crowd knew what they were watching before I knew what I was doing." – Gabriel [45:44]
• "Work on your craft. The money will come.” – Gabriel (passing on advice) [50:00]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:40 – Hot dog & mayo debate
• 05:06 – Food nostalgia & comfort eating
• 10:06 – Weight struggles, panic attacks
• 12:13 – Diamond Dallas Page’s influence
• 13:53 – Ozempic experiences
• 18:01 – Being “Fluffy” vs. being alive
• 22:10 – Relationship priorities and never marrying
• 27:25 – Tequila brand origins & cultural meaning
• 35:16 – Stories about Fluffy's dogs and life with pets
• 38:46 – Relationships & challenges of dating in the public eye
• 43:32 – First laughs on stage & comedy influence
• 50:00 – Comedy advice: focus on the craft, not cash

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Themes & Tone

• Honest, warm, and hilarious exchanges, staying in character both as comedians and regular guys facing real issues.
• Gabriel is unfiltered about his struggles with food and self-image, while always maintaining charm and humility.
• Shannon is a skilled, empathetic interviewer, often gently teasing but always supportive.

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Anyone who missed this episode will walk away with a new appreciation for Gabriel Iglesias’ humor, depth, and resilience—plus a hunger for grilled cheese with Spam (and maybe even a splash of Pocho Fino tequila).

Transcript

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[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Thank you for coming back. Part two is underway. You said I I drink Diet Coke so I can eat regular cake.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Are sweets your favorite food or you or do you like the traditional. It's Mexican cuisine.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know what with sweets, believe it or not, sweets are not my my number one. I love more salty sweet.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So you fried chicken? I'm more.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I'm more of a. Yeah. Whether it's a, you know, chips or just, you know, steak or whether it's a hot dog. My favorite food is a hot dog.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You eating glizzies like that?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Oh my God. That's I think what that's why I love Costco so much, you know, and not just because it's a buck fifty, but that is a legit good Hot dog. It is so good.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So I know you love the Dodger dog. Cause that Dodger dog.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Well, you don't gotta go like that. Yeah,

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

man.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Hey, put in your mouth. No, baby.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

But you know, it's sticking out both ends. I mean, come on, now. Can y' all get a bun that's a little bit longer? You can't have the glitzy sticking out on both ends, you know?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah, no, I love a good hot dog. That's. That's definitely my favorite.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So what do you put on your hot dog?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I'm so basic. I just want ketchup, mayo, mustard.

[Commercial Announcer]

Mayo.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Relax.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Oh, the hot dog.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Whoa. That's a lot of judgment right there. That's a lot of judgment. Hold on.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I've never heard of anybody putting mayo on a hot dog. Okay. Mustard, ketchup, onions, relish, chili cheese, sauerkraut.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Mayo. Yeah, I'll put mayo on a sandwich. So I like mayo on a sandwich. But for me, a hot dog is just. It's the same. It's just a different, you know, the meat. The meat is shaped different. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You do realize a hot dog is not a sandwich, right?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

We can agree to disagree, Shannon. We can agree to disagree.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I'm just trying to. 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 gonna try mayo on a hot dog.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I think because of the fact that I always grew up eating mayo, so I would put mayo basically on everything, you know?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Really?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Is that tip.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

That was from a very early age. And it's just. That was just something that I did. I mean, once it caught on, I was like, all right. So, like, when I go to England, you know, 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

French fries with mayo.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

That's what they do in England. Yes.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Oh, no, man. Come on, bro.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Are we still cool?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So I'm just trying. So now what do you put? I know you don't put May on burger.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You liked me more when I was just a Raider fan. No, no. I was like, oh, man. That's. That's why. That's why I draw the line right there.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Gabriel, please tell me you don't put mayo on a burger.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yes, I put mayo on a burger. Oh, this.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Maybe.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Shannon, really? Oh, God damn it.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You do Realize that mayo doesn't have to go on everything.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

We're doing so good.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I swear, I've never heard of people putting mayo on there.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

It's about to cancel you, boo boo.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So you like salty food. So at what point in time did you say so?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

For example, one of my favorite salty things to eat is spam. Cause I grew up on it. I grew up on Spain.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Fried.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yes. See y. Okay, I'm back.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

