Gabriel Iglesias

Summary

Joy, a Podcast
Episode: Gabriel Iglesias
Hosted by Craig Ferguson
Release Date: December 31, 2024

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Introduction

In this heartfelt episode of "Joy," hosted by the renowned late-night talk show host Craig Ferguson, Gabriel Iglesias, one of the most beloved comedians on Earth, joins to discuss his journey in comedy, personal challenges, and the pursuit of joy amidst the chaos of modern life. Skipping past the holiday advertisements, Ferguson delves deep into Gabriel’s experiences, providing listeners with an intimate glimpse into the life of a stand-up comedy giant.

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Gabriel Iglesias' Comedy Journey

Craig Ferguson (02:34) opens the conversation by applauding Gabriel’s recent stadium special, noting, "I was watching your stadium special last night... you were just relaxed. It didn't look to me like you were, like pumped or anything, which I think is amazing."

Gabriel Iglesias (05:16) shares his pre-show routine, emphasizing his preference for staying grounded:
"I'm just usually having a conversation like this with somebody... I'd rather just have a conversation and just take this."

Ferguson probes into Gabriel’s unique approach to performing in enormous venues, contrasting it with the high-energy performances typical of stadium shows. Gabriel attributes his relaxed demeanor to the supportive environment he creates, stating at (06:20),
"It felt like a homecoming... it was like everyone knew what it took to be at that moment, and we were all just celebrating it."

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Handling Success and Personal Challenges

The discussion shifts to the challenges of fame and maintaining personal well-being. Gabriel acknowledges the presence of critics, admitting (07:21),
"But I do read my own social media... Every now and then there's someone who doesn't like what I do."

They explore the impact of negative feedback, with Gabriel reflecting (07:27):
"It makes me question, well, what is it that I'm doing?"
He credits therapy as a tool for self-reflection, highlighting its role in his personal growth.

A significant portion of the conversation (36:50) centers on Gabriel’s struggle with weight loss. He candidly shares his journey:
"I'm diabetic... I got put on some good medication to control that, and that helped out. So the weight just started coming off."
Ferguson empathizes, relating his own battles with weight, and they discuss sustainable approaches to personal health.

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Interactions with Fans and Public Life

Living close to his roots in Long Beach, Gabriel (47:14) describes how fame affects his daily life:
"I'm close to where I used to live, but it's not where I used to live... people see me driving around, and I have to handle interactions carefully."

Craig (48:03) raises concerns about public scrutiny, to which Gabriel responds with anecdotes about fan interactions and maintaining personal boundaries:
"I'd rather go out there and... It'll be a story."
Gabriel emphasizes the importance of authenticity while managing public expectations, ensuring his interactions remain genuine and respectful.

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Personal Life and Relationships

The conversation takes a personal turn as Gabriel discusses his relationships. Reflecting on a long-term relationship that ended (52:53), he shares the complexities of balancing a demanding career with personal life:
"She says, because that's just more time that you're away."
Ferguson and Gabriel explore the challenges of sharing success with loved ones, with Gabriel noting (55:34),
"I felt like I was bragging through their eyes."
They touch upon the difficulty of finding support systems that genuinely celebrate personal achievements without fostering resentment.

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Future Plans and Goals

Looking ahead, Gabriel expresses his ambition to expand his comedy footprint, contemplating stadium performances:
(24:39) Gabriel: "I think I would miss it."

Craig encourages him with humor, suggesting (57:14):
"If you were Scottish, you should start with a small state like Rhode Island."

Gabriel (42:03) confirms his plans to perform in the UK, including cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh, aiming to connect with international audiences and perhaps set new records. This ambition reflects his continuous drive to evolve and reach new heights in his comedic career.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with a warm exchange between Craig and Gabriel, highlighting Gabriel's resilience and unwavering commitment to his craft. Craig lauds Gabriel’s authenticity, saying (60:22),
"You, sir, are a joy... I really love talking to you."

Gabriel responds with gratitude, reinforcing the theme of finding joy through genuine connections and personal fulfillment. This episode of "Joy" not only celebrates Gabriel Iglesias' illustrious career but also delves into the human aspects behind the laughter, offering listeners both inspiration and introspection.

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Notable Quotes

• Craig Ferguson [02:34]: "You were just relaxed. It didn't look to me like you were, like pumped or anything, which I think is amazing."

• Gabriel Iglesias [05:16]: "I'd rather just have a conversation and just take this."

• Gabriel Iglesias [36:50]: "I'm diabetic... I got put on some good medication to control that, and that helped out. So the weight just started coming off."

• Gabriel Iglesias [07:21]: "But I do read my own social media... Every now and then there's someone who doesn't like what I do."

• Craig Ferguson [60:22]: "You, sir, are a joy... I really love talking to you."

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This episode serves as a testament to Gabriel Iglesias' ability to blend humor with heartfelt discussions, making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike seeking to understand the essence of joy in a seemingly tumultuous world.

Transcript

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[Craig Ferguson]

Hello, my dears. The Joy podcast will be taking the holidays off. I hope you can too. And have a lovely time, however you like to spend it and with whomever you like to spend it with. We'll be back on January 14th with the lovely Lisa Loeb. That's more alliteration than I thought I was going to have when I started talking today. But there you are, the lovely Lisa Loeb on the 14th of January. And have a lovely holiday time, my friends. Be careful, Stay safe. See you soon. My name is Craig Ferguson. This podcast is called Joy. It's not rocket science. I talk to people I like about the pursuit of happiness. Here's Gabriel Iglesias, one of the most successful comedians Earth. Enjoy. Okay, so I was watching your stadium special last night. I think you might be the only comedian I know who's ever done a stadium. Are you the only one that's done a stadium?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No. Kevin Hart did it. He did it in Philadelphia a few years ago. And I want to say Larry the Cable Guy did one for a special at a college. And there was this comedian, I forget his name. He's a German comic.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Who was the one? He's the guy that's the one that. He set the record.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I know, right?

[Craig Ferguson]

German. German.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

German.

[Craig Ferguson]

He was a comedian. Was he Austrian? And was it Nuremberg? Because that's a completely different.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Like, yeah, everyone was having a great time.

[Craig Ferguson]

They better have a good time. So the.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

The actual. The Guinness Book of World Records biggest comedy show was set by a German many years ago. Yeah, I wanna say it was 67,000.

[Craig Ferguson]

You're after that record, aren't you?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what? That would be a great goal. It would be a great goal.

[Craig Ferguson]

I knew. See, I think when I watch you. Cause I'm a comedian as well. I've never played a stadium, but I like to think that I've got some chops a little bit. But I'm watching you in this thing, this special. Cause I'm watching it last night and I'm thinking you're playing this like it's. Like it's a club. Like, I've never. You were just relaxed. It didn't look to me like you were, like pumped or anything, which I think is amazing. Because I know what it's like to get up there and to feel the energy of a crowd and to try and fight against your own tendency to just run around and make a noise, you know, it's like. It was amazing to watch. Did you, like. Did you chant? Do you have a meditation process?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah, that's been a question. Like, what's his routine off stage? Believe it or not, I'm just usually having a conversation like this with somebody. Either the tour manager or. Or my buddy Martin or somebody who's right there next to me. Off stage, we're just chit chatting until the. Either the intro video or. Or the. The, you know, whoever is introducing me, introduces me. You know what I'm saying?

