Felipe Esparza
Felipe de Jesus Esparza | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Spouse |
Lesa O'Daniel Esparza
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 4 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1994–present[1] |
| Medium | Stand-up comedy. acting, podcasting |
| Website | felipesworld |
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?"
Early life and education
Felipe 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.[3] Esparza was raised in the Aliso Village housing projects of Boyle Heights.[4] He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School.[5]
Career
Esparza began performing stand-up in 1994 after a stint in drug rehab.[1] He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. Felipe's international comedy tour "At My Leisure" launched in 2024 and will continue through 2025. He has a popular podcast "What's up fool?" He has also acted in various TV shows and films.
Personal life
Felipe Esparza has been married to Lesa O'Daniel Esparza since 2014.[1] He became vegan in 2011.[6]
Filmography and discography
Stand-up comedy releases
| Title | Release date | Debut medium |
|---|---|---|
| They're Not Gonna Laugh at You | January 1, 2012 | Television (Showtime) |
| Rebound Material | December 11, 2013 | Audio streaming |
| Translate This | September 30, 2017 | Television (HBO) |
| Bad Decisions | September 1, 2020 | Streaming TV (Netflix) |
| Malas Decisiones | September 1, 2020 | |
| Raging Fool | February 11, 2025 |
Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | El matador | Pablo[7] |
| 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
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015, 2020–present |
The Eric Andre Show | Himself | 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" |
| 2025 | Primos | Churro (voice) | Episode: "Summer of Silencio" |
| 2025 | Shifting Gears | Bob | Episode: "Grief" |
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. 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. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. 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.