George Lopez is under fire for allegedly leaving his Friday night stand-up comedy show at Porterville’s Eagle Mountain Casino more than a half hour earlier than scheduled, triggering intense backlash from fans and casino management.
Some audience members claimed that Lopez walked out after being heckled, leading to confusion and anger as they headed for the exits. However, there is no footage of the alleged heckling incident.
What they’re saying: Eagle Mountain Casino released a statement expressing disappointment and suggesting that Lopez let down his fans and a sold-out audience by ending the show prematurely, despite the venue having a security plan in place to handle disruptive individuals:
- “Tonight George Lopez let down his fans and sold out audience by walking out and ending his show 30 minutes early,” the casino said in a statement on Facebook. George hired his own private security that could have easily escorted any hecklers out. We had a pre show meeting to have a plan in place for hecklers. He could have provided us an opportunity to allow our security and team to escort any hecklers out since his own private security did not. George decided to not continue with the show and leave. He rescheduled his initial show on 4/20 due to a medical emergency and we were very patient with him and only wished him the best. Tonight we went above and beyond to provide George with first class service from his arrival to the property to the start of his show. We never want to let our guests down and we are as disappointed and shocked as you are.”
- Lopez’s PR team responded to the accusations in TMZ, placing the blame on the casino, stating that the audience was overserved and unruly, and the casino staff failed to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for both the artist and the guests.
- They added that the comedian’s personal security team collaborated with the venue’s security staff to maintain order and ensure safety, but the casino’s security team was insufficient for the task.
- Eagle Mountain Casino promised to release a more detailed statement about the incident on Monday and conveyed their shock and disappointment regarding the fans’ experience. However, as of now, there are no further clarifications or responses from either George Lopez’s team or the casino.
