Mario Lopez Talks Fatherhood, Family — & The Fact That 'Saved by the Bell' Is Turning 35

Rita Templeton
·5 min read
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If my tween self knew that my adult self would ever be sitting down for a chat with Mario Lopez, she’d have keeled over. After all, like pretty much everyone else in my generation, I spent years religiously watching him as the painfully-cool, bemulleted A.C. Slater in the iconic early-’90s teen sitcom Saved by the Bell. (For the record: I was Team Slater all the way. Zack Morris, who?)

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But no matter what the rest of the world thinks, Mario Lopez’s kids regard him as supremely uncool. “They don’t want to watch me on TV, they don’t want to see me on Access Hollywood, the last thing they want to do is see me,” he laughs during our interview. “I’m just in the house to be, like, their backup dancer.”

He’s talking about the dances on his TikTok, of course, where he and the rest of the Lopez family — his wife Courtney and their children, 13-year-old Gia, 10-year-old Dominic, and nearly-5-year-old Santino — provide a fun and lighthearted glimpse into their home life (complete with some stellar dance moves, typically choreographed by Gia. “Those are always a hoot,” Lopez says).

In a world where most of us know him as Mario Lopez the actor and TV personality, it’s pretty cool to get a glimpse of him as Mario Lopez the husband and father. And though he may have a tough time impressing his kids, it’s clear that he’s impressed by them — and, like any doting dad, trying to raise them the very best he can.

“I want them to not only be good kids, nice kids, polite kids … I want to instill a strong work ethic,” Lopez tells me. “I don’t want them to expect anything. I don’t want them to have anyone just give them anything; I want them to work hard for whatever it is that they want.”

A big part of instilling these ethics comes from their participation in sports. Much like their dad when he was growing up, Gia, Dominic, and Santino are full of energy. From cheer to gymnastics and wrestling, their extracurricular schedules are packed with physical pursuits; Lopez says that they have activities after school every single day.

His kids’ experience in sports has taught them some pivotal (albeit sometimes difficult) lessons, and Lopez is teaching them to see setbacks as a learning opportunity. “[Sports are] very emotional,” he says. “You get invested, but it makes them very tough, mentally and emotionally. All my kids are more confident because of that, because I don’t try to coddle them. I don’t try to shield them from any sort of letdown that they might not want to experience, because that’s life. I’d rather they learn it while they’re young, because it’s inevitable as they get older.”

He and Courtney are no strangers to the on-the-go lifestyle that comes with raising athletic kids. For this reason, Lopez teamed up with Mott’s to promote the brand’s new kids’ sports drink alternative from Mott’s Active, which delivers extra hydration benefits via added electrolytes, but without any added sugar.

“It was a perfect fit. It was a natural fit,” Lopez says of his partnership with Mott’s. “I was a big supporter, and happy to partner. I like that it’s got no sugar, no artificial flavors. It’s made with coconut water, which I’m a big fan of.” Its eight-ounce container is also the perfect portable size for packing into sports bags or backpacks, something it seems Lopez and his wife are doing on a near-constant basis.

With so many activities — not to mention two busy parents — how do the Lopezes manage to keep it all balanced? Well, with mom superpowers, of course! Lopez credits Courtney’s talent for “streamlining everything” as one of the components that holds everything together in the midst of chaos.

“My wife’s great at kind of rolling with the punches as far as my schedule, because it can get unpredictable in this line of work, and she’s busy too. She’s working on E! News, and she does a radio show with me, and like I said, all the kids’ schedules are crazy,” he tells me. But luckily for the whole family, both his mom and Courtney’s mom are key players in getting everyone coordinated. “Both moms help out a lot,” Lopez says. “We’ve got a little team — my dad too — and it’s a big family effort. It really does take a village, so we’re blessed. Our family’s so close.”

As much as I’ve enjoyed getting an inside look at Lopez as a dad, I have to ask him about one important thing outside of fatherhood and family: the fact that Saved by the Bell is turning 35 (does anybody feel as old as I do?!).

“It was all kind of a blur when I was a kid, but I look back on it fondly,” Lopez reminisces. “I had a lot of fun. We had a good time. We were actually kids playing kids, which was rare back then. And I still keep in touch with them, even now, as adults — as we have our own families — so it’s nice to see them. I have nothing but nice memories.”

Hopefully his son Dominic will have good memories of his own time onscreen. The younger Lopez recently finished filming an upcoming holiday movie with both his parents, Once Upon a Christmas Wish, set to debut in November 2024, in which he plays a young version of his dad. Though it isn’t his first foray into acting, Lopez says the movie is his son’s “first significant role.”

Despite the unwavering support he gives his kids in all the endeavors they choose to undertake, Lopez tells me his favorite thing about fatherhood has everything to do with the support they give him — without even knowing it.

“No matter what kind of day you’re having — especially when it’s a down, a tough day — you come home and you hear, like, “Daaaad!” and their little voices, it just makes you feel better,” he gushes. “It makes it all worthwhile.”

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