Photo: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
This comedian's wife works behind-the-scenes to make his career happen.
By Nicole Pomarico — Written on Aug 11, 2020
It's been a tough year, but Netflix has been coming in clutch with the comedy specials to keep us all laughing, and next month, Felipe Esparza's next one — Felipe Esparaza: Bad Decisions — is set to premiere on the streaming service. Like most comedians, he'll likely crack a few jokes about his personal life as part of his stand up set, including his wife — and as it turns out, the woman he's married to is actually an incredibly important part of his comedy career.
Who is Felipe Esparza's wife, Lesa O'Daniel Esparza?
And what does she do behind the scenes to keep those laughs coming? Here's what to know about Lesa O'Daniel Esparza.
Who is Felipe Esparza married to? Meet Lesa O'Daniel Esparza.
Felipe and Lesa got married in 2014, and have been living happily ever after ever since. They aren't open about their children, but it seems that Lesa had one child from a previous relationship before she married Felipe — a son named Miklo who turned 16 last May.
Lesa is Esparza's manager and producer.
Lesa and Felipe don't just have a romantic relationship — they have a professional one, too. She acts as his producer, working on his speciala, They're Not Gonna Laugh at You and Translate This. She also produced, wrote, and helped create his series, The Shop, and served as an executive producer on his upcoming Netflix special, as well. And as if all of that isn't impressive enough, she's also the producer of Felipe's podcast, What's Up Fool?.
Lesa O'Daniel Esparza doesn't get too personal on Instagram.
It's not often that Lesa shares photos or insight into her personal life on social media — her posts about her son and her relationship with her husband are few and far between, and she seems to reserve her Instagram for meme posts and pictures of the vegan food she makes, since that's the diet both she and her husband follow.
She frequently posts about her rescue dogs.
Rescuing dogs from unsafe homes seems to be one of Lesa's passions, and she shares photos of her pitbulls proudly. She has shared the stories of her dogs from the time she adopted them and how they have progressed under her care, after she was able to nurse them back to health after they were rescued from abusive situations.
Lesa and Felipe Esparza are developing a TV show together.
Lesa and Felipe's next project seems to be developing a show based on their lives as a blended family, and given the success they've seen so far, it wouldn't be surprising if this sitcom ended up coming to life sooner rather than later — especially if his latest Netflix special turns out to be a total hit.
Felipe Esparza's new comedy special Felipe Esparaza: Bad Decisions hits Netflix September 1.
Recently, Felipe and Lesa announced that his new special, Bad Decisions, would be released on September 1 in both English and Spanish, with Felipe reworking the jokes to make sense in both languages.
"So proud of how hard he worked on this material for the last 2 years, then worked it out in Spanish too," Lesa wrote when she shared the news on Instagram. "Oh yeah, this is my 3rd & 4th comedy special as Exec Producer. And releasing a special still always feels like Christmas."
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.