George Lopez has lashed out at a California casino after he came under fire for cutting a comedy show short due to an "unruly" crowd.
The comedian left his gig at the Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, California, on Friday about half an hour early due to hecklers, the New York Post reported.
In a statement to TMZ, a spokesperson said it was the venue's "job" to "provide a good experience for both the artist and the fans." The casino, however, "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," the spokesperson said.
"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."
The casino has responded to the incident with an apology and an offer to fully reimburse attendees or offer free tickets "to any 2024 show at Eagle Mountain (tickets of same or lesser value)."
In the statement to Deadline, the casino further said, "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 statement said. "Casino security and Lopez security team worked together to make sure there was no filming with phones as requested by Lopez.
"It was the job of Lopez 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."
According to the casino, after exiting the stage, Lopez walked to his dressing room but did not offer any apology or explanation for cutting the show short.
Back in April, Lopez canceled an appearance due to health reasons. The casino said it supported the comedian at the time and rescheduled the show for June 7.
"Now, for a second time, the comedian is causing the casino to once again accommodate guests by reimbursing show tickets and going above and beyond to ensure guests know the casino values their business and only wants to provide a positive experience while visiting," the casino statement said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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