George Lopez is claiming he stormed out of a California stand-up set 30 minutes early because of an “unruly” crowd, but the venue where he was performing disputes his account of events, accusing him of letting down fans.
“Tonight George Lopez let down his fans and sold out audience by walking out and ending his show 30 minutes early. George hired his own private security that could have easily escorted any hecklers out,” the Eagle Mountain Casino in Portersville, California, wrote on Facebook shortly after the incident last Friday.
But Lopez’s team told the New York Post that the casino “failed” to “provide a good experience for both the artist and the fans,” claiming the “audience was overserved and unruly, and the casino staff was unable to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for the artist and guests.”
His team added, “George’s personal security team worked with the venue security staff to maintain order, ensure safety, and eject disruptive individuals. Unfortunately, the casino security team was not adequate to accomplish this task. George is not obligated to perform in an unsafe environment. He feels badly that those who came to see the show were unable to do so as a result.”
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George Lopez left a gig at the Eagle Mountain Casino Friday 30 minutes early. (Marcus Ingram/Getty Images)
The casino, in a statement on its website, said Lopez’s reasons for leaving “came as a shock to everyone, including casino management.”
The casino continued, “The claims of unruly guests are not consistent with casino footage and surveillance. Casino security and Lopez security team worked together to make sure there was no filming with phones as requested by Lopez. It was the job of Lopez private security team to inform casino security if they wanted to escort anyone out which never occurred. Under the casino’s discretion no guests were unruly or providing an unsafe environment.”
The June 7 show was a reschedule after the “Blue Beetle” actor canceled an hour before a planned April 20 gig there over a health emergency.
WARNING: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS PROFANITY
“Now, for a second time, the comedian is causing the casino to once again accommodate guests by reimbursing show tickets and going above and beyond to ensure guests know the casino values their business and only wants to provide a positive experience while visiting,” the casino added.
TMZ shared video an audience member took of the moment the comedian walked off the stage after warning the crowd: “That’s one,” then a second later “That’s two.” Finally, he put his microphone back on its stand, saying he may seem like an “a–hole,” but “I’m the one working.”
“Please, just f—ing watch the show. That’s all you have to do,” he added, before leaving the stage to boos.
The casino said the previous two comedians performing there had no problems, “so this was quite a shock to everyone attending.”
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The “Blue Beetle” comedian’s team claimed the audience was “overseved and unruly.” (Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)
Eagle Mountain is reimbursing ticket holders and offering free tickets to another show at the casino.
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Eagle Mountain casino didn’t mince words when it called out Lopez for leaving his set early. (Google Maps)
The casino also claimed that once Lopez left the stage, he didn’t give any reason for his exit to management or fans before he was taken back to the airport by the casino.
“While we did see guests yelling out, we see recordings showing those saying – we love you, can we buy you a drink, etc. We also know that at a comedy show, there are also likely some outbursts that casino security would have been happy to address had any issue been made known,” Eagle Mountain assistant general manager Tiffani Sahagun said in the statement. “We only want for our guests to have a safe and enjoyable experience, and we want our entertainers to feel safe and enjoy coming to Porterville as well.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Lopez for comment.