For his previous Netflix special, Gabriel Iglesias packed Dodger Stadium twice over. So, now what? If he really wants to be legendary, then Fluffy will retrace his steps and fill us in on some of the early obstacles he faced in comedy, then reward us with one of his first famous jokes. As a treat!
GABRIEL IGLESIAS: LEGEND OF FLUFFY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Gabriel Iglesias was one of the top-grossing live touring acts in stand-up comedy in 2024.
After toiling away for a decade, Iglesias emerged as a Comedy Central star who could headline both specials and showcases for other comedians, and in the decade since releasing his concert film, The Fluffy Movie, he became an even bigger name thanks to his relationship with Netflix. He starred in his own sitcom with the streaming giant, Mr. Iglesias, and has previously released three specials through them, culminating in 2022’s Stadium Fluffy, filmed at Dodger Stadium during the Netflix Is A Joke Fest.
Now comes Legend of Fluffy, which finds Iglesias at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. He claims to be the first to film a special there, and at several points remarks on how he has survived and thrived through 27 years in stand-up. This time around, he spend more than an hour and a half reflecting on his newly single status, his path in comedy, and how he doesn’t want to make too many waves with what he says onstage. He just wants to entertain us.
What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: When comedians get to a certain level of fame and fortune, there’s either an urge to keep it real, or to remind us how unreal their lives are now. In this way, Fluffy is kind of at a similar crossroads that Kevin Hart found himself at almost a decade ago after Hart filmed his own concert film at a football stadium. What Now? indeed.
Memorable Jokes: Fluffy endears himself to the locals early with an “Only In Dade” joke (complete with an “IYKYK”) and some barbs directed to the experience of staying in the Hard Rock resort and casino, as well some directed to himself, describing his look at “Mexican DJ Khaled.”
He also recognizes that his fame comes with privileges (such as taping a Celebrity Family Feud episode, versus Fat Joe’s family) and pitfalls, such as seeing a mishap on a Disney ride turn into headlines on a TMZ story, which gives him more opportunities to poke fun at himself as well as at the comments on the TMZ page. Even just the past couple of years also have seen him live through an emergency landing of his private jet, only to come home to learn his house was robbed while he was away. Fortunately for him, he had his dogs with him, and the burglars didn’t know that Fluffy comes from new money, so they didn’t know where to look!
That incident did prompt him to buy a gun, though, which leads into a lengthy story about that experience, and the old guy who sold him his new cache of ammunition.
Fluffy announced he was single during his Dodger Stadium special, which has brought all sorts of suitors out of the woodwork (he even pauses the filming, to provide voice-over in freeze frame, to let us know he’s still “accepting applications”!), and while it’s not quite as explicit as the dating details spilled by Ali Wong in her Netflix special, Iglesias does let us know what he wants and what he doesn’t. In: Big girls. Also must like: Eating, going to movies, cuddling. He also might stoke some hot takes by adding one more caveat: “I want a woman..with original factory settings.”
Our Take: Repeatedly in his performance, Iglesias takes pains not only to remind us that he’s been at this for 27 years, but also that he supposedly doesn’t want to be one of those comics who’s deliberately offensive. As he declares: “I promise you I am here to entertain you not to offend.”
He says he has seen so many other comedians come and go, so he must be doing something right, right? Especially since he recounts to us what he had to overcome in his early years, including gigs near the Hard Rock in Hollywood (Florida edition) where there used to be a Improv comedy club and bookers and promoters insist he lean in on his Latino heritage. Of course, some comedy clubs across America (including Hollywood, California edition) still rely on ethnic/racially themed shows to sell tickets.
But the stories he chooses to share with us certainly skew politically to one side of the spectrum, as the audience loudly boos when Iglesias claims a McDonald’s manager lectured him over saying “homeless” instead of “unhoused” to buy food for the impoverished family outside the fast-food joint. Iglesias talks about how he grew up being taught to respect his elders, but wonders why we chastise Boomers for being behind the times. And there was no need for him to mention that he was looking for a girlfriend with “original factory settings,” but he certainly enjoyed hearing the roar of approval from his crowd after saying it.
So when he relays a story before closing about how grateful he was in his early career for following the advice of an older comic in taking out the profanity and dirty jokes from his sets, it sounds odd to hear his take on getting embarrassed during one of his early gigs at a tribal casino for getting the wording wrong. “I’m a firm believer in shaming. Shaming is good.”
But nobody’s shaming him now.
In fact, Iglesias is so popular that he can get away with retelling one of his old bits. “Thank you for still wanting to hear a joke that’s over 20 years old.”
He breaks with convention by doing this, as well as stylistically through the frequent freeze-frame voice-over pauses, and even by asking who in the crowd for his fourth Netflix special taping might still have no idea who he is. A few hands actually go up. But this special isn’t really for them. It’s for the masses already on board with everything Fluffy has to say. Even if he’s said it all before.
Our Call: Honestly, our call matters little here. What I’ll say is that Iglesias has reached that level of success where he has enough fans who will STREAM IT no matter what. For the five or so people in any crowd who don’t know him, though, I’m not sure this is the best entry point for you.
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat. He also podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Gabriel Iglesias: Legend of Fluffy’ On Netflix, Caught Between A Hard Rock And His Place In Comedy appeared first on Decider.