[Craig Ferguson]

And then you just go, yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So I just. I'm having a conversation. I know a lot of entertainers that like to get in the zone. They light incense, they have to drink something, they have to smoke something. They have to be in a corner. They gotta, you know, And I'm. I'd rather just have a conversation and just take this.

[Craig Ferguson]

I find that just going up there, that's almost weird. Gabriel, that's kind of like that because it's like when, you know the thing in Silence of the Lambs? Which part when Silence of the Lambs, when they're describing Hannibal Lecter and they said they had the pulse meter on him and he bit off a nurse's ear and his pulse didn't change. That's when they knew he was like a crazy. He was so crazy that he didn't even get adrenal when he was doing it. Is that how crazy you. You don't even get?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No, I. I do get excited. It's just that for that one in particular, I. I just think that we were. It was a year in the making from the time that we planned it. And once it was there, it was just, you know, it felt very much like a homecoming. It felt like everybody there wants me to do good. I felt like it was a celebration of something bigger than me, you know, it wasn't like I was trying to go out there and kill it. It was like everyone knew what it took to be at that moment, and we were all just celebrating it.

[Craig Ferguson]

You are a very interesting comic to me as well. I think, because you have. No other comedian that I've spoken to has the level of goodwill that you have. Everybody loves you. There's like, everybody loves you.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, you can find haters.

[Craig Ferguson]

No. Well, I guess you can find them because you're a comedian. Do you go Looking for them. Do you scroll?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I go looking for them. But, you know, I do read my own social media. I run my own social media. So I'm looking at comments and stuff and, you know, people say, oh, you gotta just brush it off. But it's, you know, ordinary. Not pay attention, but I have to pay attention. That's what makes me. Me.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So, you know, but, you know, every now and then there's. There's someone who. Who doesn't like what I do.

[Craig Ferguson]

Get to you? Does it ever get to you? Does it get you done?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It makes me question, well, what is it that I'm doing? What is. You know, I've been in enough therapy sessions to be able to question myself. Now.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you. Do you get. Do you get therapy? I mean, I've had a ton of therapy. I. I mean. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I've done it for years. And. And I think it's interesting because you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Come across, and I think a lot of your audience think like, he's just a guy. He's the guy who says funny things, but there's no such thing as just a guy who says funny things in a stadium. That's not like a normal guy. You know, I mean, I know that you are normal in the sense that you're not crazy, but you are a little bit crazy because you're a standout comedian. A lot of it is about. For me, I think everyone I know, and I know a bunch of them, there's a kind of. There's an energy and a darkness that goes with it too. Right?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah, definitely. You have to have something going on with you to want to get up on stage and get the laughs and to make people smile and just, you know, there's something. Something there.

[Craig Ferguson]

What do you think it is with you? Because I. Most people I talk to, and I don't want to lead the witness, but most people I talk to, I think it's. It's in childhood somewhere.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I was about to say, I've always been a big kid. I've always been the last to get chosen for activities. I've always been the, you know, the unpopular one, a chubby kid, messed up teeth. You know, I had acne.

[Craig Ferguson]

Chubby and messed up teeth would just make it normal in Scotland. It's like you. Your career would be screwed if you were Scottish.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Things that, you know, kept me from being social because people would, you know, kids were cruel. You know, I mean, bullying now is one thing, but back then they. They added. It was physical too.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, so.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So there was Just a lot of that. And I think that once I found comedy, comedy was the. It was my hero, it was my savior. It's what protected me and kept me from feeling all those different.

[Craig Ferguson]

Was it a conscious thing as a kid? Because, I mean, of course you hear comedians say it was. I used it to protect myself. And I, And I did too, but, but I didn't, I wasn't aware that I was doing that at the time. I was just like, you just do anything available to protect yourself. Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Comedy for me, def. I definitely knew that that's what it was doing.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, really?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And it made me want to do it more. And I loved it too. I loved the attention, I love the, the thrill, the, the, the butterflies that you would get right before you, you'd walk out on stage.

[Craig Ferguson]

When did you first start doing it?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I was 10 years old. The first time I tried it. I did a school talent show. I was up on stage doing impressions because I didn't exactly know what comedy was. Yeah, exactly. I had watched an Eddie Murphy special and probably not the.

[Craig Ferguson]

Which wasn't.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It doesn't matter which one it is. It probably, probably wasn't something that a 10 year old should be watching. But I love the fact that he was doing the voices and the characters and that's what I was drawn to. I was drawn to the animated part of it. Not so much the foul language or whatever else he was talking about. I was drawn to the, the animated part and I knew that I had this ability of, of altering my voice and playing.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And so I got a chance to audition for a school talent show and they said, well, you know what, what are you going to do? I said, well, I do voices. And I didn't know what really, you know, how to do comedy, but I knew that I had seen enough of a guy by the name of Rich Little way back in the day. Remember?

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Impressionist.

[Craig Ferguson]

He did the White House correspondence another year before I did it.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

He was, he was really. Oh, okay.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. So I know exactly who you mean, because I was. Have you done that yet?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No.

[Craig Ferguson]

So you stay away from.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I stay away from.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I do too. I just, I mean, that's. I think that's the reason why they asked me. I mean, I used to talk about it a little more than I do now. I'm like, no, it's just crazy. Did you ever talk about it?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

In the beginning? I did. When it wasn't so taboo. Whereas now you sneeze the wrong way and people are like, oh, oh, it's like that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. I mean, you talk about that. Was that in the. It was one of your specials. You talk about the trying to. Somebody trying to blackmail you like that. That faith.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But that's all the time, though. I can't even say that that's a one and done. No, people are always like, you know, once you have a little bit of success or a lot of success, people want a piece of the pie. And so they'll. They'll try to, you know, hey, I got this photo of this. Or, hey, I. I saw you doing that. Or, you know, are you a party animal?

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you go out?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm not a party animal. I'm 46 now. I just want. I just want to do my show and go and hang out my dogs and grab a soda. I was more partying in. In the. In the 20, you know, when I was. When I was 20. Yeah, 20, 25. That was. I was. That was more.

[Craig Ferguson]

So did you ever get, like. I was shocking drunk when I was in my 20s. I had to get.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So I would drink a lot. Yeah, I would drink a lot. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did you. Did you get to get out of hand for you?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah, I'm sure it did.

[Craig Ferguson]

See, I knew I liked you.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm sure there are photos. But you know what? It was a different time.

[Craig Ferguson]

You know, I, I. A little bit. I feel sorry for a lot of the youngsters today because I. I like if there were cell phones around when I was drinking, I mean, the, the level of embarrassment and shame that they could.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You. You had time to prepare. If somebody was going to take a photo, it's like, oh, look at him. He's getting drunk. Hold on.

[Craig Ferguson]

Or the guy puts the. The black thing over his head. You're upside down, and you have to stay still. Then the flash goes off. Gotcha. So that darkness then.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But to answer your question from earlier. All right, the voices and the characters and stuff, I went up on stage and I realized that I had something going there, because that night when I went up there and I was doing impressions of Pee Wee Herman, time was, you know, he. He was still Peewee Herman.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, that's right. P.E.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Herman, Ronald Reagan, Popeye, Mickey Mouse. These were the characters I was doing when I was 10 years old. And the crowd reacted to it, and they're like, wow, look at him. And I had a microphone, and it was loud, and I could actually hear myself. It was the first time I worked with the microphone. Even with me, I was like, oh, wow, I'm on to something. And then I Did the talent show again the following year. And then I went seven years before I was in high school. I got in the speech team and that's where I got the courage to get up in front of class. And then I just started doing that every single day, getting up in front of the class. Eventually I was just super comfortable in front of people. And then once, once I started doing school.