We back. We back. We back.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Thank goodness.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

We back.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I was nervous. I'm like, man, how much of a time am I gonna have to drink? Poor Shannon.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I mean, we good. So you fried?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah. On the pan and everything.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spam.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I love Spam.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I already know you put mayo on it.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah. We were doing so good, and then you just pulled it back.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

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 gotta have mayo for. You got to have. You got to have mayo to do spam, but you still eat it. You know you don't have to. Right?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I know I don't have to. And, you know, I was having this conversation with someone earlier about how there's certain foods and certain restaurants that I still go to, even though I know the level, the caliber of quality of. Of the food that. That I'm about to. You know?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

But because of the fact that it. It ties into my. It's nostalgic. It ties into my childhood. So I. It. Because I. It. The taste and the flavor reminds me of. Of. Of. Of, you know. You know, when I would go eat with my mom and being a kid and stuff like that. So I do know that a lot of these restaurants, I'm like, yeah, no, I've. I've. You know, I've tasted wagyu. I know what a five is. You know, and so it's.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I really have. I really have Spam right about now. But. Okay, it's good. What's your favorite food? If you. If somebody said, okay, give me your list. Your last. What's your favorite food? What's the one thing that. You know what Gabriel says?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I got to have grilled cheese sandwich with Spam in it. Grilled cheese. If that's my last meal, I'm about to go to the electric chair.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Grilled cheese sandwich was with fried Spam in the middle.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Grilled cheese.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah. I am such a. 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Say it again. So. So we've been saying it wrong because we say quesadilla.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Well, I'm saying it because I'm Mexican and I have an accent. You know what I'm saying?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You know? So we've been. So say. So what? How.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Quesadilla.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Quesadilla.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Ques. Quesadilla.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Quesadilla.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah, it's. It's okay if you don't say it right.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

No, we don't say it right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

It's all good.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Hey, advertise. Let me get the quesadillas. But it's the same thing.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I grew up eating quesadillas. Very basic. It's just the tortilla, some cheese. You fold it some. Sometimes my mom would put it on the. On, you know, on the stove. Sometimes she'd just throw it in the microwave.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

They want MM's, they want ginger ale.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So basic. I just need a George Foreman Grill or a microwave.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Do you keep it?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, no, I got one on the bus.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I'm good.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So I just need a George Farm McGraw microwave, you know, some tortillas or some bread.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And just some cheese.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

That's it. As a. Right. That's all you get.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And mayo. And mayo.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So you like mayo? Or do you like salad spread? Salad dressing?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, no, no mayo. Like, for example, people go, what about, like, Miracle Whip? No, no, no.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So you get Hellman's, huh?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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, see, the Best Foods, helm, it's the same brand, but.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah, but see, this man says if his last meal, he going out.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

My last meal, grilled cheese sandwich, was Spam. And that's on record because I've said this before.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

No, I'm going out with a bang. I'm eating all. I'm getting wagyu. I want ribs. I want oxtails, French fries.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah, I eat all of that on the reg. Seriously.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

But as a writer and people, what he's saying is that, like, 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 soft drinks do you want? Do you want ice? Do you want champagne? Do you want beer?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, I don't want ice. Really. I'll leave it at that. No, in. In my dressing room, there's always. There's Diet Cokes.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Bottles of water. And usually what I'll do is when I have bottles of water, I got like a kind of, like a crystal, like type of thing.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Kind of mix it up. Bread. They'll usually provide deli meats because no matter where you go, they always have the deli trays.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I just needed to be simple.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Particular type of bread. You like brioche?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I like that Artesian.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah. I'm a little bougie. Yeah. I like the wheat. Artesian one.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And mayo.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You. You mentioned that you were. You almost, you know, almost five. And you. When did you realize that. You know what, guys? This too. I'm too big. I'm too heavy.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So when you're young, it's easy, er, to carry around that weight.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know what I'm saying? So it's, it's, it's. It's one of those things where everything's still functional. There's no issues, nothing hurts yet.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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, I. Right around 4, 439, 440. Let's just say 440, 439.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And everything's functional. Like I said, functional. Like, you know what I mean?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 just. I'd have to go outside. I'd have to go outside and I 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 freaky. I look like. Like a homeless dude on the street because I'm just standing there, no shirt. But the panic Attack was hopefully.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

