-Our first guest tonight
is a Grammy-nominated comedian and actor
you know from his sitcom "George Lopez"
and his talk show "Lopez Tonight."
His new show "Lopez vs. Lopez" airs Fridays at 8:00 on NBC
and streams the next day on Peacock.
Let's take a look.
-So he knows all this stuff about me.
I want to know about his dirty laundry.
-Yeah, he doesn't have any.
He does laundry every day.
I am not his favorite thing that is white and delicate.
Now, can we please move past this
so we can keep having a nice family weekend?
It would really mean a lot to me, George.
-[ Chuckles ] I bet it would.
-D-Does that mean he'll do it?
I don't want to lie to you.
So I'm going to go to the kitchen.
-Please welcome to the show George Lopez, everybody!
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
-Oh, my God.
-Welcome to the show, George.
-I've never been here.
-I know, it's the first time here.
I'm so thrilled to have you.
-I've never been here before. How about that?
-First time!
I couldn't help but notice as I was listing your past credits,
you've done a very smart thing.
You've put your name in the title
of everything you've ever done.
"George Lopez" sitcom, "Lopez Tonight,"
and now "Lopez vs. Lopez."
Well, there was "St. George" and there was just "Lopez."
But "Lopez vs. Lopez" is the title that we're using now.
Not as shocking to me as it was
in the divorce papers when I saw it for the first time.
-Right, so it's better as a sitcom title
than it is in a legal document?
-You know, anything with the State of California vs. Lopez
[bleep] I lost.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-You know, you've been doing this for so long, I assume --
You know, you've been doing stand-up you've had your shows.
People must feel like they know you when they see you.
-Well, you know, you would think.
-Uh-huh.
-A Grubhub driver came to my house on a Saturday morning.
And he looked in the house past me, he went,
"Oh, I thought that George Lopez was here."
[ Light laughter ]
And at that point, you got to be
[Spanish accent] "No, señor, he left, he go."
[ Light laughter ]
"No here.
He no here."
[ Normal voice ] And then you ever talk to somebody
with an accent, and they get the accent?
"He no here. The guy like, "He no here?"
I was like, "No."
-People appreciate when you speak in their accent, I think.
-I have to say a bad word.
But in the elevator, somebody said, "You look like somebody."
They never say, like, "Who do I look like?"
And the lady said, "You look like Cheech [bleep] Chong."
[ Laughter ]
-Wow.
I mean, I might say that if I was passing someone.
But to be in an elevator...
-Republicans, they're bold, man.
-They're bold.
[ Laughter ]
Now, that is your -- that is your actual daughter
who is playing the other Lopez in the title.
That's Mayan.
-That's my daughter, Mayan Lopez.
-That's amazing. [ Cheers and applause ]
And now, to get serious for a moment,
this is inspired by the fact that you two, in real life,
were estranged for a while.
What was it like for the two of you to sort of revisit that time
and to turn it into comedy?
-Well, Seth, you know...
first, you have to be a horrible father.
-Okay. [ Laughter ]
That's step one.
-And have broken -- And have broken everyone's heart.
You've lied to everyone.
Never to Congress, but everyone in my family.
-Yeah.
You know, and in therapy, you're just taking years of it,
just abuse of years, you know.
You can never say anything about me, you know.
As hard as therapy was,
it wasn't as cold as the elevator ride down.
I mean that's, like --
You're like [Bleep] It's three floors.
And it just feels like forever.
But, you know, I love Mayan so much
that it is truly the one relationship in my life
that I'm willing to take responsibility for and repair,
because it's my only child and I love her so much.
And if NBCUniversal is going to pay us to work it out, I'm here.
-Yeah.
There you go.
[ Cheers and applause ]
If you can figure out how to get someone else
to pay for your therapy, you have been --
you have been in this business for a long time.
When did you know Mayan was funny?
And do you think she was
realizing she was funny at the same time?
Or do you think it happened on a different schedule?
-You know, I think, you know, when kids are not afraid
to put, like, their finger in your butt crack,
you're like, "Hey!"
But my...
[ Laughter ]
My ex-wife --
My ex-wife was very bosomy.
And Mayan would put the bra on her head
and these two pointy things and she would just go...
You know?
-Yeah, that's when you know they got it, yeah.
[ Laughter ]
-And she loves "Saturday Night Live."
She loves you. She loves Jimmy.
She just loves comedies. -Yeah.
Well, you guys got a very natural chemistry
on-screen together.
I got a lot more to ask you.
We'll be right back with more from George Lopez.