Mario Lopez Apologizes for Controversial Comments on Transgender Children

Access - Season 24
Sam Hon via NBC

Mario Lopez has issued an apology following backlash on statements he made during an appearance on The Candace Owens Show back in June which has since gone viral.

In the conversation, the two discuss politics and controversy in Hollywood which then leads to transgender children at around the 11-minute mark. And one particular statement that Lopez made during the conversation is now being called out as insensitive.

Host Owens brought up what she termed the “Hollywood trend” of allowing children to choose their own gender and asked what Lopez thought. He responded:

“Look, I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids… and I think if you come from a place of love, you really can’t go wrong. But at the same time, my God, if you’re three years old and you’re saying you’re feeling a certain way, or you think you’re a boy or a girl or whatever the case may be, I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make that determination then,” Lopez said. “It’s sort of alarming and, my gosh, I just think about the repercussions later on.”

They pair continued to discuss in the radio episode which is view-able online, and since it went viral, Lopez has been a trending topic on the internet. Addressing the situation, Lopez released the following statement:

“The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were. I have been and always will be an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself. Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful.”

The former Saved by the Bell star currently works on NBC’s Extra but will move to Access Hollywood this fall.