Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias is no stranger to sketch comedy. The wildly successful stand-up comic spent some time on Nickelodeon’s All That when he was in his early twenties, long before his days of selling out stadiums across the country. One of his All That co-stars, Kenan Thompson, rode his improv career trajectory all the way to the big leagues, later becoming Saturday Night Live’s longest running cast member. When I asked Iglesias whether or not that was a path he ever considered, he admitted he would have been interested, but also boldly predicted that the iconic NBC show may be reaching the end of its run.
I caught up with Gabriel Iglesias to talk about his new Netflix special Stadium Fluffy. Given that he releases such high-profile stand-up shows, I suggested that maybe there was potential for him to one day host SNL. That was when he said this:
Oh, that show’s going to be over in a few weeks, trust me. SNL’s not going to be around for much longer. And I don’t think I’m going to get that call. And I’m not trying to start a, ‘hey let’s get Fluffy to host,’ because that’s more forced than anything. I’m OK with it, I’m going to be alright.
So Gabriel Iglesias doesn’t necessarily seem averse to the idea of hosting, and he certainly didn’t seem to have any ill will or negative feelings about the show. However, from a logistical standpoint, he seems to believe that the show will not be around for much longer.
It seems as though comedians can’t help but share their hot takes when it comes to Saturday Night Live. Whether it’s Rob Schneider stating that the show is “over” or Chevy Chase describing the way it drives him nuts, the show is never far from criticism. Fans are also notorious for making digs in SNL’s direction, often comparing it to its heyday, whenever they believe that was. Iglesias’ fellow All That alum Kenan Thompson, on the other hand, maintains his positivity and still manages to get excited for each new SNL season, even after nearly 20 years. S, the magic isn’t lost on everyone.
In fact, it may not be lost on Iglesias, either, as he admitted that it was an aspiration of his earlier in his career:
I did have fun on All That, which is basically the minor leagues for SNL. I did always want to get the opportunity to audition for SNL… I think that would have been something that I would have been into, but now I think that ship has sailed. But it was fun, it was cool to do it. I got other opportunities to do minor sketches here and there, but yeah, I would have been into it.
Regardless of the fact that Gabriel Iglesias never got his shot at SNL, he’s still crushing it. With Stadium Fluffy, the comic filled Dodger’s Stadium for the first time in comedy history. While Netflix may have given his show Mr. Iglesias the axe, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood, as the new special just debuted on the platform! Go watch Stadium Fluffy on Netflix now, and if stand-up isn’t your thing, no worries, as there are many more Netflix movies and Netflix TV shows coming for the rest of the year.
