Jim Gaffigan is excited to eat in Fresno when he returns for his Fixer Upper Tour
Jim Gaffigan remembers Fresno.
After performing at The Big Fresno Fair in 2014, the Grammy-nominated comedian, actor and New York Times best-selling author stopped at Castillo’s Mexican Food restaurant for dinner.
He joked with Eater that year that he “had a chimichanga that was the size of a small dining room table.”
Now that he is returning to Fresno on Sunday for a Fixer Upper Tour date at the Save Mart Center, Gaffigan has one thing on his mind.
“The most important question I have,” he says, “is where would I eat after the show?”
Gaffigan has incorporated his love of food into his comedy with observations about life, laziness and being “fat.”
He also talks about how he balances parenting his five kids, ages 5, 7, 9, 12 and 14, while working on the road.
“It just kind of catches you off-guard how many things you have to do and how it’s just nonstop,” he says. “Especially with five kids, it’s no joke.”
Gaffigan tries to schedule his tours when his kids aren’t in school so the family can travel together, but he says the guilt that he is not spending enough time with them is still a fact of life.
“I exist in that guilt constantly. That being said, I justify it: it’s also important to see us working, you know.”
He says it may sound like he’s complaining, but he loves being a dad. “It’s the most important thing I will ever fail at,” he jokes.
In his newest standup television special, “Noble Ape,” Gaffigan uses his humor to showcase how he and his wife, Jeannie Gaffigan, journeyed through her diagnosis and removal of a benign brain tumor.
Gaffigan says he was surprised at what a universal experience it was and how others connected. “We’ve all kind of had moments where we’ve had a loved one in a medical crisis and we kind of navigated through the hospital system.”
Jeannie, who is Gaffigan’s writing partner, always had a hand in the jokes he performed about her. “I would only joke around about it if everything was OK,” he says. “I would never do anything that she wouldn’t be comfortable with.”
Jeannie is doing much better these days, Gaffigan says. “She’s at 80 percent of her energy level that she was before, but that 80 percent is like my 110 percent.”
Gaffigan says he is looking forward to coming to Fresno and showcasing new material, which is different from “Noble Ape.” And, of course, “I am very excited to eat before and after the show.”
Ashleigh Panoo: 559-441-6010, @AshleighPan
Jim Gaffigan Fixer Upper Tour
- Aug. 12, 7:30 p.m.
- Save Mart Center
- $32-$56
- www.ticketmaster.com
Meanwhile ...
Six other noteworthy events happening this week:
- Rodrigo Y Gabriela 9 p.m. Aug. 13. Strummer’s, 833 E. Fern Ave., Fresno. $35. www.ticketweb.com
- “Trouble in Tahiti” 2 p.m. Aug. 12. Mercedes Edwards Theatre, 902 5th St., Clovis. Free. www.californiaopera.org
- Peter Frampton 7 p.m. Aug. 14. Table Mountain Casino, 8184 Table Mountain Road, Friant. $35-$65. www.tmcasino.com
- The Expendables 7 p.m. Aug. 16. Strummer’s, 833 E. Fern Ave. Fresno. $21. www.ticketweb.com
- Casey Abrams 8 p.m. Aug. 17. Tower Theatre Lounge, 805 E. Olive Ave., Fresno. $27-$37. www.towertheatrefresno.com
- Selena Tribute Featuring La Marcha and Sonia Santana 7 p.m. Aug. 17. San Joaquin Winery, 21821 Avenue 16, Madera. $10-$100. www.eventbrite.com
This story was originally published August 8, 2018 at 7:13 AM.