This is pre Internet. Nobody saw that.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, no, nobody saw that. But it was one of those things where it's like, it was such a. 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. Ddt. Ddp?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And he's got this. This program. And I. I met him. I was doing an interview podcast with Rowdy 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 onto it. And not only did he turn me onto 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. So I credit him for that.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Wow.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I stuck to his program, and it. It really helped change me because it's like I became flexible. I dropped all this weight. The panic attack stopped, and then I just plateaued. And this. You know, I've been at this weight since, but it's one of those things where it's like to carry that much weight, you know, A lot of times people were telling me, hey, hey, Ralphie May, how you doing? They would confuse me with Ralphie May, and, you know, I miss him. Ralphie May pass away a few years ago.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

He was unbelievable.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Have you thought about going GLPs or the. The Ozempic, the majoros, the Tri. Zepatide.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So I did. 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 gotta lose, like £50 first. Get yourself to a certain place, and then we can do the procedure. And I'm like, if I can lose £50, then I can lose £100. I don't need this.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And then when it came down to medication, like Mounjaro 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. I just would look at food. I'm like, not like, it was gross. Right. But I'm like, I'm good.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And I started losing weight. But the problem with. With Ozempic is you're gonna lose more muscle than fat.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And that my shoulders, like, even though I'm a big guy, like, you know, overweight.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

And that ain't coming back.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Gabe. Hey.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Gabriel is not coming back.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I'm.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Oh, you're like, yeah, you sturdy.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I'm sturdy.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Oh, yeah, you could have been. You could have been alive.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah, yeah. No, I'm. I'm. 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, oh. 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.

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[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Hey, guys.

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[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I got off the Ozempic and immediately I gained back 20 pounds like that. It is scary how quick you. You regain the weight and, you know, 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're like, we got this brand, we got this product, and we want to see if you're 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. The commercials, they wanted me to be the brand, the face for it. And even though it was a million dollar deal, I couldn't do, 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Because they actually wanted you to.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

They wanted me to go out and tour and be basically the face. Okay, you're selling Ozempic around wherever.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

But let me ask you this. Let's just say for the sake. You say you're around 329. Let's just say for the sake of argument, you lost another 60, 70 pounds. Do you think that'll change? You do. You are. Because I think people, you can't be fluffy anymore. You're not fluffy.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So I had this conversation with Big Boy. You know big boy here. LA real 92, 3.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes. Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I've known big boy for 20 years and I knew him when he was 500 plus pounds. When he was really big.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Now he's, you know, he's maybe 2:10.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know, and it was one of those things where I said, hey, man, how did things changed 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

But man, I'm, I'm gonna be alive. And I think that's the most important thing.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Because the majority of the, of my material, I'll touch on the fact that I'm big, because we know that. But I got stories, I got other things that are happening. I'm not one dimensional, so I'm good.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So I really, I really want to lose weight.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Shannon, It's a serious thing, but it's

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

hard when you're on the road. Like you, you travel and you, bro, you don't get to sit around, bro. You 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 gotta, 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. No. 2. I mean, unless you, Mark Wahlberg, working out at 3:00 o' clock in the morning.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Mark's a. Yeah. He's a special person. That's something else. But I, I do realize that I need to be around not just for myself.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

But I need to think and I, 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. 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, that's kind of crazy.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right? So how's the sleeping? Because I had to get a sleep out machine. I had sleep apnea. Really, really bad.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Pretty sure I have, have that condition. I haven't done the sleep study, but I know that I snore. If I sleep on my back, I snore.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

But if I sleep on my side, I don't. And if I sleep face down, I definitely don't.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So I've had multiple people tell me, all right, when you sleep on your back, you snore and then you stop breathing.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Then when you sleep face down, you, you purr. You don't snore.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

It's just like little go get the test kind of a thing. Oh, I know I have it. Yeah, I know I have it.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah. There's no question because I had to test and I have a, I have a. In the machine. They're not like big and bulky like they used to be, Gabriel. They're, they're, they're nice and neat. I travel with it. And once you get it, you can't, you can't sleep with it.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

No, no. They're not cutting anything unless they.