[Craig Ferguson]

You went to.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I was. No, it was, it was, it was a school.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know, I mean, I'm proud of. Because I graduated from it. Long Beach, Wilson, what's up. But there are many better schools. A lot better schools. But that's, that's, you know.

[Craig Ferguson]

Was it a violent environment during that time?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, there was always school fights and rights in the, you know, in the quad and stuff like that.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's a lot of, a lot of comedians I know particularly of.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I avoided them though. I wasn't in the mix. Yeah, the school mosh pit.

[Craig Ferguson]

But that, that I think, because I think of you as a. I mean, if you were a British comedian, I'd say you were a working class comedian. Do you know what I mean? It's like you're. I feel like you're. I mean, this is a compliment, by the way. This is you like a blue collar guy. You're from a working class environment. Even to the extent you still.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No, no silver spoon for sure.

[Craig Ferguson]

I was.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

My mom and I. It was just my mom and I. No dad in the picture. Section 8, housing, public housing. We were on welfare, which is the WIC of today. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

You think that's part of it. My wife has a theory that all stand up comedians have the same mother.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, she was very strong. Very strong, very loud, very opinionated. Did not think I was a good comedian. She didn't think I was funny, period.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, see that, that's exactly my part. It's my mom.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But I didn't need a fan, I needed a mom.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right, I get it. But it's an interesting thing because I think you take a personality of a kid if you're like a chubby little kid who's afraid. Because that's exactly what I was, you know, when I was a kid, I was afraid and you start being funny and you don't even know you're funny. But you know that they're not hitting you if you can divert their attention. Right. It is a kind of odd darkness. And then you get into drinking. Were you ever in a drug taking?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Not really. I'm more of an Advil PM kind of guy. Right, yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

You didn't go for it because I always liked cocaine. I always thought was a good vitamin to help you drink more. I never thought it was a drug. I just thought it was like a drinker's vitamin. Like a kind of like the way the kids use Red Bull.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Now it's dry Red Bull.

[Craig Ferguson]

You never got into it though, because there's a. I think particularly, you know, if you grew up in LA, LA has a real culture of, you know, you get drawn into all that as a young person.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

There was a lot of it around. There was a lot of you around it. You know what's crazy is that I always heard stories where big guys usually did not handle cocaine well.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It was always, you know, what if you're big and you do blow, then you're going to die. You're going to have a heart attack and die because big guys can't hang. And so that alone was more than enough to keep me scared straight where I'm like, no, I'm big. I can't be doing that. I'll just, I'll have a drink.

[Craig Ferguson]

So you didn't have a self destruct thing. It was just like, it was just like to get messed up, but it wasn't to destroy yourself.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No, but also too. I mean, I worked a lot, I really focused and I was so excited about doing standup where that's what I wanted to do. It wasn't the party after that. I was after. It was actually the stage.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So, you know, I was just trying like, okay, where can I find another stage? Where can I go up? You know, this is before social media. So you actually had to go and hang out with people and like you're at Denny's at 2, 3 o'clock in the morning with other comics. Some are drunk, some are on something else, some are just there to do exactly what you're there to do. And you know, that was your social circle and you know, you kind of built off of that you'd save. Hey, can I get so and so's number? Can I call him? Do you know if he's booking? Where can I send a tape? You know, this is all stuff that you had to do back then. So there was a lot, a lot of, a lot of homework. You wouldn't know any of these guys. Oh yeah, yeah, it was, it was a.

[Craig Ferguson]

So when did you start, when did you start moving up, do you think? When did you start start working?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I was very fortunate that I caught lightning in a bottle really quick. So April 10, 1997 is my first official start date where I called myself a comic. I was in Long beach, which is where I live now still. And yeah, I know because you like.

[Craig Ferguson]

You drove here today in LA and it was raining and I was like, I cannot believe you didn't.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

The fact that I cancelled.

[Craig Ferguson]

I nearly canceled and I'm like five minutes from here and I felt bad.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Cuz I'm like, I'm. I'm going be late. No, I'm still coming. See, but I'm going to be late.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think that's a. That's a. I sailed here. That's. That's. Your mom did that. That's. Your mom did that.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I sailed here.

[Craig Ferguson]

You have to get to the. You have to get there. If your mom was Scottish, that. You have to get there. Who do you think you are? Do you know? G. Leno told me this thing that when he took over the Tonight show, it used to say the Tonight show starring Johnny Carson. And then when he took over, it said the Tonight show starring Jay Leno. And he told his mom and his mom said, oh, his mom was Scottish. She said, oh, the Tonight's was starring Jay Leno. Starring Jay Leno. Is it? Who do you think you are? So he had to change it to the Tonight Joe with Jay Leno because.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

His mom, because his mom.

[Craig Ferguson]

He was frightened of his mom. He was on the COVID of Time magazine and in Boston, where he grew up. And his mom said, it's probably just the local Time magazine. He said, mom, there isn't a local Time magazine. See, I think moms are of. Comedians are kind of like that, you know, they're kind of.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

They're the humblers.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, they sure are.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah. There was no time where I could brag around my mom.

[Craig Ferguson]

Your mom still around?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No, unfortunately not. She's been gone 10 years now. But I know that anytime I say something out loud that, that kind of like I could hear my mom already. Like how she would have reacted to that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah. It's interesting. I. That.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, okay. Oh, look at you. Oh, that's exactly what my mother did. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

I wonder because you're, you're quite open. I say that. I don't know if you're open. You talk about your family and your act. You talk about your son and your act. Whenever I talked about my kids, they don't like him. They, they stop me doing it. They're like, nope, that's not, that's where.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm at right now.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, really? Is he saying it to you? You got to stop it.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It took a minute. He, he didn't say I have to stop, but he, he made it clear that he, I didn't appreciate it and I didn't want to keep doing it if it was going to bother him because I don't want the resentment and want him getting, you know, for me, I just saw it as my form of parenting because I'm like, you know, before shaming was a thing, that's how you parent. You make fun of them, you embarrass them, you embarrass your kids so that they wouldn't do it. And I figured embarrassing them was better than spanking them. Yeah, better than yelling at them. Hey, look, I'm just going to make you feel stupid and hopefully you don't do that again.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, it's kind of an interesting thing because doing that now like people. Cause I agree with you. It's like somebody makes you feel dumb about doing something, you're less likely to do it again. And if it's done from a loving position, then that's fine. But I think the problem that, I don't know, I think people are having with the younger generation right now is maybe that they don't handle any kind of contrary opinion very well. I don't think it's anything to do with woke. I think decent people have always been decent people. But I think the idea of, you know, I should have a hassle free life, you go, really? Have you ever been on the 405? Because there's no such thing as a hassle free life. It's like you're gonna get hassled. It's just one of those things. I mean, you should get trained for it a little bit. What age is your boy now?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

25.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it's time to stop. He'll hit you if you don't stop. Yeah, that's crazy. So when he was growing up now, you were with his mom?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes, I got him when he was seven.

