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In 2020, Mayan Lopez took to social media and spilled the beans about her relationship with her estranged father. In a humorous video, Mayan shared how her father's infidelity affected her family, and fans took notice. Even more so, the TikTok video caught producer Debbie Wolfe's attention, who decided that the story was made for TV.
Mayan is the daughter of comedian George Lopez, who is best known for his stand-up specials that examine race and culture, especially Mexican American culture. Following the TikTok video in 2020, the Lopez father-daughter duo reunited after many years to release a show based on their lives.
Mayan Lopez and her father have been estranged for almost 10 years
Mayan Lopez was born on April 2, 1996, to George Lopez and Ann Serrano Lopez in San Fernando, California. She studied comedy writing and performance in college, with the goal of being on Saturday Night Live. She has also studied Sketch Comedy and Improvisation, finishing the conservatory in Second City, Chicago.
This lends Mayan a lot of experience along with the fact that she was present when her father was filming his show George Lopez, which debuted in 2002 on ABC. Now, twenty years later, she is stepping onto the silver screen and bringing her father back with her.
The 26-year-old TV debutant was fifteen years old when her parents went through a public divorce. She told The New York Post that she felt the need to express her family's dirty laundry on social media - how her father was unfaithful, how her mother gave him a kidney, and then they subsequently divorced.
Her reasoning was that since she is a comedian, she should be able to laugh it off. And using that tidbit, she has now created a show that talks about her broken relationship. NBC's Lopez vs. Lopez is the story of George and Mayan Lopez's relationship as they begin to mend it after nearly a decade of being estranged.
Their real-life story lends gravitas to their on-screen characters as they work towards mending their ties after George's shortcomings as a husband and father.
Of course, the process has not been easy. Mayan Lopez has confessed that some wounds never heal, but working together has been very helpful. She said:
“I think some wounds never heal. Working together hasn’t been easy but it’s very cathartic. I think the past can be in the past and we can build a better future with one another.”
George Lopez also commented on him working with his daughter after several years. He told Universal Studios Hollywood that he's very happy to get the chance to reconnect with her. He continued to talk about the process and said:
"I am in the happiest place I have ever been in my life."
Mayan Lopez is also the producer of the show, and lends her talents to the writing room as well.
Lopez vs. Lopez premiered on November 4, 2022, and is a new-age Latine story that has fictionalized the lives of two very real individuals. The show also stars Selenis Leyva of Orange Is The New Black fame, Matt Shively, and Brice Gonzalez. The show airs Fridays at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC.
