Comedian George Lopez walked off stage early at Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, California, after just 25 minutes of his performance on June 7. Lopez, 63, cited an unruly and overserved audience as the reason for ending his show prematurely, according to a statement from his representatives to TMZ.
Lopez’s team criticized the casino, stating, “It’s the venue or casino’s job to provide a good experience for both the artist and the fans, but the casino failed in this regard.” They added that the casino staff could not ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for the artist and guests.
Lopez’s representatives also noted that his personal security team collaborated with venue security to maintain order and eject disruptive individuals. However, they claimed that the casino’s security team was inadequate for 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,” the statement read.
Casino Responds to Lopez’s Early Departure
Eagle Mountain Casino disagreed with Lopez’s account. In a Facebook post on June 8, the casino stated that Lopez “let down his fans” by ending his show 30 minutes early. They claimed that Lopez had hired his private security team, who could have handled the hecklers.
“We had a pre-show meeting to plan for hecklers. He could have allowed our security team to escort any hecklers out, but he chose not to continue with the show and leave,” the casino’s post said. They also mentioned that Lopez had rescheduled his initial show on April 20 due to a medical emergency, which the venue had been very patient with.
Casino Offers Refunds and Free Tickets
The casino issued an official statement on Monday apologizing for Lopez’s early departure and offering full refunds to ticket-holders. They also offered free tickets to any future 2024 show at the venue.
The statement from the casino read, “Lopez’s statement providing reason for exiting the show abruptly after not saying anything to casino management or security, came as a shock to everyone including casino management. The claims of unruly guests are not consistent with casino footage and surveillance.”
The casino noted that Lopez’s security team and their security staff worked together to prevent phone recordings during the show. They stated, “It was the job of Lopez’s 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.”
Lopez’s Silent Departure
When Lopez walked into his dressing room, he and his team did not offer an explanation or apology to the casino team or guests, according to the casino. The comedian left the venue 15 minutes later and was taken back to the airport by the casino’s staff.
“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,” said Tiffani Sahagun, the casino’s assistant general manager, 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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