# Felipe Esparza

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. Esparza was raised in the Aliso Village housing projects of Boyle Heights. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School.

## Career

Esparza began performing stand-up in 1994 after a stint in drug rehab. He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. He is currently on tour, "At My Leisure", featuring his unique and relatable comedy which includes his witty and quirky style of storytelling deriving from his own personal life experiences. He has two Netflix comedy specials which are in English and Spanish, "Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions". His latest Netflix special, "Raging Fool", premiered on February 11, 2025. He also hosts a popular weekly youtube podcast, "What's up fool?". Felipe is currently working on other upcoming projects.

## Personal life

Esparza has been married to Lesa Esparza since 2014. Felipe has three children from a previous relationship and Lesa has 1 child. They have no children together.
He has been vegan since 2011.

## Works
### Comedy specials

| Year | Title | Distributor |
| 2012 | They're Not Gonna Laugh at You | Showtime |
| 2017 | Translate This | HBO |
| 2020 | Bad Decisions | Netflix |
| 2025 | Raging Fool | Netflix |
Two Netflix comedy specials, "Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions" which are in English and Spanish.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2003 | El matador | Pablo |
| 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/Hannibal's co-co-host/Co-host | 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" |