\n<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0Gabriel Iglesias<\/a> was in the throes of an existential crisis or, in his words, \u201cbummed out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n \u201cI was kind of thinking to myself, \u2018What do we do now?\u2019\u201d recalls the comedian, known to fans as \u201cFluffy.\u201d \u201cAre we done? Have we jumped the shark? Should we call it a day?\u201d<\/p>\n \n The problem was not a catastrophic failure, but an enormous success.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n Captured in the Netflix special \u201cStadium Fluffy: Live From Los Angeles,\u201d Iglesias\u2019 performance is packed with his signature stand-up \u2014 touching on everything from COVID, cockroaches and cancel culture, to his beloved pet Chihuahuas \u2014 interspersed with moments of gratitude and awe. At one point in the special, he pauses to take a smartphone photo of a blimp hovering in the distance, which is flashing his name and image, and enthuses, \u201cThis is like a birthday and Christmas and the Super Bowl and the World Series and losing my virginity all at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n \n But after the dopamine high wears off, one is inevitably left \u2014 literally or figuratively \u2014 singing \u201cIs That All There Is?\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \n \u201cI still feel young enough to keep doing standup. I still feel relevant. But I don\u2019t know that I can do something like this again,\u201d says Iglesias, who paid a reported $250,000 in penalties and overtime fees for going over his contracted time slot, violating Dodger Stadium\u2019s curfew rules. \u201cSo, the question was, can I find something big to do? What\u2019s going to be the next thing?\u201d<\/p>\n \n The answer came in February 2024, when Iglesias surprised the crowd at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, just south of downtown L.A., by appearing onstage to present comedian Jo Koy<\/a> with a plaque honoring him for his record sixth sold-out show at the venue. Iglesias suggested they do a show together \u201cacross the street\u201d at SoFi Stadium<\/a>, and the audience erupted.<\/p>\n \n It wasn\u2019t just an idle comment on Iglesias\u2019 part, but it took a lot of sweat and toil to make the idea a reality. First, Iglesias had to sell Koy on the concept.<\/p>\n \n \u00a0\u201cHe was like, \u2018I don\u2019t know, Gabe,\u2019\u201d recalls Iglesias. \u201cAnd I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, come on. How many freaking sold-out Forums are you going to keep doing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n SoFi\u2019s 70,000-seat capacity is roughly the equivalent of four sold-out Forums, and when Koy saw the seating chart up on the wall during an initial meeting with the venue\u2019s management, he was discouraged by the prospect of selling those seats, as well as the upfront costs they\u2019d have to incur. But Iglesias argued that, with their sales records and overlapping fan bases, the math would all work out.<\/p>\n \n In the end, \u201cI bullied Jo into doing it,\u201d laughs Iglesias.<\/p>\n \n Once Koy was fully committed, the real work began. It took a year of planning to make the show \u2014 scheduled for March 21 \u2014 a reality. They made sure to give themselves plenty of time to sell those seats. Pre-sales began on April 23, 2025, and their fears were quickly assuaged when 70% of the tickets sold in a matter of days. It is now a sellout.<\/p>\n