[Craig Ferguson]

She's his stepson.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes. My mom would call him aftermarket.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I listen, I don't hold with that. I think love is love and family is family and I don't buy into that kind of half brother, step sister, all that. It's like, it's just a way of kind of fine tuning the description. That's all it is.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But my mom was pretty hardcore and set against me having any type of relationship with anyone that already had a. What did she call it? She said, oh, that girl you're dating, she has a pre existing condition. I go, mom, I go, it's not a medical thing. She's got a kid. What's the big deal? You know? She goes, you need to have one of your own. And I'm like, mom, it's fine.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's an interesting thing that your mom. Did your mom ever come around to it? Was she all right in the end?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what? She was not really. She was just cool. Like, okay, fine. But she wasn't going out of her way to be like, hey, come here. Hey, let me. You know. Yeah, it was more so just like, all right, he's here. Cool. Hello. You know what I mean? It was.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's interesting.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And trying to get my mom to change, that was. That was a mission in itself. And I think just again, we're in that time now where now we're that person.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And now it's like, okay, so she.

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, she lived long enough to see you get very successful. Right? So. Which must have kind of freaked her out a little bit, you think?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I don't know. I honestly don't know because, I mean, I was working so much and she didn't exactly like watch me on, on television or any, anything like that. She knew I was always working because, you know, we would talk daily like, where are you at now? Where are you at now? When you coming home? I'm hungry, take me to eat. So she wanted to know when, when I was also. I could go and pick her up and take her to eat and tell her about my week and stuff like that. But I don't think that she knew that it was going to get to where it is now.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's pretty. Not many people go to where you are now though. I mean, it's kind of like stratospheric at this point.

[Vralar Representative]

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[AT&T Representative]

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[NYX Representative]

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[Craig Ferguson]

Where do you see it going comedically? I mean there is, I talked to you about the idea of going after that German guy's record for the, the biggest comedian show ever. And, and maybe that. But is that, is that it or are you happy? Are you still happy playing, you know, a club with, with 200 people in it?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I am very happy with being able to like, shoot. I was at the Funny Bone in Columbus, Ohio this past weekend and the room seats maybe 250, 300 and I was having a great time. I loved it. It's, it's, you're right there with the people. But don't get me wrong, I, I love being goal driven. So having something to, you know, work towards. How can you outdo yourself? Because, you know, a lot of times I think that people get into the com, you know, competition of oh, what's that guy doing? What's that guy doing? What's that guy doing? Whereas I find myself like, all right, how can I outdo what I did last time versus trying to figure out, oh, this person's doing this, this person's doing that. That's why it's like people kept saying you should do a podcast, but I'm like, that's not me though. Or you should.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, you shouldn't be either.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

This Kind of show.

[Craig Ferguson]

You got it. Yeah. I think it goes with your driver's licenses. If you want to have a, you know, or get. Avoid getting audited by the tax man or something, you have to do it.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You have to, you know. But as far as, what's the next goal? I think it would be awesome because honestly, I contemplated retiring at Dodger Stadium. I thought about retiring because of the fact that I'm like, can I outdo this? Is this the biggest thing I'm ever gonna do? And if it is, what better way to. Hey, thank you. Good night.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I don't. I don't think you should do that. Look, I'm not a therapist, but I think that would be a bad idea.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I think I would miss it.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think. I think it would turn on you. I think that. I mean, look, I don't have to be an expert in the human condition to watch you do stand up and go, that guy has got demons. That's the only way you get up there. You don't get up there, just, ah, he's just a guy goes to Red Lobster. He goes to Red Lobster with his kid and they have a nice time. You go, yeah, he does do that. But, you know, there. You know, there's gotta be some dark in that fuel. There's gotta be some. I think it would turn on you. The thing. I think I'm gonna say something to you. This is not by way of advice, but it's an observation. I spent a long time. I was talking to some guys earlier about this. I worked with Mick Jagger for a little while writing a screenplay. And so I was on tour with the Rolling Stones and I watched Keith Richards. Keith Richards is just as happy with the Rolling Stones being that band as he would be if he was in a ship band playing in a pub in North London. As long as he's playing the guitar, he doesn't really care. Nothing else really matters. And I think you have a little bit of that. That as long as you're doing the show, like you say, you just like to get up there. You want to get up there. I think if you were not doing that, I think it would come get you. I think you'd find a way to get next.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Something would happen.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I guess with me, the problem is that I'm afraid of all the work that I've put in over these years, because this is year 26 now for me. And I'd be afraid of getting to a certain point because it's not every day you could say you saw Your peak. You know what I mean?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And I don't know if this is the peak. I don't know if it is. I mean, it's the highest point I've reached so far.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right, but is it all about professionalism? Are there ambitions? Personally, would you like to sail around the world? Would you like to, you know, get ripped and climb Mount Everest? Is. Is there are other goals outside of performance?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Outside of performance? I mean, I've done a lot of traveling, been a lot of places, seen a lot of things.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, but. But I bet you were always doing a show.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No, it was always around a show. I've never taken a vacation just to take a vacation. And that, that blows people away too. That, you know.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I get it. I understand.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Do not go anywhere. Like, for me, I don't see a vacation as a vacation. That's. I'm doing all the things I don't like doing about comedy without the comedy.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So what, I got to get on a plane, I gotta go to the airport, I gotta get on some shuttle bus, I gotta check into a hotel. I gotta worry about bedbugs. I got to worry about, you know, what's.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, you. All that and you don't get.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Is there somewhere to eat? You know, what's going to be the situation once we get there.

[Craig Ferguson]

How are you flying in airplanes?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm fine. I usually. We fly private. Right, we fly private, but mostly it's for my dogs. I travel with my dogs and so, you know, they keep me happy. It's make two chihuahuas. They go anywhere. They go everywhere. But yeah, I usually fly with them and if they're not going with me, I'll fly commercial.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right, but you don't have any like fear of flying thing or nothing like that. That's interesting because I feel like I want to try and find out what's kind of making you tech. And I think you kind of. You're eluding me. Not on purpose. I just can't put my finger on it, which I think is fantastic.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, nice.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I think that's. I think it's great. I mean, the.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It's gonna. Gotta break em down. I'm gonna break them down right now.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't feel broken down. I feel kind of. I'm quite intrigued by it because I think you're a very singular human being. I think that you must be very strong emotionally. Are you, do you think you said?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I think it all depends setting boundaries. I think the boundaries are only as good as the person who you're trying to set them with.

[Craig Ferguson]

Really? Because I. I think some people, like, need stricter kind of information.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You could tell them. But I think a lot of times people are just going to do whatever they want to do. And then. So you got to be selective about who you surround yourself with.

[Craig Ferguson]

And you're careful.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I try to be, but there's some people that have, I guess, been grandfathered in because they've been around so long. And you just. You just know, like, ah, don't talk about this around this person. Don't bring up that. And. And you know that.

