Gabriel 'Fluffy' Iglesias brings his everyday humor to Napa

Stand-up comic Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias sticks to a very simple formula for success.

“I avoid politics, religion and sports in my act, because someone's not going to agree,” said the portly comedian, due to perform next week in Napa Valley. “This way, everybody's a happy camper.”

Of course, that doesn't rule out joking about his own ethnicity, his wayward friends, chance encounters with the highway patrol and, of course, his weight. Hence his famous moto: “I'm not fat, I'm Fluffy!”

His strategy has been rewarded with a steady stream of live performances, TV shows and both live-action and voiceover movie roles. He provides the voice of Babo in the new “Uglydolls” animated film, based on the line of plush toys and due to open in May.

“He's the big one,” Iglesias said of the Babo character. “When they release the toys, I'll be super happy, because I want one."

No matter how much TV screen time or how many movie jobs the 43-year-old comedian gets, he vows he'll never give up the live stage.

“I hope I get the opportunity to do other acting and voiceovers, but I always will have to do standup. If all you do is voice work, you'll be alone all the time.”

His newest standup TV special is “One Show Fits All,” recorded live last summer in Houston and due for release this year from Netfflix.

Avoiding topical humor doesn't mean that Iglesias ever runs short of material. Far from it.

“I'm fond of telling stories that actually happened to me,” he said by phone from his Long Beach home. “I took my dog on the road with me last November, and someone asked me, ‘Do you have a certificate for that dog's pedigree?' and I said, ‘You're gonna ask a Mexcian if his dog has papers?'”

Although he's of Mexican descent, Iglesia was born in San Diego, the last of six children. The birth order suggests that his comedy career was born of a quest for attention, but Iglesia contends he was the favorite.

“I'm the one my mother wanted,” he declared. “There was a 14-year gap. The others were mostly grown up and gone by the time I was born.”

While his ethnicity is part of his identity, the comic takes care to make his humor accessible to a wide audience.

“I want to make sure to use my background, but I want people to be able to relate. If I use Spanish words, I'll say it in English, too. Then everybody can relate.”

Even though Iglesias has achieved all of his career goals, one desire eludes him. He has joked about his girth, but he takes his health seriously, he said.

“The only thing I haven't been able to do is lose weight,” Iglesias said. “If I eat too much sugar, I won't be around to spend my money. I'm not leaving all of this to relatives.”

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 707-521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. Read his Arts blog at arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.