What Happened To The Cast Of The George Lopez Show?

Back in the 20th century, it was very common to see a stand-up comic enter the Hollywood pipeline by starring in their own sitcom based on their acts. Comedians like Bob Newhart, Martin Lawrence, and Roseanne Barr went from performing on small stages around the country to appearing in basically every living room in America thanks to the miracle of television. But when it came to the Latino community, there was a clear lack of representation. That is, until George Lopez arrived on the scene in 2002 with "The George Lopez Show."

Created by Lopez, "The Drew Carey Show" creator Bruce Helford, and "Roseanne" writer Robert Borden,"George Lopez" premiered on March 27, 2002, after the Los Angeles native had tried to make a TV show happen since the early 1990s. He finally achieved his goal when he met Sandra Bullock backstage after a performance at the Brea Improv Comedy Club in 2000. With the award-winning actress' help, the ball started rolling on the series that would go on to last for six seasons consisting of 120 episodes on ABC. Then, just one month after cancellation in 2007, it found a whole new audience in syndication on Nick at Nite, where it would become a staple of their lineup until 2020.

Just like the once-beloved "The Cosby Show" (before the titular star's fall from grace) and the historic yet under-appreciated Margaret Cho sitcom "All-American Girl" did for their respective communities, "George Lopez" was a trailblazing show that depicted Latinos in a relatable, non-stereotypical, and hilarious way. But since it earned a special place in TV and pop culture history over 20 years ago, many might be wondering what the "George Lopez" cast has been doing since then. So let's catch up with the legendary George Lopez and his first TV family.

Inspired by Jerry Seinfeld's hit comedy, George Lopez wanted to break into TV without playing a murderer, a drug dealer, or a gang member. His wish would come true with "The George Lopez Show," where he played a fictionalized version of himself in a story based on his upbringing in Southern California.

After the sitcom's cancellation in 2007, Lopez embarked on a journey into late-night television. TBS tapped the comic to host "Lopez Tonight" from 2009 to 2011. During this time, the network brought in Conan O'Brien to do his own show, following the drama with Jay Leno at NBC over "The Tonight Show." When "Conan" debuted, Lopez's time slot was pushed to midnight to accommodate the new addition to the late-night landscape. However, this was a move that the former sitcom star fully supported as he was more amicable than O'Brien's former co-worker.

Following his late-night stint on TBS, Lopez would return to sitcoms with the short-lived "Saint George" on FX in 2014 and "Lopez" on TV Land in 2016. Like "George Lopez," these shows would feature aspects of the comedian's real life. While the first series saw him playing a divorced working-class Mexican-American entrepreneur and night school teacher, the second one depicted his life as a stand-up comedian trying to balance his career and his interpersonal relationships.

In addition to a growing presence in television and stand-up, Lopez simultaneously cultivated a fruitful film career as well. Starting with landmark independent movie "Real Women Have Curves" alongside America Ferrera in her feature debut, Lopez would appear in a number of live-action projects including "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl," "The Spy Next Door," and the DC Comics movie "Blue Beetle." He also lent his voice to characters in animated franchises "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," "Rio," and "The Smurfs."

Eventually, he would return to network television in 2022 for another sitcom, but more on that later.

Fans of "The George Lopez Show" know Constance Marie as loving wife and mother Angie. But the performer behind George's high school sweetheart has been acting since she was a teenager. Using her background in dance, her first credited roles can be found in the 1988 film "Salsa" and the "Dirty Dancing" TV series. From there, she would join the cast of soap opera "Santa Barbara" as Nikki Alvarez for 90 episodes. Then, prior to "George Lopez," she popped up in various TV shows such as "Spin City," "Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place," and "Early Edition," as well as Jennifer Lopez's breakout film "Selena."

After playing Angie, Marie would reunite with her TV husband on "Lopez," and then again on "Lopez vs. Lopez." But in between reunions, she has kept plenty busy with recurring roles on "Switched At Birth," "Law & Order True Crime," "Elena of Avalor," and "Undone," as well as lending her voice to Imelda in "Puss In Boots." And most recently, she was featured in "With Love" on Prime Video and Hulu's "How I Met Your Father" before returning to ABC, the original home of "The George Lopez Show," for "Doctor Odyssey."

