and i would write down everything that they said. and all of them were like, you re gonna be okay. - yeah. yeah. - like, you re gonna be okay. and so one of those showrunners was kind enough to give me my first job. that was quintuplets. that was my first wga job. and on that show, i met carter bays and craig thomas, who created how i met your mother. - after years of hustling and writing for non-latin shows, the job of showrunner, or the boss, still eluded her. that s because latino writers are barely considered for these jobs. in fact, as of 2022, only 1.5% of television showrunners were latinx. now, if we re nearly 20% of the population and the largest minority ethnic group in america, how can these numbers be a thing? - things changed in 2016 when norman lear wanted to meet with me. - yeah, yeah. - i went to the meeting cause i just wanted to meet norman lear. i had no intention - who doesn t wanna meet this legend? legendary producer norman lear created the original one
to give me my first job. that was quintuplets. that was my first wga job. and on that show, i met carter bays and craig thomas, who created how i met your mother. - after years of hustling and writing for non-latin shows, the job of showrunner, or the boss, still eluded her. that s because latino writers are barely considered for these jobs. in fact, as of 2022, only 1.5% of television showrunners were latinx. now, if we re nearly 20% of the population and the largest minority ethnic group in america, how can these numbers be a thing? - things changed in 2016 when norman lear wanted to meet with me. - yeah, yeah. - i went to the meeting cause i just wanted to meet norman lear. i had no intention - who doesn t wanna meet this legend? legendary producer norman lear created the original one day at a time in 1975, and in 2017, he asked gloria to reboot the sitcom but now, with a latin twist. - he said, well, we re thinking about doing a latino version. i was like, i don t know,
and we as an audience, we re a hard audience. - yeah, yeah. - because there s been such a starvation for representation that when one thing exists, we re like, it better represent all of us. - no, yeah. because all we have is one show! - one! he s like, so what do you think would change it? and i said, i ll tell you what i think would change it. for me, its i m gonna tell one story about one cuban american woman that lives in los angeles that s super, super, super specific to me and my experience. - yes, yes. - he s like, let s do that. so i was like, okay. so i walked out of there, and i m like, i guess i m making a show with norman lear. - wow. - and so with that, i finally really had a position of power. - one day at a time ran for three seasons on netflix and then a fourth on pop tv. gloria is now on the second season of her show, with love, a story about a latinx family that shows the diversity and joy within our community. - this show, you know, came out of th
and i said, hey, what we re gonna try to do, what you re gonna try to do has not been done successfully. and just if we never see each other again, or whatever, just let me say thank you, i appreciate it. and then she said, you know, why don t you just worry about being funny, and you let me worry about all that. but nobody ever told me that, john. like, i never had anybody on my side. - yeah, yeah. with sandra bullock s star power and support as executive producer, in 2002, the george lopez show had its nationwide premiere and in doing so, showed millions of people what a mexican american household really looked like. - happy birthday. - the show was a hit and before long, george got that hollywood star he d dreamt about. he now has another show, lopez vs lopez, where he stars alongside his daughter. - that was all you needed. you just needed somebody who wouldn t take no for an answer regarding you. - yeah, that s massive. - i think the thing that she said to me was, you k
- yes, yes. - like, it turns on. - george kept grinding in local clubs, eventually becoming one of the biggest names in comedy. but after years of traveling and performing around the country, the road took its toll. - about 95, 99, drank a lot, toured a lot. just hammered all the time, kinda dark - yeah, touring is rough. people don t understand how rough touring is and being alone in hotels. different city every night. - and i was oh, man. and i was in austin, and they got a call from the club. and, you know, i d been drinking and shit. i said, man, i don t want her to see me, man. i get on my knees in the green room, and i m like, please don t let her show up, like, please. i mean, we re in bad i was in bad shape, man. and then he opens the door, the guy i saw, he said, hey, she s not coming. i was like, oh, my god. and then cut to two years later, she comes and sees me, we go to the green room, and she s like, i have an idea for a show, and i think we should meet, and