[Commercial Announcer]

Absolutely.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

See, in my case, like, I know that there's a potential, but I'm afraid of cutting that piece of skin because I feel like, it would affect the way that I speak or perform.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Correct.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And that's the only reason?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah. I say no. I'll go get the. I got the CPAP machine. I put it on. Hey, put the water there.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Vegan. You couldn't. You're not. You're not going to do no vegan stuff, huh?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I've.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You tried that, too?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yep. I went six months being vegan. I went full cold turkey on the freak. On the meat?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No meat. I was eating at a place. What the heck was it called? I think it was called Veggie Grill. Was my go to spot because they used to have these chicken tenders that weren't real chicken.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

They taste like real chicken.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And so that was like my. My cheat thing.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I thought you about to say you lost so much weight.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, I didn't lose no weight. No. I know a lot of fat vegans, which, by the way, is like a gyp. If you're going to give up meat, you might as well be skinny. But if you're gonna. If you're gonna be giving up meat and you're still fat, you might as well eat the steak.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know what I'm saying.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So you was once married? Is marriage in your future again?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I don't know where you read that. I've never been married.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You've never been married?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Never been. Never said, I do. Never went down the aisle. Never. No one ever got me that close. I've always. From day one, I made a choice that my career was going to be number one.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 gonna 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You can't start off like that, Gabriel.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, no, you. You know, 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,

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

that's out of the question.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

It's I should. You should never say never.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Correct.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You should never say never. But it's never been a priority.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Okay. I don't see marriage as something that's like, wow. I see marriages 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 of way. 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. Giving 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, in their marriage thing, they, 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

And the more you see that happen, the less likely it's going to happen.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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, just. It doesn't feel. Doesn't feel.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Do you think. Do you think people change, man or woman, once they get married?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I don't know that they change as much as they show what the real agenda was.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Oh, okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Because I've seen that happen, too. As soon as the I do happens, it's like, click. And then it's like you feel the energy and just everything. It's like.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

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.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So the longest relationship I was in was almost 14 years we were together, but from day one, we both said we. 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 went this long, right? You know, and unfortunately, things didn't work out. And fortunately for me, right now.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

That's a long time.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

It's a long.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I mean, did you have a cohabitation agreement?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

There was no call. You know, in California, you don't have to have that, okay. Because it's not a common law thing.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

For me, I didn't feel like I needed to have a. 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know, and even though he's pushing 30, I still, Look, I'm still checking up on him. I'm still, you know, I still, I'm very involved in this life. And so, you know, even though I'm not with her no more, right? Like, you know, whatever she wants to say at the end of the day, guess what? I was, I kept my word and I took care of him even after married now, and I'm still looking out for him, Right. You know, who you think paid for his furniture anyway? Ashley. Ashley. Not Bob's Ashley. So. So can I do my shameless plug for two seconds?

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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're. You can make something as good or better than patron for me, I don't want to entertain it.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 meet my expectations, they allowed me to 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, and it's like they don't realize that there's a. There's. There's. Hybrid.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 they allowed me to. 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. Pocho. P O, C H. Okay, pocho. And it means you're from over there, not from over here. You're one of them, not one of us.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And so even though I'm brown, I'm still considered an outsider.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Really?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yes. And so, for example, I tell stories about performing in Mexico and that I wasn't welcomed 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 US So the word is pocho. So normally that's considered a negative word. 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'm a fine pocho. So it's like one of those things where it's like, the flavor is. It's 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 see how. You see? You saw what I did.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 a weekend. You know what, Shanna? You've been judging.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

My bad. My bad. You're right. You're right, Gabriel.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You're right, you're right.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I'm sorry.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Why? Why sh. Share if you're going to continue to be. So anyway, we came up with this brand called Pocho Fino. And if you notice on the bottle, you'll see two little dogs.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Chihuahuas.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 for 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 Pochofino 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 mayo. Pocho Fino Tequila.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

We've been saying. I've been saying. So it's Chihuahua,

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Chihuahua. Chi.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Wawawa.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Like Chi. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Chihuahua.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Chihuahua.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

We say Chihuahua.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah. Well, however you want to say it. Shannon. Shannon, you're not Mexican. You can say whatever you want. You want to say quesadilla, you say it. Extra black quesadillas.

