Episode notes

(Photo: Daniel Speer)

George Lopez is a standup who’s been at it for decades. And from the nineties on, he’s been a sitcom fixture. First as the goofy, lovable classic sitcom dad on George Lopez, which ran for 6 seasons on ABC. Then, in Lopez, he played a standup comedian who also happened to be, well, a goofy, lovable sitcom dad.

Now he stars on Lopez vs Lopez, alongside his real life daughter Mayan. Mayan co-created the show with George. On Lopez vs Lopez, George plays another funny, goofy, lovable dad, this time the owner of a moving company. But he’s not just funny, goofy and lovable. Just like in real life, Mayan and George’s characters are named Mayan and George. Just like in real life, they play father and daughter on the show. And just like in real life, Mayan and George were estranged for a long time.

The show comes at a reflective time in George Lopez’ life. Along with reconciling with his daughter, Lopez has been thinking a lot about his health, his legacy, and his difficult, at times traumatic childhood. 

George Lopez joins us to talk about how he and his daughter Mayan approached creating Lopez vs Lopez. He also opens up with us about his upbringing and the relationship he had with his grandparents who raised him. Plus, he gets into what it’s been like having to live the last twenty years of his life in parallel with the TV version of himself.