After news broke on Aug. 11 that George Lopez’s late-night talk show, “Lopez Tonight,” had been cancelled, many would assume that the comedian would surely be down in the dumps. But according to RadarOnline, while taping one of the last episodes of the now-defunct show, Lopez opened up about the cancellation and in a show of good humor, made light of the show’s demise.
“In case you haven’t heard the news, TBS has decided not to renew “Lopez Tonight” and tomorrow will be our last night,” Lopez told his disheartened audience before joking, “The unemployment rate is high, and for Latinos, it just got a little higher!”
Lopez, who recently lent his vocals to the Smurfs film, then jokingly shared a bit of good news, announcing that he would be returning for the sequel of the hit film.
“I did get some good news this morning. Sony announced they’re doing a sequel to the Smurfs movie,” said Lopez, before taking a funny jab at TBS. “So today, I lost some work because I’m brown, but also I got some work because I’m blue.”
Lopez kept the jokes rolling, adding that he would follow in the drug-filled footsteps of fellow unemployed TV star Charlie Sheen.
“Like every TV star before me, I’m gonna find some crack,” Lopez joked. “I’m gonna get on the pipe! Lose that unwanted 110 pounds I wanted to lose. But I’m taking it good, I’m straight, believe me. I’m fine — my goddesses are a wreck … they left me!”
Shifting gears a bit to a more serious tone, Lopez announced that he’ll be going on tour with music legend Carlos Santana in the coming weeks and showed his appreciation for his talk show staff.
“It’s been great, every night, to work with the Ese Vatos and, of course, Michael Bearden,” said Lopez of his house band, jokingly adding that this isn’t the last that fans will see of him. “We’re not saying goodbye, we’re saying, ‘Cable doesn’t work.’ ”
Last year, “Lopez Tonight” had been moved back an hour from its original 11:00 p.m. slot to make room for Conan O’Brien’s return to late-night TV. And in a show of support, O’Brien recently voiced his sadness over the cancellation and wished Lopez well.
“Had it not been for George being so incredibly supportive of me, I would not have come to TBS and we would not be dong this show right now. I owe that man a lot and frankly, it makes me very sad that TBS and George could not work this out,” O’Brien said. “We understand, believe me, how hard this is for all of you, and we wish you all the best.”
It’s good to know that Lopez is still in good spirits and that he has the support of some good Hollywood friends.
–nicholas robinson