[Craig Ferguson]

See that?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Start the stopwatch.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's an age thing, I think. Cause I've got that too. Because, like, young people is like, if they don't agree, they're not friends. I'm like, I have friends who are like, awful. But what am I gonna do? It's my friend, you know, it's like, you know, that guy's a racist. To go, he is. He's a terrible racist. But what am I gonna do? He's my friend. It's like that thing like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry said, there's a racist in the Royal Family. And I'm like, no, yeah, it's a family. If you don't know who the racist is in your family, it's. Cause it's you. No, you're the ra.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You're the. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's crazy. It's like, grandpa's gonna make a speech. No, he is not gonna make a speech. He's. No. I mean, do you find. Cause you're Mexican heritage, right? Yes. Have you encountered. I don't know, have you encountered prejudice from any angle because of that, do you think?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know. Yes, but I think a lot of times it's like, am I overthinking it? Am I looking into it more? Am I looking for it? Versus is there something that's clearly like, am I clearly being held back or being challenged or being, you know, made to feel less than. Because, I mean, we've gone to some places where, you know, stereotypically, it would not go well.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And. And it does. And I think that, for example, there's been some shows that we've done where I'm doing meet and greets afterwards and there's people coming up and they've got Confederate flags on the T shirts and the tattoos. And you could tell that, you know, they might have said a. A racial slur or two in their day.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But for some reason around me, it's weird to like, you know, you think you're going to get one thing, and then it's like, you know, I'll have people say things like, we were eating at a. At a Mexican restaurant before we came to see you, because we knew we were coming to see you, so we. We wanted to go eat some tacos and drink some Mexican soda before we came to see you. And. And. And part of me wants to go, what. What the hell does that even mean? But it's like, when you hear what they're saying, it's like they're trying to find a way to connect and be close, even though the way that they're saying what they're saying is just like, are you. Come on. And so you want to get offended, but you realize sometimes. Sometimes people don't know any better.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

They have the best of intentions, but they don't know how to convey it. And so you like. All right, okay. Rugged people. Hola. I'm a big fan of yours. You know, I want to be your amigo. I'm like, yeah. I'm like, like, okay, you. You are a fan, clearly. But your approach is just.

[Craig Ferguson]

I can. I can very much relate. People. People come up to me and go, oh, Shrek, farty donkey. All right. See, I was like, why? Don't. Please don't do that. You're making me feel weird. It's like, I don't know Shrek. All right, I do know Shrek, but I don't. We don't get along. All right. Do you speak Spanish?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you do gigs in Mexico?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I recently performed in Mexico, but I don't perform in Spanish. It loses a lot in the translation. And then depending on what part of Latin America you're in, you know, the slang, it's very different.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. Are you interested in it? Because, you know, Eddie Izzard is a friend of mine, and Eddie. She performs in lots of different languages. Like, Eddie will go to France and not even speak French, and then learn the act phonetically and then perform it as an experiment.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

That's incredible.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it's crazy, right? But I think you have a little bit of that in the sense of. Cause you work with the sound. The amount of voices you do in a show is crazy. Like, the different. Like, you can do my voice. I heard you do it in that sitcom that you did for Netflix. You did a Scottish accent. And I went, that's actually not bad. And nobody can do a Scottish accent. And you can do it. And I think you have that phonetic thing, doesn't it? I think you should try a gig in Spanish.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I. You know what I've. I've done, I've performed in Spanish for 15, 20 minutes, right? And so I. In my head, I. I translated it and trying to, you know, like, all right, here we go, right? And it went, okay. You know, I've. I've opened up for Mexican, Spanish speaking comics. We did. We actually made it a challenge where I opened up for a comic by the name of Franco Escamilla, who's massive in. In Spanish, right? And I challenged him. All right, now you got to open for me. 15 minutes in English.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did he do it?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

We. Yeah, we both did. And we both agreed that we should never do that again. It was a horrible idea. Mala idea.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I think. I don't know, man. I'd have loved to have seen it.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It was, you know, it was. It was cool to say that. We tried it, and I'm like, okay, because the show that I. I opened for him in Mexico City at the arena, he was taping a Netflix special. And I went out there and it was just like, wow. Like, it was. Because I was really. I had to really think about what I was saying, right? And that was messing with me. And I had him open for me at Staples center when it was still Staples center. And again, he was back there, and he's just sweating bullets, and, you know, he's talking to me and he's like, oh, my God. You know, oh, my goodness. That's how it was. But the fact that Eddie can do that, I think.

[Craig Ferguson]

I know, but I think it's something to do with maybe a musician's brain. Are you a musician?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

My whole family, they're all singers, songwriters, and, you know, priests. It's the weirdest combination of.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, that to me is like, that's the recipe for a standup. A priest and a musician mixed together.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

That's on my. On my father's side, it's. It's priest. There's priest and mariachis, so.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, no, wait a minute. If there's a priest on your.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I know, I see.

[Craig Ferguson]

Isn't there a problem?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

That's why I usually just say mariachi and kind of just whatever else everybody else do. They're just, you know, they. They're spiritual.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right? So that is. So there. There's the spiritual side and. Are you a musician, though? Do you play anything?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No, I don't. No. I'll get drunk and do karaoke, and that's the extent of it.

[Craig Ferguson]

You still get drunk?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Good for you. Good for you. It doesn't get in the Way of what? I don't know, life. I mean, for me, I can't get drunk or I'm like, things get arresty or. I just hate myself, you know, I.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Mean, I hate the next day when you're dealing with a hangover or if you have a flight or if you have to be functional.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

That's when it's like.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. For me, that. That next day is kind of about three months.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I remember being on the road, having a good time, and then, you know, no big deal. Wake up the next morning, go to the airport, you know, it was all good. And then, you know, as soon as I hit 40, that stopped. Now, because you're a big guy, do.

[Craig Ferguson]

You worry about it?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes. And. And back to that question about setting goals and stuff like that, you know, traveling or whatever it is. Yeah. My. My goal has always been, you know, if I could just, you know, do this would be to lose weight. I'd be lying if I. If I didn't say that. The. The weight loss thing, it's really hard.

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, I. I struggle with it, and I really do. I struggle with it all the time, and I get crazy about it sometimes. How do you approach it, trying to lose weight?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Well, clearly I haven't.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't know, man. You look like you dropped something.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I mean, this is not my heaviest. I was actually, from right Now, I was 100 pounds heavier. What? Yeah. Oh, I filled in the couch. That's crazy.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, congratulations on that. That's an incredible feat.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

There was a point in time where comedian rest in peace. Ralphie maybe and I were very close, but. Yeah, during COVID I had an opportunity to get a trainer, and then I. I'm diabetic. So I went to go see a. A doctor, and I got put on some, you know, good medication to control that, and that helped out. So that automatically, without even really, you know, having to do much, the weight just started coming off because. Plus I wasn't eating out every night.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Because we were home. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Did you get it? Did you get Kobe?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes. I got coveted one time. I know people that got it four, which I think is insane.

[Craig Ferguson]

I've had it twice.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Ah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it's. Well, not counting now because I. I feel like I might. I'm kidding. No, no, no. I feel a bit monkeypoxy, but I'm okay. Covid wise. I. I'm fine. I've just been checked. It's fine. I don't know. I mean, do you want to drop more?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I do. And not so much for like, oh, I want to look better. But I, I'd rather, you know, now I'm coming up on the age now where it's like, yeah, I might want to start.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, no, you, you got to think about it. For sure.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It's a thing that's, that's more so the thing, like, okay, I just, you know, to feel better.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So what do you do about it? Do you fast. Do you like on Gwyneth power source bow and soup or something?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Nice. I haven't done anything yet to, to make that change. I think I got to get it right here first and then I can do it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Because I don't want to just start and then be like, ah, all right. Right. That didn't work out. And then just feel like I, I failed.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think for goal orientated people like you, I think weight loss is even harder because you try and make a goal for it and people say, make a goal, make a goal. And I, I don't, I don't see it like that. I think it should be like, it's today. Today is the goal.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I get a lot of people that say, oh, it's, it's, it's a lifestyle change. Yeah, it's a change of lifestyle. Like, is it a diet or am I, you know, what, what do you mean lifestyle?