[Safeway/Albertsons Advertiser]

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[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

There's no. There's no.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

If we said case of deal, you ain't had no meat in it. We get chicken, we get beef, we get.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

No, but I'm basic.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

I told you you didn't have no Mediocre quesadilla.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Growing up, we didn't have Shannon. It was just cheese.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

What about Spam in the quesadilla?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Spam.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

That might be something. That might be a dish that might. You open up a restaurant and put Spam in quesadilla. That might be on something.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

That might be on something. And you know what? I thought about opening up a restaurant. A lot of work goes into it. I'd rather support a local business. 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And they call themselves Mexihana 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. So there's a. You know, I. I'd rather do that. Which I think is awesome, because I can support a local business. But, yeah, this for me was very personal. Very personal. Pocho fino. So remember, pocho means person born in the US Not a person born in Mexico. And it's a word that. It's a negative word.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

That Mexican.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So they look at you differently. So people that was actually born in Mexico look at you. Although you're of Mexican descent, they look at you differently because you were born in the same.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 Right. In China.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

There's always a word or a thing where, like, 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

But you got another one, right?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah, we can get into that.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

So you got another. You got another puppy. What type of. Is it a Chihuahua?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yes. Say it again. I like. You call it she like. You made it a girl.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Chihuahua.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Chihuahua. Chihuahua, Yes. I. I have a little puppy. She's 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 they. Where I'd walk. They would walk.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And what was cool is that, you know, we, we all had the same pace, and so no matter where we walk, it was the same. You know what I mean? And 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 she. Wawa. I will get another shewa.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

How you gonna, how you gonna just let the dog just go?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I. I won't. But that's not, that's not the plan. I mean, what. She got out one time.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So I can at least step on it and then catch her. But. Yeah. So very happy to, you know, have that. And again, this is the first time I'm ever featuring it.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

And I know I'm drinking your beverage, and at the end of this, I'd very much like it if you at least took a sample.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah, I'm taking.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You can, you can.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Can I take home?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know, I get. That's yours, that's yours.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah, but this is the first time we're featuring it, so respect to you, because we appreciate that this means a lot. You know, I appreciate the fact that, you know, with your show, I've done many shows, I've done many podcasts, I've done many interviews, late night talk show. I appreciate the fact that you, you do your homework. You. You take time to really get to. All right, so I, 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 good ones where I'm like, oh, how do you know that? Where did that come from?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

We know, we know, we know.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

A lot, you know, But.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

But at home, you mentioned you got someone at home and you got your puppy.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yes,

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

and she understands. Like, look, you do understand what I do. I travel a lot.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

She knows what I do. I can't say that she always understands what I do because, you know, we. We are in a different vein. We. We're not. We're not a plumber. We're not the nine to five 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. That's that walking from the valet to this room right now, I probably got stopped six times and maybe 100 yards, like the people. You know what I mean? And that's not something that comes with the 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, ah, right. Okay, this is gonna be a thing for a while, but because when you

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

go out, obviously it's hard when you go out, you wanna go to dinner or you wanna go to a show, gonna do something other than what you do, it's hard. Hey, Fluffy, man. How you doing, Fluffy? Hey, can we. Can you take a picture? Can you take a picture with my. Can you take a picture?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Can you take. But if it's a female, most can't handle.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Ah, man.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

She that level? No, no, I'm just saying that that's her. But I'm saying most can't handle.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

That, that. What, what, like, what's going on? Like, who is she? That somebody that just got out of the car and saw me, like, 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 is 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. 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

That you're a sex symbol. Fluffy,

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

you know what's funny? I hear. I hear the crew laughing in the back, but I promise you, my. My body count's bigger than yours. You know what? So, yeah, whatever you want to say. Whatever you want to say. Boo.

[Commercial Announcer]

Boo.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Women love women. Women love men. That can make them laugh.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Not abs. A sense of humor.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You've always been able to make people laugh.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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. This is what's going on. Can. Can we be real? Like, I. 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 up front. 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Has a woman ever told you, Gabriel, that I really like you a lot, but you're a little bit too heavy?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

The weight situation never came into question because I was always functional. I was all. I was always functional. 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, 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. Just. I'm. Yeah. There was never a situation where someone said, you don't look attractive to me.

