‘We’ll do it for half’: Los Angeles comedian says the Secret Service visited him over a Trump joke

Comedian and actor George Lopez recently claimed that the Secret Service had paid him a visit in Los Angeles after he made a joke about President Donald Trump on social media. His claim has apparently since gone viral, sparking a heated debate about the limits of free speech.

Speaking on ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq‘, hosted by Shaquille O’Neal, Lopez revisited a 2020 controversy. According to Newsweek, an Iranian lawmaker that year referenced a bounty on the President, who was serving his first term, following the U.S. strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Lopez recalled resharing a report about the reported $80 million figure and joking, “We’ll do it for half.”

He said on the podcast that his publicist warned him almost right away that the post was causing an uproar. Soon after, he said he saw television commentators picking apart his words and calling for an official investigation. He recalled seeing on-screen graphics that predicted a visit from the Secret Service, a forecast that Lopez claims to have been correct.

Lopez describes the agents’ questions and the warning he received

Lopez claimed in the podcast that when agents arrived at his home, he had an attorney present, and he poked fun at their appearance, joking that “I think maybe they’re, you know, the GrubHub of Secret [Service].” According to Lopez, the agents asked him, “Do you think that that’s funny, Mr. Lopez?” The comedian said the meeting ended with a firm warning, as he was told he was reportedly looking at 10 years in federal prison for the joke.

Lopez said that he apparently stayed defiant during the encounter. He tried to explain what he meant by telling the agents, “What you assume is a threat, in our culture is more of an estimate.” He added that, “I mean, you can find somebody to do it cheaper, you know, hire them. That’s just that’s just me.” The case apparently adds to broader debates about how free speech is handled in the country, including a proposal that Americans have too much free speech.

Public reaction has reportedly been deeply split, with many people going to social media to share their views. Some users defended Lopez, with one of them saying, “so much for the “first amendment” Some, however, defended the Secret Service, with one person writing, “Joked? Who jokes about killing someone? Especially a public figure who has great influence.”

The incident apparently comes amid wider concern about press and speech rights, seen recently when CNN journalists were escorted from protests. Lopez’s comment about Trump has apparently drawn strong reactions on both sides, reportedly raising questions about what people are allowed to say and how seriously federal authorities treat those words.