[Craig Ferguson]

No, it's just today, it's like, you know what, am I going to have a candy bar now or. No, all right, I won't have it now. That's it. That's all that. I mean, that's why I had to do to stop drinking. Because the idea, even now I haven't had a drink 31 years, but the idea of not ever drinking again, I'm not prepared to make that commitment. You know, I just like, I, I'm not going to have one today.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And that is very impressive because I'm sure you've been put in a lot of situations where the alcohol was right in front of you.

[Craig Ferguson]

I live in Scotland, man.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It's like you live in red l. The window.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's like, it's right there.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

There you go, buddy.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it ain. You'll have something to drink. No, I don't want it. No. Come on.

[Vralar Representative]

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[Gabriel Iglesias]

Hiya, pal.

[Vralar Representative]

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[AT&T Representative]

Mobile get four 5G phones on us and four lines for $25 a line per month when you switch with eligible trade ins all on America's largest 5G network. Minimum of 4 lines for $25 per line per month with autopay discount using debit or bank account, $5 more per line without auto pay plus taxes and fees and $10 device connection charge phones via 24 monthly bill credits for well qualified customers. Contact us before canceling entire accounts and continue bill credits or credit stop and balance on a required finance agreement due bill credits end if you pay off devices early CT mobile.com it's the Nick's.

[NYX Representative]

Best of 2024 sale going on [e-mail] don't miss incredible deals on life changing leak proof underwear, Unbelievable everyday bras and more from the number one leak proof brand in North America. Save big like 30% off bras 40% off leak proof 50% off tops and bottoms 60% off [e-mail] that's knix.com Millions of women have made the switch to NYX's revolutionary period underwear and there's never been a better time for you to try them. During the Best of 2024 sale save up to 40% on Super Comfy machine, washable and stylish leak proof undies. Plus shop other year end clearance deals like 30% off broadcast, 50% off tops and bottoms, 60% off swim and more. Stock up on your Knicks favorites or try something new during the knicks Best of 2024 sale. But hurry. These deals are only good while supplies last. That's knix.com hurry. The sale ends this Thursday and sizes will sell out. Go to knicks.com that's knix.com.

[Craig Ferguson]

Have you ever played Scotland?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No I haven't. But actually I will be playing it it very soon.

[Craig Ferguson]

Really?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes. It'll be the first time. I know I'm doing the uk, I'm doing London and I'm going to be doing Glasgow.

[Craig Ferguson]

Edinburgh. It will be one of those.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It's going to be one of them. I know it's coming up.

[Craig Ferguson]

It may be both. It might be both.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I know it's coming up.

[Craig Ferguson]

I want to come see you. I want to come and see you in front of a Scottish crowd. They'll eat you up. They'll love you. You will kill over there.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I've heard of all the festivals and all the comedy shows that have happened there and I'm just like how have I not gone well I think cause.

[Craig Ferguson]

You were successful enough you didn't have to. I mean, the Edinburgh Festival is about, really, for a lot of people, it's about getting started, you know, so if you're doing well in the United States, you don't. It wouldn't be on your radar if you were an up and come comic in the uk, but it would be.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

More so like, to just get my foot in the dorm and at least, you know, like, all right, you know, for example, like with Montreal. Montreal was always.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, the just for last festival. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've done that, right?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yes, multiple times. And so it's like, you know, even now where it's like, I don't have to, but I like going because then I can catch up with a lot of comics I haven't seen in a long time.

[Craig Ferguson]

See that I do the same thing.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

So it's more of like, hey, it's a reunion.

[Craig Ferguson]

So who do you. Who do you hang with, who do you like and who do you rate in. In the comedy world now? Who do you like seeing do stand up?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what my favorite comedians are comics who don't do what I do, which is basically like comics that get very controversial political comics that. That touch on topics that, like, I've intentionally avoided in order to maintain that.

[Craig Ferguson]

It'S a stylistic choice. I mean, Gaffigan's like that as well. Jim Gaffigan, who? I don't know if you know Jim, but Jim is like, he's as cranky and cussy as any other comedian, you know, but he said, I made his show. He keeps his show totally clean. He keeps it, you know, family friendly. Leno is the same. I mean, Leno can cuss like a sailor, you know, anytime you.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, I've seen someone scratch one of his cars. He can cuss.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. But. But he doesn't do that in his eyes.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

He keeps it, keeps it, keeps it.

[Craig Ferguson]

I wish I could. I keep trying, and then it just. One or two slip out every time.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I remember I was talking to Jim Jeffries is one of my favorites.

[Craig Ferguson]

Bill, he's a terrific Jeffries.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Bill Burr, Tom Segura, these are all great guys. Chappelle, I mean, you know, I. I love. I love these performers. They're incredible. I was doing Jim Jeffrey show, and after the show was over, you know, we're in the bathroom, I'm just standing there, I go, I go, jim, can I just tell you something, man? I go, I go, I envy your freedom on stage. To say anything you want and feel. Feel good about it. He looks at me. And he goes, I envy your money.

[Craig Ferguson]

I'm like, all right, yeah, that's fair. I think that's fair.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Don't say my friend.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right. Do you ever think about doing a show where you could unleash from time to time?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I will. You know, I won't keep it as squeaky clean as, let's say, Jim Gaffigan would, but you know, in my, in my set, I will. I, I do cuss in my show. I mean, I'll do a show.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. It doesn't come across like you're doing a clean show.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It just, it's, but it's not every other word. You know, there's some comics that, it's like a tick. It's just, it comes out every two seconds. But I'm very selective. So if I'm telling a story where there's a big statement to be made and I insert it there, then it's like, okay, you know. Right. And it's for, and it's impactful. It's like, oh, he doesn't use that a lot. He, he dropped his F bomb card.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know, but it's not, you know.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I think you're right because then, then it's got some power. If you use it all the time, it just, it hasn't got any power. Do you ever go and see comics? Like, I know some people, like, hang out in the Comedy Store. I've never been able to hang like that. I can't really do it, you know. Do you hang with other comedians?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what? The Comedy Store is one of those places that, that in the beginning, I always felt like it was super clicky and I, I, I, I didn't feel like I fit in right. There was always these groups of comics and I just like, ah, should I, it, it felt really off.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. It's scary. It's like high school, isn't it? I hated it. Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Thank you. I got a chance to perform there recently and I had a great time. It was really, really cool.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Cuz you're one of the biggest comics in the world. That's why, like, everybody's like, oh, yeah, it's fine. It's different.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It, it was different now. Yeah. But yeah, I was never one to, to hang out. I, I didn't want to hang out at the club. I wanted to just go in, do my thing. If there was somebody that I enjoyed watching, I'd watch them. But then let me just leave to not get caught up in, in things.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. I think that's I think that's very smart because the, I think also it's very standup comedian, to be honest, because I think they are solitary animals. We're kind of lone predators, really. And then the idea of that we'd all be. It's when people say the Hollywood community is full of evil, twisted people. I'm like, have you ever been to Hollywood? There's no fucking community in show business.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

All these people out for themselves, for themselves.

[Craig Ferguson]

Like, oh, yeah, we all get together and make a decision. No, we don't. You know, there's no, there's no uniformity of thought here. I don't think. Where would you go to live? Because you still live down in the old neighborhood, right?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah, still in Long Beach. I, I live literally four minutes away from where I basically, you know, grew up. I live very close to my, my old neighborhood.

