It was not exactly the birthday present Gabriel Iglesias had hoped for, but in July, on the day he turned 45, Gabriel Iglesias learned he had tested positive for COVID.
What did he do?
“I basically (quarantined) in the kitchen eating cereal.... watching ‘The Voice,’” the comedian said with a laugh.
It wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his birthday, but he felt grateful, nonetheless.
“I was fortunate that I was at least celebrating life and wasn’t worse off,” said the comedian who is bringing his “Beyond the Fluffy World Tour — Go Big or Go Home” to the AVA at Casino del Sol on Saturday, Nov. 13. “I consider myself very lucky.”
Iglesias, who goes by the stage name “Fluffy” and pokes fun at his weight, is celebrating 25 years in comedy. And one important lesson he has learned over those years: Aim low and celebrate when you exceed your expectations.
“Instead of saying, ‘I’m going to reach for the stars,’ how about, ‘I’m going to reach for the second floor,’” Iglesias said. “If you make it to the third floor, then look at you, you overachiever.”
Iglesias comes here after nearly a year away from live shows courtesy the COVID-19 pandemic and it marks his first show in Tucson since he played the AVA in 2017.
He is celebrating 25 years in the humor business with a series of shows that will converge across the country through next July. Many of those dates, including Tucson, are reschedules after the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to stop touring.
In addition to recounting his COVID experience and poking fun at his girth, Iglesias might also reminisce about his early days in comedy. He was 20 years old when he landed his first gig and has been going strong since. But it was never an easy path, he said during a phone interview in September.
“Back then if you tried to get into a club, you had to record your set (and) put it on a VHS tape,” Iglesias said, adding that he also had to “research an address, get a contact, mail your tape out (and) hope that they watch it.”
Early in his life, Iglesias was inspired by well-known comedians from the 1980s and ‘90s including Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy.
He recalls the exact time when he knew he wanted to pursue standup comedy.
“I was 10 years old,” he said. “I saw ‘Eddie Murphy: Raw’ and I said, ‘I want to do that.’”
The larger-than-life entertainer has over half a billion views on YouTube and a strong social media following of over 24 million followers. Iglesias has performed at world famous arenas such as New York’s Madison Square Garden and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
He is now working on the Netflix sitcom, “Mr. Iglesias,” in which he plays a kindhearted high school teacher working with misfit and gifted students.
Last year at the Imagen Awards, which recognizes positive or accurate images of Latinos in television and film, “Mr. Iglesias” won for best primetime comedy.
“Representation is important when the correct message is being relayed,” Iglesias said. “People understand this is a position that I worked hard to be in.”
