Casino Throws George Lopez Under the Bus After Heckler Flap
Eagle Mountain Casino doesn’t care how many warnings George Lopez gave hecklers on Friday night, they’ve decided to hand out refunds and tell the world that Lopez leaving mid-show “came as a shock to everyone.”
The debacle is turning into an ugly game of he said/casino said, with neither side showing signs of giving in.
Here’s the sequence of events that left everyone steaming. First, according to video footage acquired by TMZ, Lopez was in the middle of a marijuana bit when someone yelled out a comment. It’s not clear what the audience member said, but Lopez issued a warning: “That’s one.”
Per TMZ, the audience may have believed the threat was a joke as it was met with laughter. But when the comic heard a second comment, Lopez threw up the caution flag once again — that’s two strikes, everybody.
The admonition didn’t matter. Soon, a woman in the audience interrupted a third time, offering to buy Lopez a cocktail. The comedian wasn’t interested in the drink or in continuing his set. The crowd had ignored his three-strikes-and-you’re-out warning so he put the microphone back on its stand and informed everyone he was done.
The crowd jeered Lopez, who admitted he might seem like a world-class asshole but he couldn’t continue the jokes with all the interruptions. When the audience responded with boos, Lopez left for good.
Comedy clubs often have the comic’s back when a crowd gets out of hand, but in this case, Eagle Mountain Casino put the blame on Lopez. In a statement promising to return money to everyone in the crowd, casino management said, “Lopez’s statement providing the reason for exiting the show abruptly after not saying anything to casino management or security came as a shock to everyone, including casino management.”
Lopez saw things differently, issuing his own statement through a spokesperson: “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.”
Overserved? Unruly? Eagle Mountain Casino fired back. “The claims of unruly guests are not consistent with casino footage and surveillance. Casino security and Lopez’s security team worked together to make sure there was no filming with phones as requested by Lopez. 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.”
Instead, the casino says its recordings show fans shouting things like “We love you!” and offers to buy Lopez drinks — interruptions, maybe, but in Eagle Mountain’s view, not a reason to remove patrons.
Still not enough spice to the story? Lopez canceled an April appearance at the casino just one hour before showtime, citing an illness. Eagle Mountain says it supported Lopez and wished him well. But now, “for a second time, the comedian is causing the casino to once again accommodate guests by reimbursing show tickets.”
Here’s guessing Eagle Mountain won’t be booking Lopez for a third engagement.