[Craig Ferguson]

Is that manageable? Because you got to be highly recognizable down there and people getting. Well, I guess it's la. You're in your car a lot.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what, it's. I'm close to where I used to live, but it's not where I used to live. So it's very, you know, and if, I think if people know where you're at, that's, that's one thing people do see me driving around, you know, and I frequent the same, you know, Starbucks or wherever, you know, I'm going. It's like, you know, like, hey, hey, it's him.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you ever get uncomfortable with that? Because, like, every time you go out, especially now with the way phones are, you're on, it's like, any mistake you make, any little bit of road rage, any picking your nose in the car, any like, you know, passing gas in the line at Starbucks. I'm not saying I've ever done that, but I might have. You know, everybody's going to record you.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

We got good days and we have bad days. If I'm not feeling good, I try not to go out, but it doesn't mean that I'm not going to have a moment of, of, of weakness where I'm, I'm, you know, getting upset over the way someone's driving or, or, or somebody messing with you, because I have people that will mess with me intentionally at the drive through and I'm trying to maintain. And it's hard sometimes because people want to challenge you, they want to get a rise out of you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, yeah, because.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And they're holding your food hostage, right? I already paid for this. Can I just get my thing? Say, hey, say hi to My. Say hi to my sister. Say hi to my sister, man. She's your biggest fan. Your brother has my food, and if I don't say hi, he's not going to give me my food. Hey, man, throw some ranch while I'm talking to your sister. So then it's like, now it's like a negotiation. Like.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, no.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Trying to negotiate to get my food. So I gotta.

[Craig Ferguson]

Don't you have staff? You should have staff.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I. But see, that's the thing, though, is that I don't want to. I don't want to have to rely on staying in my own little box and sending people out to the real world to go get me things. I don't. That. Then. That feels like I'm disconnected. I'd rather go out there and if nothing else, it'll be a story.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what I mean? I'd rather. I'd rather. I still want to live. The only time I get concerned is if. If I have my dogs with me, which is most of the time. People.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you have your dogs with you today?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I was going to bring them. Oh, man. I was going to bring them. They've been on a lot of TV shows.

[Craig Ferguson]

So you have Chihuahuas? Yes, I have German shepherds. I think they should.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You have real dogs?

[Craig Ferguson]

They're pretty good, actually.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You can't put them in your hoodie.

[Craig Ferguson]

You. You can't.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I can put my dogs in my.

[Craig Ferguson]

Hoodie, but you can actually get your. You could send a German shepherd out to buy you a hoodie, like. Yes. Okay. Which color would you like? I shall return presently with the correct change. French.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I love that. You gave that dog the accent.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's German. What accent?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I don't know.

[Craig Ferguson]

You don't have a. Come on, you have a voice for everything. You got to have a voice for your dog.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah, Yeah, I do.

[Craig Ferguson]

You don't have to share it with me.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I don't want to, but it's.

[Craig Ferguson]

I don't want to be the guy.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Holding your food right now. No, I have. I have. You know, I'll do the little, like, you know, the. The hey, daddy, I want this or that. But they don't have, like, accent. Like, why don't you put me in your hood?

[Craig Ferguson]

Right, right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It's not, like, Mexican.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I didn't make my dog.

[Craig Ferguson]

I feel bad. I feel like I forced you.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

My dogs.

[Craig Ferguson]

No. They're Mexican dogs, though, aren't they?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Did you have them growing up?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

From the age of 12 until now, I've always had a Chihuahua.

[Craig Ferguson]

How Long did Chihuahuas live?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know what? Small dogs live a long time.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. They go for a while.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

They live a long time. I had one Chihuahua that lived to be almost 19.

[Craig Ferguson]

Wow.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

My oldest, right now she's going to be. She's right around 17. Okay. And the other one's 12.

[Craig Ferguson]

Okay. So you know, like German shepherds 12.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

That's kind of the bigger the dog. Yeah, yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's why I won't have like, I like big dogs, but you can't. You got. They just break your heart. So I have two German Shepherds and a Jack Russell.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Okay.

[Craig Ferguson]

Which is. Is like an Irish Chihuahua.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Nice.

[Craig Ferguson]

Like, what the are you looking at? Y bastard It. But they are crazy. Are you dogs aggressive?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

They're aggressive. Whenever someone comes near me, if someone approaches me, like quick, like, hey, that's why any of the. Oh, my God. That they. They react to.

[Craig Ferguson]

So that's why you keep them in your hoodie.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

In the hoodie or you in the car and stuff like that. So whenever somebody approaches the car, I'm concerned. More so for my dogs. Not so much for me.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. You don't travel with security, right. Or something like that. Maybe on the road. Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It depends on where I'm at. When I was in Mexico City performing, I had four armed guards, which I thought was excessive.

[Craig Ferguson]

But they're like. Things can get a little kidnappy down there sometimes. You know what I mean? It's like if you're a high profile.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Individual here too, though.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yes, they can. It's not like a kidnapper. Can't say. Let's not talk about this. It's freaking me out. I don't know why I even brought this up. I'm talking about kidnapping. Now I'm worried about kidnappers.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I had a break in in December. They broke into my house and I thought my place was like, solid.

[Craig Ferguson]

I would move if. If someone broke into my house, I'd leave.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And it's one of those things where people say, oh, well, what did they take? I go, they took my peace is what they took. You know, I had a giant. I still have a giant fence that surrounds the property. Multiple camera systems, a security system still, you know, I'm lucky that they weren't home.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I had them with me. So I was like, okay, just look at the bright side. But as far as traveling with security, you know, it depends on. I don't think that I need an actual, like team of people, but it's always good to have somebody there to just be the go between. Whereas, like, if A bunch of people approach Coach. Hey. Okay. He'll take a picture. Can you get them all in line? Like, folks, please get together, form a line. He'll be happy to take a photo, Right. Keep the peace, you know what I mean? Before it gets chaotic. Because if I get people coming at me from every angle, and then again, if I have my dogs with me, I'm only worried about my dogs.

[Craig Ferguson]

Are you romantically involved right now? I mean, I'm not gonna. No.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

No. I was in a relationship for almost 13 years. You know, I'm still good friends with my ex, but.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. How long ago did that end? End?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Been a few years now. About 4, 4, 5.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's time, man.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

You know?

[Craig Ferguson]

So get out there.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

We're cool.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, but I mean, it's time. It's time you get out.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, start going out. Yeah, yeah. I've gone out.

[Craig Ferguson]

I got a nice girl for you in Scotland.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, nice.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I've gone out on a few dates, and it's just like, okay. And I'm like, I'm good.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, I'm good.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm gonna go home and set my thermostat to whatever temperature I want, and I'm gonna play with my dogs. I'm gonna fart and just call it a night because I can't.

[Craig Ferguson]

Can you can do that when you're married, too? Yeah. No.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I don't want to be obligated to. To do things that don't make me feel like a better person.

[Craig Ferguson]

Why the. Should you get away with it?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm just making up my mind that I don't. I don't think I want to. I don't want to do the relationship thing anymore.