Not all family is related by blood. Sometimes you're lucky enough to meet people in life who are just as close or even closer than an aunt, cousin, or brother. For (the first fictional) George Lopez, that's what Ernie Cardenas was for him. Through thick and thin, these two managed to stay friends since second grade.

In real life, Ernie was played by Valente Rodriguez. Like Constance Marie, he got his first major role in "Salsa." He would go on to appear in a number of big films such as "Ed," "Volcano," "Deep Blue Sea," and "Erin Brockovich." On the TV side of things, Rodriguez was featured in a variety of beloved shows, starting with "The Golden Girls" and "Falcon Crest," followed by "Beverly Hills, 90210," "The X Files," and "Sabrina The Teenage Witch."

Once "George Lopez" was cancelled, Rodriguez would continue to work steadily by playing parts in films like "(500) Days of Summer," "The House Bunny," and "McFarland, USA" while continuing his work on TV with guest spots on "The Bill Engvall Show," "Shameless," "Wizards of Waverly Place," and "Cristela," another influential sitcom for the Latino community. 

Despite his journeyman route around Hollywood, he would also go on to land two prominent roles: Cesar in Fran Drescher's "Happily Divorced" and Principal Gutierrez in the fan-favorite Disney+ musical mockumentary "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series."

Some actors work their entire careers to land a multi-year gig on television. But at only 10 years old, Luis Armand Garcia managed to achieve this feat when he joined the cast of "The George Lopez Show" as George and Angie's son Max. However, it would seem that six seasons were enough for the young star, since it doesn't look like he continued to act after the show was cancelled.

Before taking on the role of Max, Garcia followed in his five siblings' footsteps into the dramatic arts. The young actor from just outside of Chicago, Illinois made his television debut on "ER" and "Any Day Now." He also starred in a number of commercials and public service announcements. But after "George Lopez" came to an end, the only credit to Garcia's name is the reunion on "Lopez vs. Lopez" in 2022 (more on that later).

At this point, Garcia seems to be out of the limelight completely. He is no longer active on any social media platform, so updates on his life and career are scarce. But according to his IMDB page, after stepping back from Hollywood, he began to focus instead on charity work for organizations like The Make-A-Wish Foundation and The American Heart Association. He also started his own non-profit foundation called Hands On Horses, which focused on helping the foster children of America.

During its six-year run, "The George Lopez Show" earned a number of award nominations. The influential series was recognized by the BET Comedy Awards, the Emmys, the Image Awards, the Teen Choice Awards, and many other organizations. But when it came to wins, Mariela Lusha walked away as the cast member to win the most accolades for her role on the show with two Young Artist Awards.

Lusha, who was interestingly the only non-Latino lead on the series, played George and Angie's rebellious and passionate teenage daughter Carmen. Her first major role for the Albania-born performer was on the Disney Channel's "Lizzie McGuire" in 2001. She would go on to appear in a few small film roles and Alanis Morissette's music video for "Hands Clean" before landing "George Lopez." Then, during production, she gave her voice to Nina on PBS' animated series about a certain big red dog called "Clifford's Puppy Days."

Unlike the rest of the cast, Carmen didn't make it to the end of the series as a regular cast member. Lusha transitioned to a guest star in the final season as her character moved to Vermont for college. While no reasons were given for her departure, the actor told Sitcoms Online that "it was for the best" and "essential" for her to move on. 

Despite leaving prior to the cancellation, she was nothing but complimentary about the show and the cast as she continued her career in film and television. She even went on to reunite with her onscreen dad on "Lopez" and series creator Bruce Helford on "Anger Management." Though she's best known for her role in "The George Lopez Show," fans of "Sharknado" will recognize her as Gemini from the 4th and 5th installments of the franchise.

As the matriarch of the family, Benita "Benny" Lopez keeps her son (and just about everyone else) in check with her sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude. Though it may seem cold and bitter to outsiders, her family knows that she will do absolutely anything for them. In order to bring such a strong woman to life, "The George Lopez Show" enlisted veteran performer Belita Moreno.

Originally hailing from Dallas, Texas, Moreno's Hollywood career began in 1977 with a few appearances on the TV series "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and three films with director Robert Altman. She would then go on to appear on some of the most popular shows of all time including "Perfect Strangers" (where she regularly appeared as Lydia Markham), "The Golden Girls," "Full House," "Melrose Place," and "Family Ties." Her resume also includes a number of films like "Grosse Pointe Blank" and "Mommie Dearest," as well as a number of plays in California and New York.

