P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias Thursday dedicates his new 1959 VW Bus exhibit at the National Comedy Center. The bus, which is shown behind him, is from his 2022 sold-out Dodger Stadium performance in Los Angeles.

People can relate more to frustrating events and situations.

That’s what Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias said.

And talking about his frustrations is part of the reason why the comedian is so successful.

Iglesias was at the National Comedy Center Thursday to dedicate his new exhibit which features his 1959 VW Bus.

“My material is based on things that I’m going through,” Iglesias said Thursday during a one-on-one interview at the NCC. “So for some reason, no one wants to hear about me having a good day. So, if I have a good day and everything is going as planned, nobody, nobody can relate to that. People can relate more to frustration. Sure, they relate to situations and relationships where there’s (people) butting heads, and situations where you’re a fish out of water. People like relating to stuff like that. No one wants to hear you got a bonus from Netflix.”

The comedian added that people also want to know if there are family or medical issues. Iglesias’ groove is where he makes himself relatable.

“And that’s what’s always been my thing is, how can I convey a story and a message to the people and make it so that, well, I’m not talking down to them, I’m talking with them,” the comedian said.

And Iglesias does write down his bits. He refuses to put pen to paper. He’d rather vent on stage, and that venting becomes his material. He records his shows, and then listens to them, so he can tweak his material.

“Whatever I’m dealing with, I’ll take it up on stage and I’ll just start venting, tell a story, and vent and whatever gets a laugh, I keep and whatever doesn’t, I’ll find a way to tweak it on the next show in order to pull something from it,” he said.

Iglesias said whenever he is acting, it’s hard for him to stick to a script. But for his comedy shows, that’s his favorite thing to do.

“I go out there (on stage), and sometimes the shows are the same. Sometimes the shows are different. Sometimes the show ends at an hour and 30 (minutes). Sometimes it ends at two hours,” he added.

The comedian said that he has been doing a lot of voice-over work for films.

“The voiceover work is fun. I’m gonna be playing boots in the new Dora the Explorer (film). That’s coming out very soon,” he said.

Iglesias made history as the first comedian to sell out Dodger Stadium, and the vintage VW Bus — featured in the opening of the Stadium Fluffy Netflix special — now takes its place in the National Comedy Center to represent that milestone performance.

With more than 34 million social media followers, more than 2 billion YouTube views and his status as the third-highest grossing comedian of 2024, Iglesias has built a massive fanbase. He executive produced and starred in the acclaimed Netflix original series Mr. Iglesias, and his comedy specials Stadium Fluffy and One Show Fits All are among the most-watched on the platform. His latest stand-up special, Gabriel Iglesias: Legend of Fluffy, premiered on Netflix in January of 2025.