Who Is Comedian Felipe Esparza’s Wife? All About Lesa ODaniel Esparza

Lesa ODaniel Esparza isn’t just Felipe Esparza’s producing partner — she’s also his wife!

The stand-up comedian and actor met his wife at a comedy club. They were together for eight years before tying the knot in December 2014.

Felipe often jokes about Lesa, including in his HBO comedy special Translate This. But Lesa doesn’t just provide material for her husband’s comedy, she is also his partner in business. Lesa has executive produced all of his stand-up specials, including his Feb. 11 Netflix special Raging Fool, which she also directed.

Working and sharing their lives together over the years has built a tight bond between Felipe and Lesa. In 2018, she wrote on Instagram that he is the “love of” her life. Six years later, on their 10th wedding anniversary in 2024, Lesa wrote of her husband, “No one else I’d rather do life with.”

Felipe penned a heartfelt message for his wife’s birthday in 2019, writing on Facebook, “Happy Birthday to my beautiful,smart ,free spirit wife. Thank you for not giving up on me even when I was giving up on myself.”

So, who is Felipe Esparza’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Lesa ODaniel Esparza and her relationship with the comedian.

She went to university in Ohio

Lesa attended college in Dayton, Ohio.

According to her LinkedIn, she studied at Wright State University from 1990 to 1994, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She then received an MBA in industrial and organizational psychology from Baruch College in New York City.

Before becoming Felipe’s producing partner, Lesa worked at Lazard and Goldman Sachs.

She and Felipe met at a comedy club

Felipe met his wife at the famous Laugh Factory. Lesa worked at the Los Angeles comedy club from November 2006 until 2008, per her Facebook.

A love of comedy isn’t the only interest the couple share, either. They are also both big fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 2016, Lesa shared a snapshot of the two of them sporting Dodgers gear. Alongside the Instagram photo, she wrote, “With my love in our favorite place. Left Field Pavilion @Dodgers stadium. #NLCS #goDoyers! #ITFDB.”

She and Felipe married in 2014

Lesa and Felipe wed on Dec. 13, 2014. The talent manager described their nuptials as the “perfect day” and “just awesome.”

Reflecting on their wedding, Lesa wrote on Instagram, “Rarely do things turn out the way you plan but this entire day did. Thank you to everyone who joined us. We loved having you there & had such a good time. I am excited for my life with my new husband.”

Lesa and Felipe’s wedding included music by DJ Super Mario and a three-tier cake featuring pine cone bride and groom toppers that Lesa made.

She and Felipe work together

Lesa handles “the day-to-day management affairs” of her husband’s career, and together they run Felipe’s World, Inc., per her LinkedIn. She has also served as an executive producer on Felipe’s specials.

While discussing his HBO special Translate This in 2017, Felipe told NBC News, “My wife is my business partner and manager. We saved up some money, and we got a crew together, and we did the whole thing.”

In addition to Translate This, Lesa executive produced They’re Not Gonna Laugh At You and Bad Decisions. She also directed and executive produced Felipe’s 2025 Netflix comedy special Raging Fool. Two months before the release of the special, Lesa announced the premiere date on Instagram and wrote that it was “directed by yours truly. And, yes, Felipe and I love film, so we, of course, included elements of #RagingBull in this special, which you may notice.”

She continued, “We have had a vision for each of the 4 specials we’ve made and this one is no exception. While the goal these days is to have something to chop up into bite-sized bits to use as promotion, Felipe and I still believe in the art of the full length comedy special being… SPECIAL.”

Lesa is also a producer of the What’s Up Fool? podcast, which is hosted by her husband.

She is a mom

Lesa has a child named Ike from a previous relationship. Her “smart, funny, caring” son, who is “a talented musician,” was born in May 2004.

In 2016, Felipe explained why he refers to Ike as his stepson and not his son. He replied to one Facebook user, “No he’s my step son. He still has his dad in his life almost every day. I feel like his dad too but I don’t want to take away from his real dad.”

Before he married Lesa, the comedian had at least two kids and now has at least two grandkids, per Real 92.3 LA.

Felipe is the love of her life

On more than one occasion, Lesa has dubbed the comedian the “love of” her life. She expressed her pride in her husband and gushed over him in a touching birthday tribute in 2018.

“Happiest of birthdays to this little man… now my big man. The love of my life @felipeesparzacomedian,” she captioned a throwback photo of Felipe as a child. “So proud of how you’ve turned your life around and grown leaps and bounds in the years that we’ve been together. I love you .”