Valley comedian takes to socials after being 'kicked out' of McAllen venue

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A local comedian hosting a show at the McAllen Performing Arts Center is speaking out after allegedly being kicked out of the arena during meet and greets.

Comedian Cristela Alonzo performed on Saturday in a sold-out show in McAllen. Alonzo took to social media to discuss what occurred during the meet and greets.

According to the post, Alonzo claims she and her team were kicked out of the venue at midnight while she was meeting her fans.

"There was no warning that we had to be out by midnight. They forced me to leave, I had to go backstage, get my bag and was told I had to move our cars to outside the premises," Alonzo said.

She added it was a disrespect she will never forget. According to Alonzo, once they were outside taking pictures, the venue personnel came up to them to apologize and said they could go back inside.

"No thank you. You made it clear we were no longer welcomed there. You rushed me and the fans out. I will not go back inside when you forced us to leave. I sold out the show…1800 seats and this is how I was treated? Okay," the post states.

The McAllen Performing Arts Center responded to the claims of kicking Alonzo and her fans out of the venue.

In a statement, the venue wrote that they apologized to Alonzo, her fans, and the community for the miscommunication that took place following her sold-out show.

The Arts Center added, that Alonzo is a hometown hero and MPAC is proud to host her performances.

During the incident, MPAC claims two and a half hours after the show ended an employee, without authorization, closed the premises at midnight.

They added that even though they were not notified of a post-show meet and greet, the employee's actions do not reflect their values.

"Within half an hour of the miscommunication, management intervened and attempted to rectify the situation. MPAC is addressing the matter internally to ensure this never happens again and regrets any impact it had on both Ms. Alonzo and her fans," the statement said.

Although the fans enjoyed and praised Alonzo for her performance, kicking the comedian out at midnight left a sour taste in some fans' mouths.

Due to the incident, many fans were left upset about being allegedly kicked out of the venue mid-meet and greet without any notice.

A fan wrote on MCPAC's Facebook page, "Horrible venue, they literally kicked out Cristela, her family, and the fans at midnight. Even though there was still tons of fans in line waiting for the meet and greet."

Another wrote," Why did you all kick her out?!?!?! One of our own until midnight I guess????"

Many fans were outraged and disappointed in the venue for this incident and showed support and gratitude to Alonzo.

Alonzo added, her fans did not deserve to be rushed out and take pictures in the heat.