Gabriel Iglesias - Biography

Who is Gabriel Iglesias?

Gabriel Iglesias is an American Stand-up comedian, YouTuber, Film Producer, Screenwriter, Voice actor, and Television producer. His last name Iglesias sounds familiar. So is he related to global superstar Enrique Iglesias? Nope, he is not! Only the common surname!

Gabriel Iglesias – Age, Parents, Siblings

Gabriel Iglesias was born Gabriel Jesus Iglesias on July 15, 1976, in San Diego, California, United States. His parents are Esther P. Mendez and Jesus Iglesias. He has five older siblings and all were raised by his single mother. 

Growing up, the Iglesias family moved a lot. They lived in Riverside, Corona, Santa Ana, Baldwin Park, and Compton before finally settling in Long Beach. 

Gabriel Iglesias in 1979 (Image: Instagram)

Education, Ethnicity

He went to Woodrow Wilson Classical High School and graduated from there in 1994. His ethnicity is Mexican.

Also read: Aisling Bea - Actress, Comedian, Writer 

Gabriel Iglesias – Girlfriend, Wife, Children

Gabriel Iglesias has been in a relationship with Claudia Valdez. Their relationship first came into public light in 2008 after attending “A Wish for Animals benefit” at the Laugh Factory on February 12, 2008. They did not married and shared a healthy, loving relationship.

Source: ecelebrityfacts (Gabriel Iglesias with Claudia Valdez)

So do they have a son together? The answer is no. Valdez has a son named Frankie (born December 8, 1997) though, from her previous relationship. Although Frankie is not his biological child, Gabriel Iglesias has raised and loved him as his own son.

When one fan asked Iglesias if he has plans to add a new member to his sweet little family, he replied that Frankie will be his only child.

In 2020, People reported that he and  Valdez had separated in 2017 and he still maintains a close relationship with Frankie.

Source: Twitter (Gabriel Iglesias tweets)

Gabriel Iglesias – Career

Early Days

Initially, Iglesias worked for a cell phone company in Los Angeles. Only in 1997, he decided to give his all to Comedy. 

Getting into comedy was not easy. He was evicted from his home and even lost his car. Gradually, his hard work (and of course, sense of humor) began to pay off. In 2000, he made an appearance in All That, a Nickelodeon sketch comedy.

Iglesias proved to be talented as he voiced an entire Mexican family in Fox TV’s animated comedy Family Guy in 2007. He has also voiced identical twin characters in The Emperor's New School, Ned, and Zed in Planes, The Nut Job (2014), El Americano: The Movie (2016), The Book of Life, Norm of the North (2016).

Also read: Whitney Cummings - Comedian, Actress, Producer 

Films, Series

Other movies in which he has worked are Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017), Coco (2017), Ferdinand (2017), Show Dogs (2018), UglyDolls (2049). In 2012, he landed the role of a strip club DJ and drug dealer in the movie Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL, The Fluffy Movie.

Other movies in, Iglesias portrayed characters in A Haunted House 2 (2014), Gabriel Iglesias: I’m Sorry For What I Said While I Was Hungry (2016).

In 2006, he was a contestant on the fourth season of the reality TV series Last Comic Standing, reaching the top eight. While on the show, he had a smuggled phone to communicate with his family and friends, violating the rules of the show, thus disqualifying him. Currently, he is a co-star of the reality show Fluffy Breaks Even. 

Over the years he has hosted Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution, Equals Three. His stand-up special/ album lists as Hot and Fluffy (2008), We Luv Fluffy (2009), Aloha Fluffy (2013).

Source: IMDb (Gabriel Iglesias)

Also read: Diallo Riddle - Actor, Writer, Comedian, Producer 

Gabriel Iglesias – Alcohol abuse & Depression

Iglesias has revealed that he suffered from Type II Diabetes. He has also been open about his struggle with Alcohol & Depression in the past. While on his 2017 tour he had a nervous breakdown forcing him to cancel his remaining tour. He had quit drinking about 4 months prior. 

Iglesias released a statement on Instagram saying,

“I can not apologize enough for the sudden cancellation of recent shows. I'm dealing with some serious health and emotional issues that needed attention asap. Attempting to work through my problems was not going over and I had to stop everything b4 things got worse.

Failing to make better choices and never taking a break in 20 years of intense touring has finally caught up to me. I need to get better b4 I can return to making people laugh and smile. I applaud my management for doing their best to protect me but my fans need to know the truth. Fluffy is fine but Gabriel needs help”

As of 2018, he is better and has remained sober. He got back on the road touring in early 2018.

Gabriel Iglesias – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth and annual salary of Iglesias are estimated to be around $40 million and $20 million respectively.

Gabriel Iglesias – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media sites Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, Gabriel Iglesias is followed by over a million followers. He also has an official website- fluffyguy.com.

Also read: Bashir Salahuddin - Actor, Writer, Comedian