Doctors told him his kidneys were failing due to a genetic condition, and a transplant was needed to survive. Timing was critical, but he delayed the surgery for a year, consumed with fear that the truth about his condition would leak to the press. He didn’t want their then 9-year-old daughter reading about it in the tabloids.

Though he was a public figure, he managed to keep the illness a secret for quite some time. But eventually, it was clear he needed help. That’s when Ann stepped in, offering something extraordinary — her own kidney.

As she once said in an interview, it was an easy decision.
”It’s amazing to be able to help another human being in this way. You’re giving the gift of life,” she said.

After the surgery’s success, the iconic actor was lucky that his body accepted the new organ. To top it off, he even lost 45 pounds as his health improved. Thanks to Ann’s generosity, they looked forward to more happy years together. But that wasn’t how things turned out.

So, who was this man? Well, that was George Lopez, best known for starring in his hit sitcom The George Lopez Show. Today, he has grown into one of our most beloved comedians and in 2005, he was named one of ”The Top 25 Hispanics in America” by Time magazine.

Abandoned by his parents

George Lopez, born in 1961 in Los Angeles to a Mexican migrant worker, had anything but an easy start in life. Abandoned by his father when he was just two months old and later left by his mother at the age of 10, George was raised by his grandmother.

As a shy and introverted child, he spent much of his time lost in daydreams. No one could have predicted he would one day become a Hollywood star, but George turned his challenging upbringing into comedic brilliance, transforming pain into punchlines that resonated with audiences everywhere.

”I started to find my comedic voice in the early ’90s, and it revolved around my grandmother as kind of a muse,” George once shared.

”She was really something. No cars could go from zero to 60 as fast as my grandmother could go from calm to upset.”

Discovered by Sandra Bullock

It wasn’t long before George was approached by Sandra Bullock, who was frustrated by the lack of Hispanic representation on TV.

ABC agreed, and in 2002, George became one of the few Latinos to star in a sitcom. The show was a hit, watched by nearly 10 million viewers during its first season. George was the co-creator, writer, producer, and star.

Though it was a success, the show was canceled in 2007, and George wasn’t happy. He famously told the Los Angeles Times, ”TV just became really, really white again.”

Professionally, it was a big loss, but George then had just overcome a life-threatening situation.

Secret surgery

On April 19, 2005, he was wheeled into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center under the alias “Tom Ace,” unsure if he’d make it through.

With Ann’s selfless act, he did.

Both underwent surgery in side-by-side operating rooms, and by the next day, their daughter was visiting them at the hospital. Ann said she felt no different having just one kidney.

”There was no question. When you are put in that position where you could possibly lose someone you love, it’s a very easy decision.”

But despite everything they went through, the marriage didn’t last. After 18 years as husband and wife, the couple announced their separation. Ann filed for divorce in 2010, citing ”irreconcilable differences,” and it was finalized in 2011.

Ch:eat:ing on his wife

Ann has spoken candidly about their marriage’s breakdown, pointing to George’s chaotic upbringing as a factor. George himself admitted during an interview with Piers Morgan that he was partly to blame for their split, even acknowledging that some of the criticism he received after their divorce was deserved, especially given that Ann had saved his life.

To outsiders, Ann and George appeared to have it all, yet in fact, things were far from perfect. About six years into their marriage, things took a turn. George had cheated on Ann, and they were forced to confront the situation head-on.

Determined to keep their family intact, Ann insisted they go to couples therapy, wanting their daughter to grow up with her father present. George seemed to understand the gravity of his actions, and for a while, it appeared he had learned his lesson. But Ann made it clear — if it happened again, their marriage would be finito.

Unfortunately, it did happen again, and this time it was very public.

Ann found out the heartbreaking truth by reading it in a tabloid. In that moment, she realized the man she had loved and supported was living a double life.

”It was a pretty devastating way to find out,” Ann told TheHourGlass Podcast in 2024.

This was something Ann could not tolerate, and she made the painful decision to file for divorce. Unsurprisingly, Mayan stood firmly by her mother’s side, supporting her through the heartache
Years later Mayan, revealed more about her parent’s relationship on TikTok, asking them directly why they got divorced. Ann responded, ”Your dad didn’t realize you have to stop dating other people when you get married.”

A year later, Mayan, who is also building a career as an actress, posted another video with the caption, ”He che:ated. She divorced him. We kept almost everything.”

Went into therapy

George has been more reserved about the details but has expressed regret over the hurt he caused, especially to his daughter. The two didn’t speak for years.

George eventually went to therapy with her to work through their issues, admitting it was “awkward,” but necessary.

“You have to be responsible for the trauma that you’ve caused,” George said. ”For the first time in my life I said, ‘Yeah, I’m responsible for this and I’m going to spend the rest of my life repairing it.’”

”To be a father is a very special thing,” he told ET and continued: ”To be estranged from you child is the worst thing ever and for the first time in my life, I owned up to my mistakes and I’m lucky Mayan took me back into her life and a little bit of the show is about that.””

Father and daughter eventually managed to heal their relationship, and it led to something truly special. Not only did they reconcile, but they also turned their personal struggles into art. The two now co-star in the NBC comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, a show that hits close to home, as it’s loosely based on their own journey of mending a complicated relationship

Remarkably, despite everything, Ann and George maintain a good relationship. In fact, Mayan asked them a decade later if they still loved each other, and both admitted they did. Ann even referred to George as her “husband and friend,” while George simply said, ”I love Ann.”