[Craig Ferguson]

Okay.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm okay. At first, when I. When I first broke up, oh, man, I was just like, I. I want. I want someone I need. I've never been alone. Own Right. And, you know, it took some time to get used to that and appreciate it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you have a space, do you think, in your life if someone blows. Blows your mind to come in? Like.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm not going to say never or. Or no. But I. I haven't met that. You know, that hasn't happened yet.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And it has to be somebody that's on board with. With what I do.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I think it's going to be fair, you know, Anyone who meets you is going to know what you do. It's not like you go, and so what do you do, Gabriel? Do you have a. Where do you work?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But, you know, even in the past, you know, when I was. I've been doing this now 26 years. So I've had a couple relationships where they knew what I did. And I tried to explain, hey, look, you think it's cool and it's fun right now, but it's gonna get crazier. Yeah, I'm gonna be working more. There's gonna be more opportunities, and I don't wanna say no to potential opportunities because you. You don't, you know, you're gonna miss me or. Or this or that, you know. No, no, no, no. I get it.

[Craig Ferguson]

I get it.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And unfortunately, and, you know, it got to a point where there was a lot of resentment. I remember I had gotten a deal with Netflix for. For a sitcom, and when I told her about it, she goes, well, I'm happy for you, but I'm not happy for us.

[Craig Ferguson]

Why?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

She says, because that's just more time that you're away. And I'm just like, all right. Right now I'm feeling bad for.

[Craig Ferguson]

Bad about getting a sitcom deal. Yeah, that's not so good.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And so it's like, yeah, you know.

[Craig Ferguson]

See, my wife, if I said I. I got a deal with Netflix, she'd say, how much is it? Go? And I tell her. She go, that's so great. I'm so proud of you. So there are people out there that are, you know, going to be very cool with you getting.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But then, two, I. I don't know who to trust, you know, because they're meeting this one right here versus.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's who you are. Trying to be a mystery, but it's who you are. Like, I remember once when I was in. I can't remember who I was. I was dating some girl years and years ago. I've been married forever, but years ago, and somebody said to me, she's just gone out with you because of who you are. And I'm like, but that's who I am. So of course she's going, well, I don't want her to go out with me because I'm somebody else. So I don't think. It's not that big a deal. What if you find, like, a female comedian?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, God, no.

[Craig Ferguson]

No.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

God, no. Why?

[Craig Ferguson]

Because then she would understand the game and, you know, no. Okay, man, I'm sorry, man.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'll be sitting there at the dinner table, and she's trying to tag my. I'm like, nah, nah, nah, nah. We're good. Oh, I feel bad, you know, if you said that.

[Craig Ferguson]

I feel bad. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But I do think you seem to me like I don't know you very well. We've talked a couple of times, but you seem to me. And you come across as a very warm, loving, sensible human being. And maybe that's what human beings are like when they're not in relationships. Maybe they're better. I don't know. I do remember I talking to. Do you know the Broadway performer Kristin Chenoweth?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I know the name.

[Craig Ferguson]

She's very talented, big star on Broadway. And I remember her talking about she was, you know, very committed to being single. And she was talking about what she does requires rest and solitude. That and a relationship doesn't afford her. Do you think that's true?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I think it depends on who you're with. Well, yeah, because, you know. And then also, too, there's. Because in the beginning. In the beginning, it's always great. It's always great in the beginning. You're both. Both trying to make each other as happy as possible. You're both giving it everything. And then little by little, you know, one starts giving more and one starts giving less, and then that's when you start getting that divide. So I think. Depends on where you're at, where you get that pie.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right. All right.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Because towards the end of mine, it was just, you know, it was so.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, when they go bad, they go bad. Yeah, it's. It's like fish. And once it goes off, it ain't coming back.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It ain't coming. It ain't coming back.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I know.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But I. I do miss that whole being close to someone, having, you know, being able to just, you know, sit on a couch, you put your leg on somebody.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Like, hey, you know that. I mean, stuff like that. I do. I do miss simple little things. Little car wreck.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, you know, I think what it is that it has some Whoever. For me anyway, because I've been in a one successful relationship and a bunch of relationships that weren't so successful. And it seems to me that the person has to be your friend. Your partner has to be your friend, too. And if you say, hey, I just got a deal at Netflix, I'm really excited about that. They would be really excited for you to genuinely. And if it was something that was gonna get in the way, well, I'm gonna have to come to the set now. You know what I mean? And it's like, it's to be part of it. But sometimes. Do you find it easy to share your success with someone who's close?

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I used to try to share as much of it as I could. And then for some reason it felt like I was bragging through their eyes. It didn't feel like I was sharing anymore. I felt like, am I coming across like a. Like I'm bragging to this person? Is it, is it sharing? How are they looking at it? Cuz the good for you and way to go started H. You know, it was less and less and less.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

And it was more so like, am I making this person feel bad because I continue to. Like things started just snowballing where it's like, oh my God. And then this happened today and then this happened today. And then with success comes like opportunities to meet people, to, to do different things and experiences and you're just like, wow. And the only person I was able to totally just share things with was my mom. And she was never going to look at it like, you know, and I couldn't. There's no way I could brag to my mom or. Look at your world traveler. Oi, look at you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh my God.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Can't even pick up a phone to call his. You know, it was.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, you. Listen, you don't have to explain that mom thing to me. I, I totally understand.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

But sharing your. What you do with. I found that I had to cut back because I was not making people happy by sharing. And I'm just like, well, are people happy for me? Not happy. And it just.

[Craig Ferguson]

Some are. Some are weird. I mean success is a weird thing. It's that thing Bette Midler said, not everybody. One of the most disappointing things about success is finding out that not everybody's happy for you to.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Actually, that is, that is very true.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's a little different. You, sir, are a joy. I really love talking to you and whatever you've got going on.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I would tell you, but I don't want to feel bad about it.

[Craig Ferguson]

No, I think, I think whatever. I think whatever you got going on is cool.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'll tell you. But you know how it is.

[Craig Ferguson]

You know, it's so.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I'm so.

[Craig Ferguson]

I can't tell you. See, I've lapsed into German dog accent now in order to disguise how I truly feel. It's been great talking to you, man. Continued success. I hope you get that record of the giantest biggest thing in the world. I, I think it will be.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

I gotta see what that next big goal is gonna be. But until then, I'm just gonna, I.

[Craig Ferguson]

Think, take play a state. You know, like if you go into a stadium, I think the next thing is start with a small state. Like I'm gonna play Rhode Island.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Oh, my God.

[Craig Ferguson]

And it's the whole.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

It's the whole state.

[Craig Ferguson]

The whole state has to be there. Yeah. And then you can work your way up to Texas or something. But start in Rhode island, just a small state. And then, you know, see how it goes. You're a good man, Gabe.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Thank you.

[Craig Ferguson]

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[Vralar Representative]

This podcast is supported by BetterHelp, offering licensed therapists you can connect with via video phone or chat. Here's BetterHelp, head of clinical operations, Hesu Jo, discussing who can benefit from therapy. I think a lot of people think that you're supposed to be going to therapy once you're like, having panic attacks every day. But before you get to that point, I think once you start even noticing that you feel a little bit off and you can't maintain this harmony that you once had in relationships, that could be a sign that maybe you want to go talk to somebody. There's always a benefit in talking to someone because we can all benefit from improved insight about ourselves and who we are and how we behave with other people. So if you're human, that's like a good indicator that you could benefit from talking to someone. Somebody find out if therapy is right for you. Visit betterhelp. Com today. That's betterhelp.

[Gabriel Iglesias]

Com.