George Lopez and a central California casino have engaged in a war of words over a sold-out Friday show that resulted in the comedian going on strike.
While the 63-year-old maintains that the audience at Eagle Mountain Casino was the problem, the venue responded to the Grammy-nominated comedian and his security team, denying his claims and arguing that he “let his fans down” and The Casino Too . The Porterville establishment, which said the comic had abandoned it last month after a medical emergency, apologized to its customers and again had to offer its 1,800 attendees at Lopez's show refunds and free tickets.
The star of “López vs. Lopez,” who was already performing a rescheduled show at Eagle Mountain after a last-minute cancellation on April 20, was allegedly interrupted and left his Friday performance 30 minutes early. The comedian, through a spokesman, said the crowd was “overserved and unruly” and blamed the casino for failing to keep its patrons under control.
“The job of the venue or casino is to provide a good experience for both the artist and the fans, but the casino failed in this regard. “The audience was overserved and unruly, and casino staff were unable to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for the performer and guests,” a spokesperson for Lopez said Saturday in a statement to TMZ. (Lopez's representative did not immediately respond Monday to The Times' requests for comment.)
“George's personal security team worked with on-site security staff to maintain order, ensure safety and remove disruptive individuals. Unfortunately, the casino security team was not adequate to perform this task,” the spokesperson continued. “George is not required to act in an unsafe environment. He feels bad because those who came to see the show couldn't make it.”
However, the casino had a totally different view of events. The casino has had no contact with Lopez or his team since the strike, a spokesperson said in a statement Monday to the Times, and believed “the show was going well” and that there were no issues that the casino considered “unruly or unsafe.” .”
“We would have gladly expelled the guests at the request of Mr. López and his private security team. We would have liked to have had that opportunity, especially since these paid guests showed up after the rescheduled show in April,” said Eagle Mountain Casino spokesperson Joey Perez.
In a Facebook post addressing the incident on Friday, the casino said Lopez “disappointed his fans and sold out the audience by coming out and ending his show 30 minutes early.”
“George hired his own private security who could have easily escorted anyone who interrupted,” the post said. “We had a pre-show meeting to have a plan for hecklers. He could have given us the opportunity to allow our security and team to escort out the hecklers, as his own private security did not do so. “George decided not to continue with the program and leave.”
The casino, owned and operated by the Tule River Tribe, said it has been “patient” with Lopez after his medical emergency caused the rescheduling of his April 20 show, and noted Friday that the casino “did everything possible to provide George with a first-class experience.” service from his arrival at the property until the start of his show.”
“We never want to disappoint our guests and we are just as disappointed and shocked as you are,” the post read, which was met with several comments from customers who voiced their complaints in the comments section of the post.
“Thank you Eagle Mountain Casino for addressing this issue and not just writing it down as 'this is what you do'! Very grateful for your statement! I really think Mr. Lopez needs to issue one too, but I'm not going to hold my breath! “She ruined a birthday present for my husband!!!!!!!” one person wrote.
“This is the second time I rearranged my schedule to see him and I was completely disappointed,” said another. “I grew up watching him and was looking forward to the opportunity to see him live. Shame on the “probably” drunk interlocutor, but between his own safety and EMC's safety they should have escorted her out. He left a program for which he was paid in full. Hmm. Definitely the last time I paid to see it. As for EMC, I appreciate posting on behalf of those of us who were completely disappointed.”
“It wasn't like he had 100 people booing him,” a third person wrote. “Maybe like 4. It was all people shouting we love you and making references to old jokes. In my opinion, nothing bad happened tonight for George Lopez to leave!!
“'Can I buy you a drink?' is all he told you,” another user tweeted in response to a publication by López on X (formerly Twitter).
In an official statement on Sunday, the casino formally apologized to its guests and said it “can't wait to make it up to them,” offering attendees a full refund and free tickets to any 2024 show at the venue. Eagle Mountain said Lopez's statement and his departure “came a shock to everyone,” including casino management.
“The unruly guests' claims do not match casino footage and surveillance. Casino security and Lopez's security team worked together to make sure there was no phone filming as Lopez requested. It was the job of Lopez's private security team to inform casino security if they wanted to escort anyone, which never happened. “At the casino’s discretion, no guests were unruly or provided an unsafe environment,” the statement said.
The casino said that once Lopez walked to his dressing room, neither he nor his team apologized to the casino team or guests or explained why he did not want to continue. He left 15 minutes later and was transported back to the Porterville Airport on Eagle Mountain Casino transportation, according to the release.
Eagle Mountain Assistant General Manager Tiffani Sahagun confirmed in the statement that guests were indeed “screaming” during the show and cited recordings from the event that showed audience members shouting “we love you, can we buy you a drink, etc.” .?”
“We also know that on a comedy show, there are also likely to be some outbursts that casino security would have been happy to address if any issues had become known,” Sahagún added. “We just want our guests to have a safe and enjoyable experience, and we want our entertainers to feel safe and enjoy coming to Porterville as well.”
The casino said Lopez and his private security “had every opportunity to inform the casino team if they wanted them to escort a guest and they did not do so.” He added that two comedians who opened for Lopez that night “didn't have any concerns or problems, so it was a big shock for everyone in attendance.”
Attendees of Lopez's show were also told to fill out an online form to get a refund and select a different 2024 show to attend.
