Comedian Edwin San Juan performed at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's luncheon Wednesday. Afterward, on his Facebook page, San Juan posted a photo that was taken with his mother and Sheriff Lee Baca after being presented with a plaque for volunteering his time.
San Juan's routine includes poking fun at ethnic groups, and it includes profanity.
"I gauged the crowd and it was all different races, so I just poked fun at everybody equally, you know, how I'd normally do it, and then as soon as I I addressed it I felt the tension drop and I felt it was cool and smooth," said San Juan.
Sheriff's Spokesperson Steve Whitmore says San Juan was asked to remember that he was performing before a large group of law enforcement types and their families.
"As soon as it began, the sheriff, he did get concerned. He said, 'Oh, this is not what I would like, perhaps,' and then he said 'There's going to be some complaints that come from this,'" said Whitmore.
San Juan says he heard a couple of complaints, but after his performance he says a lot of people came up and congratulated him.
"It's a comedy show. They hired me for that. But I don't think in any way the stuff that I said reflects the sheriff's department," said San Juan. "It's a separate thing. They booked me for the entertainment."
"This is something that occurred unbeknownst. It was unusual. Most important, it's an anomaly. Remember that nobody in the sheriff's department would engage in this kind of behavior," said Whitmore. "It probably was a mistake. And will it happen again? Probably not."
Edwin San Juan says this controversy will certainly be part of his future stand-up act.
