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George Lopez, an American comedian, was penalized online for making disparaging statements about 26-year-old comedian Ralph Barbosa. The 61-year-old was interviewed by Steve Trevino for an edition of the OMG Hi! the podcast that aired on February 6, 2023. The two discussed topics such as Latino humor, TikTok trends, Latino fathers and LGBT sons, among others.
Trevino referenced Ralph Barbosa and talked about helping people get recognized in the industry while praising Lopez’s legacy and self-made success. However, including the young comedian’s name in the discourse did not sit well with George Lopez, who fired Barbosa.
Trevino said,
“Ralph Barbosa, is there a kid exploding now? And I feel like I’m praying for him. I don’t despise him. I want the youngster to have it easy because we [*] such a difficult time.”
In response, George Lopez stated:
“[I’ve never heard of him]’I’m not sure who he is. From what country is he? But no one knows who that bastard is, so why are you calling him?”
He then asked others around him if it was inappropriate for him to say that, adding:
“Why do you keep mentioning his name if no one knows who he is?”
He even asked someone off-camera if he was being tough on the 26-year-old comic.
George Lopez was chastised by fans for claiming that no one knew who Ralph Barbosa is.
When Steve Trevino, who seemed bothered by Lopez’s comments, expressed a desire to take care of others, Lopez said that everyone should take care of themselves. Following the virality of George Lopez’s statements about Ralph Barbosa, Twitterati chastised the comic for making such comments. Several people reminded Lopez not to forget how he built his own profession from the ground up. Others chastised him for not promoting the emerging Latino comedian and were upset by his comments.
Man George Lopez who hates Ralph Barbosa is a good example of old heads who have no respect for new school talent. Ralph is literally making a name for himself and he’s funny. You know how many non-funny comedians have skits on HBO, there are a lot of them. You have to attract people!!! pic.twitter.com/CmkYfKzCwA
— justhugenet (@Justhuge469) February 11, 2023
That homie Ralph Barbosa is comedy, sad to see one of my favorite comics, George Lopez, undermine him and his recent success. You would think the older generation would want to push the Latino community since there aren’t that many Mexican comics out there. I hate being that guy, but
— MCMXCIV_SZN 🌵 (@ChrisAyala15) February 11, 2023
Ralph Barbosa is a comedian known for his laid-back humorous delivery.
On February 9, Ralph Barbosa responded to Lopez’s comments by posting identical video footage to his Instagram account.
He captioned the video with laughing emojis:
“People keep giving me this first video. It’s okay, darling, the future is here.”
Ralph Barbosa was born in Dallas, Texas in 1996. He is considered one of the “shy attention hogs” and is known for his relaxed humorous delivery. The emerging comic won the 2019 Funniest Comic in Texas category and the 2021 New York Latino Film Festival stand-up competition.
He recently gained fame after participating in HBO Max’s Entre Nos: The Winners 3. He also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and shared his first Instagram photos. George Lopez has yet to respond to the outcry over his statements at this time.
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