50 Fun Facts About George Lopez

On which network did the sitcom George Lopez originally air from 2002 to 2007?

It ran six seasons and 120 episodes, then found a much bigger audience in syndication and on Nick at Nite.

Which actress saw Lopez perform in 2000 and pitched him a sitcom backstage?

She had been given one of his comedy albums and caught his set at the Brea Improv; she became an executive producer.

At which comedy club did the future producer of his sitcom first see Lopez perform live?

The August 2000 set in Brea, California, led to a four-episode test order from ABC.

Co-creator Bruce Helford had previously created which sitcom?

He had also been a head writer on Roseanne, which gave him a history with ABC.

How many episodes did ABC initially test the show with before ordering more?

After the test run, the network committed to 13 episodes and later added nine more.

On the show, George works at a factory making what?

The fictional Powers Brothers aviation factory was his workplace, and later his best friend Ernie's too.

What is the name of George's neglectful, alcoholic mother on the show?

She was played by Belita Moreno, previously a regular on Perfect Strangers.

Which learning difference does George's son Max have on the show?

George raises Max and daughter Carmen with his wife Angie.

What is the profession of Angie's wealthy father, Vic Palmero?

Vic, played by Emiliano Díez, is not fond of George at first.

What is the surname of George's socially awkward best friend Ernie?

Valente Rodriguez played him in all 120 episodes as George's friend and co-worker.

After Carmen left the show, which relative moved in with a large trust fund?

Angie's overindulged niece, played by Aimee Garcia, joined in the fifth season with George managing her money.

George's long-lost father Manny turns out to be a businessman in which city?

Benny had convinced George he was dead; Manny is married to Lydia and has another son also named George Lopez.

George is about to donate what to his father Manny when Manny dies?

The storyline mirrored Lopez's own genetic kidney condition and his 2005 transplant.

Which band performs 'Low Rider', the show's theme song?

Lopez called it the 'Chicano National Anthem' at the 2007 ALMA Awards; licensing costs kept it off most DVD releases.

The show's all-Latino cast had one exception: Masiela Lusha, who was born where?

She played George's daughter Carmen for the first five seasons.

Which short-lived ABC sitcom did Lopez mock with 'So a Chicano can't be on TV, but a caveman can?'

The show based on insurance commercials was cancelled after 13 episodes; Lopez said 170 of his staff lost their jobs.

Which studio, rather than ABC itself, produced the sitcom, a factor Lopez blamed for its cancellation?

He said the show had four time slots in five years and still beat a comedy ABC renewed.

Which cable block did the sitcom join in September 2007, becoming its highest-rated series?

The run lasted almost 13 years until September 2020; the show later moved to TBS and then Cozi TV.

In 2021 Lopez said a reboot of the sitcom had been sold to which streamer before being squashed?

He blamed a former Warner Bros. Television president for making sure it never happened.

Which actress played George's wife Angie?

She had played Selena's mother in the 1997 film Selena and later starred in Switched at Birth.

Belita Moreno, who played Benny, was earlier a regular on which 1980s sitcom?

She played Edwina Twinkacetti and Lydia Markham on the show from 1986 to 1992.

In what year was George Lopez born in Los Angeles?

He grew up in the San Fernando Valley and graduated from San Fernando High School in 1979.

Lopez was raised mainly by which relative after his parents abandoned him?

Benita Gutierrez was a factory worker; her husband, a day laborer, physically abused them both.

Lopez was abandoned by his father at what age?

His mother left when he was 10; he has described her as 'a scammer' with no parental instincts.

Which HBO sports show featured Lopez as a cast member for the 2003–04 season?

He is also an avid golfer who has hosted the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic since 2006.

Lopez Tonight, which he hosted from 2009 to 2011, aired on which network?

It debuted in November 2009 and ran Monday through Thursday until its cancellation in August 2011.

Which host's arrival at TBS in 2010 pushed Lopez Tonight back to midnight?

Lopez personally urged him to take the job; he later joked, 'I was on Team Coco, now I'm on Team Loco!'

Lopez Tonight's first episode in 2009 featured which two guests?

Ellen DeGeneres dropped in and Carlos Santana performed on the debut.

Lopez was the first Mexican-American to host what on English-language US television?

He promised to bring change to late night and reach a more diverse audience.

Saint George, Lopez's 2014 sitcom, aired on which network?

Under the 10/90 syndication model it needed ratings targets to trigger 90 more episodes; it was cancelled after one season.

Lopez, his 2016 semi-autobiographical single-camera sitcom, debuted on which channel?

It ran until 2017; his next series return was Lopez vs Lopez on NBC in 2022.

As a 2016 guest judge on America's Got Talent, Lopez used his golden buzzer on which act?

The buzzer sends an act straight to the live shows.

In Lopez vs Lopez, Lopez co-stars with which real-life relative?

NBC picked up the series in May 2022; it was cancelled after three seasons in 2025.

In Lopez vs Lopez, George's character runs what kind of business that went bankrupt?

The failure forces him to move in with his estranged daughter, her fiancé Quinten and grandson Chance.

Which legend plays George's grandmother Dolores in Lopez vs Lopez?

Cheech Marin also recurs as Carlos, a curandero, and Selenis Leyva plays George's ex-wife Rosie.

Which 2002 HBO Films drama produced by Lopez won the Sundance Audience Award?

He had appeared in the 2000 drama Bread and Roses before his sitcom launched.

Lopez appeared in which 2005 Robert Rodriguez family film?

He also starred in the Disney Christmas TV movie Naughty or Nice.

In Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Lopez voiced a Chihuahua with what name?

He reprised Papi Cortez in the 2011 sequel, the same year he voiced a toucan in Rio.

In the animated hit Rio, Lopez voiced Rafael, which kind of bird?

The 2011 cast also included Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, will.i.am and Jamie Foxx.

Lopez played villain Glaze opposite which action star in 2010's The Spy Next Door?

The family comedy came out the year after Lopez Tonight launched.

In 2023's Blue Beetle, Lopez played Rudy Reyes, who is what relation to the hero?

Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle, was played by Xolo Maridueña in the DC film.

What is the title of Lopez's autobiography, co-written with Armen Keteyian?

It reached the New York Times bestseller top twenty; Brown Is the New Green is a 2007 documentary about him.

Which cruise line hired Lopez in 2011 as its creative director for comedy?

The Punchliner Comedy Clubs Presented by George Lopez appeared on its ships; the deal lasted five years.

Who donated an organ to Lopez for his 2005 transplant?

He delayed the transplant until after the sitcom's fourth season and lost 45 pounds afterward.

In what year did Lopez and Ann Serrano finalize their divorce?

They had married in 1993; Serrano filed in November 2010 citing irreconcilable differences.

Which magazine named Lopez one of the '25 Most Influential Hispanics in America' in 2005?

Harvard's Harvard Foundation had named him Artist of the Year and Humanitarian the year before.

Lopez's elementary school honored him in 2011 by naming what after him?

He runs an annual toy giveaway so every child at San Fernando Elementary gets a holiday gift.

Which presidential candidate did Lopez endorse in 2016?

He is a Democratic Party supporter and appeared at the 2009 Obama inaugural celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.

What golf handicap does Lopez, a member at Lakeside Country Club, play to?

He and his pro partner finished third at the 2004 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Lopez vs Lopez premiered on NBC in which year?

Created with Mayan Lopez and Debby Wolfe, it premiered on November 4 and ran three seasons.