A new man in red! Gabriel Iglesias plays Kris Kringle in season 2 of The Santa Clauses, and jokes to J-14 that his rendition of the iconic character is a “mall Santa at best.”

Keep reading for our exclusive interview with the comedian.

“I had a lot of fun doing this just because Christmas is my favorite holiday and being part of this franchise is amazing,” Gabriel gushed to J-14 exclusively. “The fact that this world is continuing is just like, wow, I grew up on it. So, now to be part of it and the fact that it’s going to live on through Disney, because with Disney, nothing ever really dies. And so it’s nice to know that I’m part of something that’s going to be around for a very long time.”

ICYMI, Gabriel joined the cast of The Santa Clauses in season 2 as a series regular, playing Kris Kringle, the proud owner and operator of the Santaland Christmas theme park.

“I’m a mall Santa at best,” Gabriel said of his character. “The name I think is kind of cute, the fact that I’m Kris Kringle Moreno. I love it. Yeah, a low-budget Santa, but my Christmas pictures are going to be epic.”

As for what it was like to work with Tim Allen — who has been playing the role of Scott Calvin/Santa Clause for nearly 30 years — Gabriel explained they had a lot to talk about!

“It was so funny because anytime we’d have a break, [Tim and I] would just talk shop. We would talk comedy and all the people that we know and similar situations that we’ve been in over the years,” he said of their relationship. “So I just thought that was really awesome. And he’s a huge car guy and I’m a huge car guy. And so we got into conversations about cars, comedy and just random people that we know.”

the santa clauses
 Eric Stonestreet Says He Was In His 'Element' Playing Mad Santa In 'The Santa Clauses' Season 2

Gabriel wasn’t the only new castmember of the second season, either — as iconic comedians like Tracy Morgan and Eric Stonestreet also made their Santa Clauses debut, with the actors playing the Easter Bunny and Mad Santa, respectively.

“And the fact that there was more comedians on the series too. Tracy Morgan, I had no idea. He was the Easter bunny and I was in my trailer one day and he just walked into my trailer,” Gabriel recalled. “It was so random. My trailer door just opened up. No knocking, no knocking. Tracy just walked in and he was like, ‘Yo, son.'” he laughed. “And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is just getting better.'”

The Santa Clauses season 2 finale premieres on Wednesday, December 6, on Disney+.

Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.