Being married to a Hollywood star can be tough, but some manage to make it work.
Ann Serrano, however, gave everything — including one of her organs — for her famous husband, only to be betrayed.
Ann Serrano may not be a name that jumps out at you right away, but she certainly shouldn’t be known just as ”the wife of a celebrity.” Ann’s made a name for herself as both an actress and a producer. Some of you might recognize her from Arrested Development , and she even appeared in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm .
Beyond her career, she’s also a devoted mom to a daughter she shares with a well-known and groundbreaking actor. The couple met during a casting for a movie, it was Ann’s first casting job. They clicked and married in September 1993. Three years later, they welcomed a beautiful daughter, Mayan.
For a long time, their high-profile marriage seemed solid, but everything changed in the early 2000s when her famous husband received a devastating diagnosis.
Doctors told him his kidneys were failing due to a genetic condition, and he needed a transplant 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.
Despite being 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.
For her, it was an easy decision, as she once said in an interview.
”It’s amazing to be able to help another human being in this way. You’re giving the gift of life,” she said .
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The surgery was a success, and 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? None other than 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
Born in 1961 in Los Angeles to a Mexican migrant worker, George Lopez 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.
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.
Despite its 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 at the time, George 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.
Thanks to 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.
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”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.
Cheating 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, but beneath the surface, 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.
Ann, determined to keep their family intact, 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.
LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 26: Actor/comedian George Lopez (L) and his wife Ann Serrano arrive at the premiere of Twentieth Century Fox’s “All About Steve” held at Mann’s Chinese Theater on August 26, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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 cheated. 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.”
Ann Serrano, Mayan Lopez and George Lopez join the picket line outside Warner Bros. Studios on September 15, 2023 in Burbank, California. Members of SAG-AFTRA and WGA (Writers Guild of America) have both walked out in their first joint strike against the studios since 1960. The strike has shut down a majority of Hollywood productions with writers in the fourth month of their strike against the Hollywood studios. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
