Felipe de Jesus Esparza is a Mexican-born American stand-up comedian and actor. He began performing stand-up in 1994. He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. Felipe is currently on tour for his comedy show, "At My Leisure". In addition, Felipe hosts a weekly popular youtube podcast named "What's up Fool?"
| Felipe de Jesus Esparza | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Medium | Stand-up |
| Years active | 1994–present[1] |
| Spouse |
Lesa O'Daniel Esparza
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | felipesworld |
[3]
Early life and education
editFelipe Esparza was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. He lived on his mother's family's ranch in Sinaloa before moving with his family to live with his aunt in Tijuana, where they lived for about two years. His father had left the family to go to the United States alone. Eventually, before President Reagan's amnesty law, Esparza, his two brothers, and his mother illegally immigrated to the United States, traveling in the car of a "coyote" smuggler. During the trip, they were stopped at a checkpoint in San Clemente, California, and he was held in a holding cell with his brothers, separate from their mother, for a short period of time. The family was deported. They attempted the trip again, but they were stopped and deported again. They tried a third time, using the passports of cousins who lived in California. They changed cars twice and were driven to Carson, California. They were then moved to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where his father was living.[4] Esparza was raised in the Aliso Village housing projects of Boyle Heights.[5] He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School.[6]
Career
editEsparza began performing stand-up in 1994 after a stint in drug rehab.[1] He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. He is currently on tour, "At My Leisure", featuring his unique and relatable comedy which includes his witty and quirky style of storytelling deriving from his own personal life experiences. He has two Netflix comedy specials which are in English and Spanish, "Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions". His latest Netflix special "Raging Fool" will premiere on February 11, 2025. He also hosts a popular weekly youtube podcast, "What's up fool?". Felipe is currently working on some other exciting upcoming projects as well. [3]
Personal life
editEsparza has been married to Lisa Esparza since 2012.[1] Together, they have four children.[citation needed]
He has been vegan since 2011.[7]
Works
editComedy specials
edit| Year | Title | Distributor |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | They're Not Gonna Laugh at You | Showtime |
| 2017 | Translate This | HBO |
| 2020 | Bad Decisions | Netflix |
Two Netflix comedy specials, "Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions" which are in English and Spanish.
Felipe's latest Netflix special "Raging Fool" will premiere on February 11, 2025.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | El matador | Pablo[8] |
| 2009 | The Deported | Fernando |
| 2010 | I'm Not Like That No More | Felipe Valenzuela |
| 2015 | The Fix | Pablo |
| 2016 | She's Allergic to Cats | Tow Truck Driver |
| 2018 | Taco Shop | Mugres |
| 2020 | The Opening Act | Cabbie Steve |
| 2023 | Blue Beetle | Security Tech #3 |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-2015, 2020–present | The Eric Andre Show | Himself/Hannibal's co-co-host/Co-host | 6 episodes |
| 2015 | The Shop | Felipe | 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Campus Law | Alan | 2 episodes |
| 2016-2018 | Superstore | Cody | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | Gentefied | Crazy Dave | Recurring role |
| 2023 | Royal Crackers | Mexican Officer (voice) | Episode: "Casa de Darby" |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Sager, Rebekah (September 12, 2017). "'Translate This': Comedian Felipe Esparza Finds the Funny in His Latino Identity". NBC News. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Basically how it happened... Happy 7th anniversary to my wife (& partner for the last 15 years) @lesainla. Let's keep going!". instagram.com.
- ^ a b Fulton, Robert (October 11, 2010). "'Last Comic Standing' winner Felipe Esparza headlines Improv". Washington Examiner. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ Rogan, Joe (July 31, 2018). "JRE #1150 - Felipe Esparza". The Joe Rogan Experience (Podcast). Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Ep 94 – Author Paul Hunt". felipesworld.com. March 18, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ Lee, Bobby; Kuhn, Khalyla (October 10, 2018). "Episode 163: Felipe Esparza Is Carnage Asada". TigerBelly (Podcast). Event occurs at 00:58:54. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Kelemen, Matt (February 16, 2018). "Q&A: Felipe Esparza". Las Vegas Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Felipe Esparza". IMDB. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
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