Felipe Esparza is a Mexican born American stand-up comedian and actor. He began performing stand-up in 1994. He won ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

'' in 2010. Esparza has hosted a weekly podcast called ''What's Up Fool?'' since 2014.

Early life and education

Felipe Esparza was born in Sinaloa,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. He lived on his mother's family's ranch in Sinaloa before moving with his family to live with his aunt in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, 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 Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, 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 ''

'' in 2010.

Personal life

Esparza has been married to Lisa Esparza since 2012. He has been vegan since 2011.

Works

Comedy specials

Filmography

Film

Television

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esparza, Felipe Living people Mexican male comedians Comedians from California Last Comic Standing winners Mexican emigrants to the United States People from Boyle Heights, Los Angeles People from Sinaloa 1976 births Mexican expatriate actors in the United States