After "George Lopez," Moreno continued to appear in a number of projects such as "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," and "Family Guy." But when she's not onscreen or onstage, she serves as an acting coach and advisor, with projects like "Almost Famous," "Jerry Maguire," "17 Again," and more in her past.

The in-laws have always been a fountain of comedic material for sitcoms for as long as the art form has been around. But sometimes, the father-in-laws or mother-in-laws end up sticking around the series long enough to have a loving relationship with their family (while still getting their shots in). That's what happened when Angie's father Vic ended up moving to California from Florida after his divorce. As the character became more of a mainstay in the Lopez household, Emiliano Diez's proud Cuban cardiologist even comes to respect George a little bit by the time he starts appearing as a series regular.

Diez started his onscreen acting career in 1976. Four years later, the Havana, Cuba native moved to Miami and started dabbling in theater as well. Once he was up and running, he appeared in a number of English and Spanish projects such as the award-winning Telemundo sitcom "Los Beltrán," miniseries "Nostromo" alongside Albert Finney and Colin Firth, and "Everybody Loves Raymond."

After the cancellation of "The George Lopez Show," Diez continued to pick up roles in prominent projects. His credits would go on to include the 4th installment of the "Step Up" franchise titled "Step Up Revolution," Disney Channel's 2016 remake of "Adventures in Babysitting," "Ray Donovan," "One Day at a Time," and "Blue Bloods." He would also lend his voice to the animated series "Elena of Avalor" as Francisco Flores, the maternal grandfather of the titular Elena. Most recently, he could be seen in the Max original series "Gordita Chronicles."

When Mariela Lusha stepped back from her role as Carmen at the end of the fifth season of "George Lopez," the show brought Aimee Garcia's Veronica Palmero back as a series regular. George and Angie's goddaughter/niece was a Paris Hilton-esque socialite from Miami that came to live with the Lopezes after her mom passed away. George was also declared the sole trustee of Veronica's multi-million-dollar inheritance, so hilarity ensues when she tries her hardest to get her uncle to give her access.

Before joining the cast of "The George Lopez Show," Garcia had a number of roles in film and television. Some highlights include movies like "Cadet Kelly," "D.E.B.S.," and Spanglish," as well as lead roles in TV shows "All About The Andersons" and "Greetings From Tucson."

After her stint with the Lopez family, her star only continued to rise as she scored huge roles in "Dexter," "Vegas," and the short-lived "Rush Hour" series. Garcia also entered the comic book multiverse thanks to Marvel's stop-motion adult animated series "M.O.D.O.K." on Hulu and DC's live-action "Lucifer." Plus, not only has she starred in comic book projects, she also creates her own comics with her writing partner AJ Mendez (AKA former WWE Superstar AJ Lee). But even with her growing career as a comic writer, she is still active onscreen. Her latest project, a short film called "Aimee Comes First," premiered at the 32nd San Diego Latino Film Festival in March 2025.

The final episode of "George Lopez" aired on May 8, 2007. However, that wasn't the last time that the cast would work together. In addition to some other guest spots on his other shows, the biggest reunion of the cast to date took place on Lopez's latest sitcom "Lopez vs. Lopez."

Starring alongside his real-life daughter Mayan Lopez, the show follows a formerly estranged father and daughter as they try to make up for lost time when he moves in with her and her family. In the first season's Christmas episode, Mayan looks to celebrate their first Christmas back together with the whole family, including both of her divorced parents and their old traditions. But when George and his ex-wife Rosie (played by Selenis Leyva) can't respect Mayan's wishes, the whole holiday celebration is in jeopardy.

In the episode, Rosie says that "a real Latino Christmas has at least 10 guests." After everyone makes up and they prepare to settle in for their Nochebuena meal, the doorbell rings and reveals four familiar faces to make up the rest of the guest list: Belita Moreno, Luis Armand Garcia, Constance Marie, and Valente Rodriguez. After some warm embraces and charming bits between some similar characters, Marie (who is credited as Connie in the credits) jokes that she hasn't seen her husband since 2007, but heard that he had a new family and a better haircut. The whole moment was very sweet and a great homage to such an influential series.