George Lopez is speaking out after he made an early exit from the stage on Friday due to hecklers. The 63-year-old comic cut his set short at Eagle Mountain Casino when he became visibly agitated by a handful of audience members.
In footage published by TMZ, Lopez can be seen performing at the casino in Porterville, California, when fans began interrupting him by shouting from their seats. Lopez appeared to become irritated, declaring, "I seem like an a**hole? I'm the one working here."
He continued, "Just f**king watch the show. That's all you have to do. You don't even have to laugh if you don't want to. I don't give a f**k. Just relax, man, f**k. Seriously."
At that point, he placed his microphone back on its stand and gestured to the audience before walking off stage.
"It's the venue or casino's job to provide a good experience for both the artist and the fans, but the casino failed in this regard," a rep for Lopez wrote in a statement to ET on Monday. "The audience was overserved and unruly, and the casino staff was unable to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for the artist and guests. George's personal security team worked with the venue security staff to maintain order, ensure safety, and eject disruptive individuals. Unfortunately, the casino security team was not adequate to accomplish this task. George is not obligated to perform in an unsafe environment. He feels badly that those who came to see the show were unable to do so as a result."
On Friday, Eagle Mountain Casino issued a statement of its own on Facebook.
"Tonight George Lopez let down his fans and sold out audience by walking out and ending his show 30 minutes early," it read. "George hired his own private security that could have easily escorted any hecklers out."
The statement continued, "We had a pre-show meeting to have a plan in place for hecklers. He could have provided us an opportunity to allow our security and team to escort any hecklers out since his own private security did not. George decided to not continue with the show and leave."
The casino went on to share that Lopez's show had previously been rescheduled from its original April 20 date due to a "medical emergency."
"Tonight we went above and beyond to provide George with first class service from his arrival to the property to the start of his show," read the statement. "We never want to let our guests down and we are as disappointed and shocked as you are."
ET has reached out to Eagle Mountain Casino for further comment.
George Lopez at the NBC Universal Emmys press luncheon held at Casa Madera on April 23, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.
Lopez currently stars opposite his real-life daughter, Mayan Lopez, on the NBC comedy, Lopez vs. Lopez. ET spoke with the father-daughter duo back in 2022 ahead of the show's premiere.
"My parents got divorced in 2010 and even all the way up until 2022 we didn't speak for a couple of years and then we would talk, and then we wouldn't," Mayan told ET about her relationship with her father. "I think now what cemented our reconciliation was the pandemic. I think we realized what was important in life and what wasn't."
George added, "I look forward to getting to see her do this, and to be getting to know her through this and getting to kind of resolve some things."
For more on Lopez vs. Lopez, see the links below.
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