Stand-up comedian and actor Gabriel Iglesias (middle), who grew up in Long Beach and currently lives in Signal Hill, is surrounded by employees of Black Bear Diner in Signal Hill that served as the location of his annual Fluffy Fan Appreciation Day, where he treated hundreds of his fans to free breakfast.
Staff Writer
Hundreds of stand-up comedian and actor Gabriel Iglesias’s fans showed up at Black Bear Diner in Signal Hill last Friday morning, Jan. 4 to meet the comedian during his annual Fluffy Fan Appreciation Day and to receive free breakfast on his dime. The restaurant hurried to accommodate the “spur of the moment” event that anticipated about 600 people, according to the restaurant’s management.
Some fans missed out on the free breakfast due to the large turnout, but most who waited in line were able to get an autograph, snap a photo and chat with the comedian, known for going above-and-beyond for his fans.
“We’ve gone to see him in Vegas,” said longtime fan Stefanie Aguilar, 24, standing in line. “He’s really good about chatting with fans. He’s really nice and worth the wait.”
The Mexican-American comedian, known for wearing Hawaiian T-shirts, using funny voices and cracking jokes about overweight people, was raised in Long Beach and currently lives in Signal Hill, according to the comedian’s representatives. After the event’s location was announced through Facebook and Twitter the night before, a line of people eager to meet the comedian wrapped around the restaurant in the early-morning hours.
Iglesias, who starred as a deejay and drug dealer in the 2012 male-hot-throb movie Magic Mike, has become a rising star in the comedy scene after releasing two DVD comedy series: Hot & Fluffy, distributed by Image Entertainment in 2007; and I’m Not Fat! I’m Fluffy released by Comedy Central in 2009. Over 1 million copies of the two DVDs have been sold, and a third one-hour-long DVD called Aloha Fluffy is set to air on Comedy Central in spring 2013, according to the comedian’s fan website. Iglesias is also known for Comedy Central’s Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution, which premiered in October 2011, featuring a “diverse” lineup of stand-up comedians personally chosen by Iglesias. The second season of Stand-Up Revolution premiered on Comedy Central last year.
“I love to take care of the people who take care of me,” Iglesias said. “I know this ‘famous comedian’ thing can go away any day, and I’m just very grateful. I’m not trying to buy fans. They already are [fans]. I’m just showing a little love back whenever I can. I have the amazing life I do because of the fans.”
