Background and career
Felipe de Jesus Esparza is a Mexican-born American stand-up comedian and actor. He began performing stand-up in 1994. He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. Felipe is currently on tour for his comedy show, "At My Leisure". In addition, Felipe hosts a weekly popular YouTube podcast named "What's up Fool?"
Felipe Esparza was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. He lived with his mother's family in Sinaloa before moving with his family to live with his aunt in Tijuana, 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. Eventually they made their way to the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where his father was living and they were able to follow the path to citizenship. Esparza was raised in the Aliso Village housing projects of Boyle Heights. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School.
Esparza began performing stand-up in 1994 after a stint in drug rehab. He won Last Comic Standing in 2010. And grew in popularity ever since, fueled by 4 standup specials for HBO and Netflix and multiple sold out tours of comedy clubs and theaters. Felipe is currently on his "Laughter Will Save Us" tour as of 2026 He also has several popular podcasts, including "What's up fool? Podcast", a laid back "hang" podcast that has showcased multiple comedians, actors, authors, musicians and artists since 2014. He also co-hosts "History for Foos Podcast" with fellow comedian Butch Escobar and "Do you Even Binge? Podcast", a movie/TV binge podcast with his wife, Lesa. Various TV shows and film appearances, including Superstore (NBC/Hulu), The Eric Andre Show (Adult Swim), You People (Netflix with Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy), Blue Beetle (Xolo Maridueño, George Lopez), This Fool (Hulu), 7th and Union (with Omar Chapparro), and more.
Felipe Esparza has been married to Lesa O'Daniel Esparza since 2014. He became vegan in 2011. He has three children and one step child.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
