Comedian Chris Fonseca likes to start his show by addressing the “elephant in the room.”
“I roll up there in a wheelchair,” said Fonseca, who has cerebral palsy. “You get me up there and people — especially people who’ve never seen me — may wonder if it’s someone pretending to be handicapped or what the deal is, so I try to get that out of the way right at the top so we can go on and just do comedy.”
Westminster-based Fonseca, also known as “Crazy Legs,” will headline Loonees Comedy Corner this weekend with opener Mario Salazar and host Chet Tilly. With a career spanning four decades, Fonseca has performed worldwide, including at the Montreal International Comedy Festival and the American Comedy Awards on ABC. He’s also appeared on “The Arsenio Hall Show” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
He started his comedy career as a sophomore in college and soon began appearing at open mic nights around Colorado. Fonseca prefers stand-up because of the immediate reaction he gets from the audience, he said.
As for his nickname, Fonseca credits his nephew for coining the phrase “Crazy Legs.” His nephew used to call him that when he walked with an outward gait, Fonseca said. Looking to stand out, Fonseca decided to make it part of his stage name.
During his sets, Fonseca talks about his life, including being a grandfather and his recent engagement. He says the past 40 years have been a blend of good and bad. Despite a successful comedy career, the comedian struggled with alcoholism throughout his life and is now 12 years sober.
“I kind of kick myself that I let alcoholism derail my career, I went through two divorces, I had a couple car accidents,” said Fonseca, who is working on a documentary about his life.
Amid the challenges, Fonseca also has done a lot of good, especially in representing the disabled community. He was invited to the Kennedy Center by former President George W. Bush for the 15th anniversary of The Americans with Disabilities Act and served as an ambassador for World Cerebral Palsy Day in 2012.
He also was inducted into the Arts and Entertainment Association of America Southern Colorado Hall of Fame in 2019. While Fonseca knows the responsibility he carries, his goal is to entertain.
“I make people laugh, that’s what I do, I don’t cry tears,” he said. “The important thing is to be funny, first.”
