George Lopez recently announced his retirement after making America laugh with his anecdotes for over two decades. But his recent joke at a political rally proves his career isn’t over.

Brought to the mainstream media by Sandra Bullock, or so he says, George Lopez’s comedy often blends personal, cultural, and social observations, drawing on his experiences growing up in a Mexican-American household. And his satire has never been a problem before. Lopez’s comedy has been widely loved by audiences, especially by the Latino community, so much so that Time Magazine named him one of “The Top 25 Hispanics in America” in 2005.

Using humor to address issues like family dynamics, immigration, and assimilation, Lopez regularly observes Mexican-American culture and the difficulties of being a minority in America. He frequently draws funny comparisons between mainstream American society and Latino culture, highlighting cultural conflicts. However, doing so in a political rally has put him under scrutiny from the general public, who are conveniently unaware that George Lopez is Mexican-American, himself.

George Lopez comes from a family of Mexican migrant workers

Though born in the US in Los Angeles, California, George Lopez is the son of Frieda and Anatasio Lopez and is of Mexican descent. His ethnicity has been a defining part of his career, as he regularly talks about the humor, social dynamics, and cultural quirks of Latino groups in the U.S., introducing Latino viewpoints to stand-up comedy and mainstream American television.

Lopez has started tackling more political subjects in recent years, employing humor to criticize social concerns, especially those that affect the Latino population. He frequently offers incisive comments on current affairs in his stand-up and on social media, which gives his otherwise humorous material a more somber tone.

The political audience remains unaware of Lopez’s ethnicity, putting him under scrutiny for his jokes

When Lopez spoke during a Tim Walz rally on Oct. 27, 2024, and used a common stereotype associated with Mexicans to counter Donald Trump’s racist policies, he faced heavy criticism from the right-wing public. In the video shared widely on X, Lopez can be seen responding humorously to Trump’s plans to build walls to stop immigrants from coming to the USA:

“Donald Trump said he was gonna build a wall, and Geoge Lopez said, ‘You better build it one day because if you leave the material out there overnight…’”

The comedian implied that Mexicans might steal all the material, but the light-hearted joke wasn’t taken well by the right-wing communities who are unaware that Lopez is a Mexican himself. In response to his trolling, one user pointed out, “I’m black, if I call my homie a n**** we’re gonna laugh, if you do it. You’re getting popped in the mouth. That’s the difference.” And that is all really needed to say about the matter.