Comedian George Lopez ended his sold out show at a California casino early on Friday, prompting a slew of reactions on social media.
The 63-year-old star left the stage about 30 minutes before his set was scheduled to end after he was heckled by several audience members at the Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, as The New York Post reported.
“Tonight George Lopez let down his fans and sold out audience by walking out and ending his show 30 minutes early,” the official casino account shared in a Facebook post. “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,” the post added, saying the casino “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,” the venue’s post concluded.
Several social media users said there were only a few hecklers.
“It was not like he had 100 people heckling him,” one Facebook commenter said. “Maybe like 4. All it was was people yelling we love you and making references to old jokes. Nothing bad in my opinion happen tonight for George Lopez to walk out!!”
“‘Can I buy you a drink’ is all she said to you,” an X user said of the incident.
Many fans said the show already had to be rescheduled from April after Lopez had a medical emergency, which added to their disappointment.
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Lopez’s team disagreed with this assessment.
“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. The audience was overserved and unruly, and the casino staff was unable to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for the artist and guests,” a spokesperson for Lopez told TMZ.
“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.”
