This OC Vato Loco Just Became the First ‘Cholo Comedian’ to Get Recognized at the World Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood
George Perez will be added to the walls of the World Famous Comedy Store in Hollywood on July 23rd. He joins Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Dave Chapelle as well as other famous Latino comics like Felipe Esparza, Gabriel Iglesias, Freddie Soto, Melissa Villaseñor, Frank Castillo, Jesus Trejo, and others on the wall. He will be the first self-described cholo comedian to grace the walls of the iconic comedy store.
As a cholo comedian born and raised in Orange, George is not an ordinary comedian. Before he started his comedy career, George had recently been released from prison and was working as a cement mason in the construction industry. If you take a look at him, you’ll see that George has a bald head, tattoos down his arms and that his creased pants may take the award for best-creased pants in all of Sur Califas. As George jokes, he “likes to iron.”
Jokes aside, in an L.A. TACO exclusive interview with him, George shared that he takes his full cholo self into any comedy club. While he has encountered comedy settings that preferred suits over pelones (bald-headed men), George chose to stay the course.
In 2012, he arrived at The World Famous Comedy Store. The then-booker and now talent coordinator Emilie Laford appreciated his unique perspectives and decided to offer him development spots by Emilie Laford. He started working with MTV and Comedy Central and appeared on Showtime and Netflix.
Being honored at the World Famous Comedy Store. He shared that he always had a great sense of humor, even as a kid. His grandma would pay him 25 cents for every cana, or grey hair, that he could pull from his head. So, George found all his grandma’s canas and snipped off his cat's whiskers.
As George recounted, the honor at the World Famous Comedy Store is much more than a portrait and plaque. It is a time to celebrate with his kids and reflect on his own life journey, including countless peers and family members like his late parents. George’s father taught him how to crease his pants, and his mother taught him about charisma.
As far as what impact he has on his fans, George believes that he is empowering other people to try out comedy and not forget about loved ones as they pursue their career goals. While being on the road can cause one to choose work over family, George said that he sees no reason to choose between his career or his family. These days, George loves spending time with his kids and showing other comedians that they can have it all.
George uses inspiration from his personal life, including his relationships with his kids, his time in prison, his past journey with drugs, depression, and discussions on race, immigration, politics, and other aspects of human life in his comedy.
He is currently touring in his show entitled Take a Shower, inspired by his kids, who he constantly reminds to “take a shower.”
You can see if the Take a Shower tour is coming to a comedy club near you by following George on his Instagram at @georgepcomedy.
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