[Commercial Announcer]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

What was that feeling like when you got your first laugh on stage?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So keep in mind, the first laugh I got on stage was when I was 10 years old.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Really?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Yeah. Like earlier I said I was, 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Doing impressions of Mickey Mouse, Ronald Reagan, Peewee Herman, who was in his prime at that time. And so when I went up on stage to, to do this show, I didn't really understand what standup comedy was. I'm a 10 year old kid and I just did impressions. But the impressions were so close.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

That the people were like, oh my God, this 10 year old kid is nailing these impressions. So I'm up there doing, you know, freaking Pee Wee Herman, you know, like, like a 10 year old right now. That looked weird. But a 10 year old doing that is like phenomenal. And then Ronald Reagan will Nancy this. They basically we have, you know, so a 10 year old doing that was like. And then I did Bill Cosby. I won't do the impression now because. Yeah.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

But

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

at 10 years old I was killing. And so it was one of those things like, all right and you hooked. 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 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, I. 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. Who knew?

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

You hooked?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I was very much hooked. I was very hooked. I remember sitting at home with my friend watching Def Comedy Jam on Saturday nights, and we were just. Because that was the only comedy. Or that. Or BET's comedy view. BET's comedy view. And Def 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Cause that's my next. And we 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 you. All those guys. So in the Hispanic community, who did you. Who did Gabriel Iglesias be?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

You know what? During that time, you gotta 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Really?

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

I met Martin Lawrence a week ago, and I felt like, you know, it's rare for me to meet someone and geek the out to the point where I'm like, oh, it felt weird for me to talk to him, because I. I just wanted to tell him how impactful his show, his presence, what he did on Def Jam and 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, you did. But. But I did. I geeked out, Shannon. I geeked out hard. I geeked that hard with him. But, yeah, like, we don'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 D.L. hughley doing comic View.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yep.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Watching Martin Lawrence to 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 D.L. 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 you Def Jam? And you're like. 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 and here in la, and the host that year, because they change host. The host was Ronaldo Ray.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Ronaldo Ray, Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Everybody is a Ronaldo Raider. And I just. 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. 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

That's right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 pay sigils. 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 after? Am I getting scale? Am I getting paid what I'm. What I'm supposed to. 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. Is the thing. If you're more focused on the money, then you're not. You don't really give a about what the thing that is you're doing.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Because there was a lot of. A lot of comedians. That was their first. That was everybody's first introduction to them was Comic View. Yeah, Comic View.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 Showtime at the Apollo, because it. 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. Because if the judges don't like you and. Okay, all right. Okay. And then you have that dynamic of the audience and the judge, right? 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. 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 any. 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 Cat 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 Cat. All these guys. I'm the last person to say anything. Negative Cat was incredibly welcoming and inspiring early on. But let me tell you, Showtime at the Apollo, 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.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

We don't know what to expect.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

It's expensive.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yes.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

So we went in together to share a hotel room. And then we go to 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, okay? So he went out there and he's like, yo, yo, what's up? How y' all do? How y' all feel? But off stage, he's like, you're speeding Gonzalez off stage and you're trying to be this person on stage. And the audience smelled right through it. They booed him off the stage.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

Yeah, you got to be good at the rap.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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. So then Kiki shepherd, who was the co host in 1999, comes up to me. 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 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 it, 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

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

the whole brother that just got bought booed. Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

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 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 you 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. Gary and I are standing there. Gary's like this. Gary's like this. He's like, he gonna get booed again. He looked at me so he could get booed again. He got booed again. He got booed again. They never aired either one of the two episodes.

[Interviewer (Shannon)]

One of the few guys to sell out Madison Square Garden, the Crypt dot com. Sydney Opera House. And he sold out Dodger Stage Stadium, which is the largest baseball facility in the US and he and Joeco have a show at Sofi. Here he is, Gabrielle Iglesias, AKA Fluffy. Appreciate you, bro. Thank you, man. I really appreciate that.

[Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy)]

Thank you, Bobo. Thank you, Bobo.

[Musical Performer]

All my life Been grinding All my life Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price Wanna slice, got to roll the dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life Look. All my life Been grinding All my life Sacrifice, hustle, paid the price Want a slice, got the rolling dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life.