
Mario Lopez apologized Wednesday (via his rep) for telling conservative commentator Candace Owens that it’s “dangerous” and “alarming” for parents to honor the wishes of young children who identify with a gender other than the one assigned at birth.
Lopez originally made the comments in a June interview on The Candance Owen Show, but the clips resurfaced and received backlash on Twitter.
During the interview, Owens and Lopez discussed what Owens called the “weird trend” of celebrities allowing their young children to choose how they identify. Charlize Theron was mentioned in the interview, as the actress revealed in April that her 7-year-old son Jackson did not identify as a boy.
Owens said she didn’t understand the “new Hollywood mentality” where celebrities “think their children now have the mental authority.”
Lopez agreed with Owens, saying “I am trying to understand it myself.”

“Look, I’m never one to tell anyone how to parent their kids obviously 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 3 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 this determination then, well, OK, then you’re going to a boy or a girl, whatever the case may be. It’s sort of alarming and my gosh, I just think about the repercussions later on,” Lopez said.
Queer Eye star Karamo Brown was among those who took issue with Lopez’s statement:
I don’t think @MarioLopezExtra should be ‘canceled’. But I do believe he should be given the opportunity to learn why his comments are harmful to trans youth and their parents. Mario, I’m ready to talk when you are.
— Karamo (@Karamo) July 31, 2019
Mario Lopez’s comments are dangerous to the safety and well-being of LGBTQ youth, especially trans children who deserve to be loved and accepted for who they are. https://t.co/iRBwyobelf
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) July 31, 2019
Mario Lopez said it’s “dangerous” for 1. parents to support their trans kids and 2. to believe women who come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct. https://t.co/lXc56B3cFH
— Alex Berg (@itsalexberg) July 31, 2019
It’s okay @MarioLopezExtra. We’re here to help provide more education on what being #transgender means, the difference between #sexualorientation, #sex, and #gender… and a whole lot of other things. https://t.co/ahjYTyenMD
— PFLAG National (@PFLAG) July 31, 2019