Mario Lopez is officially the latest star to partner up with Great American Media.
The TV personality, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, has inked a ‘multi-picture, multi-year deal’ with the organization, Great American Media announced in a statement on Tuesday.
Lopez will be appearing in projects within the company’s networks – which include Great American Family, Great American Faith and Living – ‘with a focus to showcase diverse talent in front of the camera.’
He will have a large role in Great American Christmas 2024, with starring parts in holiday programs. He will star with his wife, actress Courtney Lopez, in his first Christmas film for GAM.
‘Throughout my career, I’ve aimed to create a body of work that appeals to diverse audiences and, above all, brings joy to people,’ Lopez said in a statement.
Mario Lopez is officially the latest star to join Great American Media
‘Joining Great American Media is immensely fulfilling. I look forward to creating uplifting, inclusive, and diverse content, viewed through a positive lens for all ages. At this stage in my life, family is the most important thing to me. Being able to share family-friendly stories representing diverse voices is a true blessing,’ he said.
‘Mario Lopez has entertained millions of people for almost four decades,’ Bill Abbott, the president and CEO of Great American Media, said.
‘From his breakout role of A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell to his nightly presentations of Hollywood news on Access Hollywood, the world loves Mario Lopez. We welcome Mario to Great American Media and look forward to his many creative contributions to our ever-growing, emerging brand of beloved faith and family entertainment.’
Lopez is the newest star to join forces with the network – Lori Loughlin, Danica McKellar, and Cameron Mathison are among the big names to have starred in films for the company.
Candace Cameron Bure partnered up with GAC Media in 2022 to ‘develop, produce, and star’ in films for them.
But several months after her new role was announced, she sparked backlash when she revealed she didn’t expect the network to feature same-sex couples in starring roles.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bure revealed she expected the Great American Family network, the media company she is now making Christmas movies with, will ‘keep traditional marriage at the core.’
Bure had long been the star of numerous Hallmark holiday films but departed the network for Great American Family, which WSJ described as ‘the God-and-country alternative for holiday entertainment.’
Lopez is the newest star to join forces with the network – Lori Loughlin, Danica McKellar, and Cameron Mathison are among the big names to have starred in films for the company.
Lopez is set to star opposite his wife Courtney Lopez in his first Christmas film for the company
‘With a name that conjures red-state pride and content that embraces faith, the channel is presenting itself as the choice for Christians who think Hollywood is ruining Christmas,’ writes WSJ of the network.
Candace said she was yearning to shoot films with ‘more meaning’ and aligned herself with Great American Family due to their vision for faith-based programming.
‘My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them. I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment,’ she said in the profile.
Abbott, the chief executive at Great American Media who previously held that same role at the parent company of Hallmark Channel, referred to Candace as a ‘key piece in what we’re doing.’
Candace Cameron Bure partnered up with GAC Media in 2022 to ‘develop, produce, and star’ in films for them
Abbott departed Crown Media Family Networks in early 2020 after the network pulled four ads for wedding planning website Zola which featured a lesbian couple kissing on their wedding day. The ad was reinstated and Hallmark apologized to viewers following a backlash. No explanation was given for his departure.
Speaking of including same-sex couples in Great American Family films, he told WSJ at the time: ‘It’s certainly the year 2022, so we’re aware of the trends.’
‘There’s no whiteboard that says, “Yes, this” or “No, we’ll never go here.”‘
Hallmark released its first film with a gay couple prominently featured, The Christmas House, in 2020.
In response to the criticism, Bure released a statement claiming that people of ‘all ethnicities and identities’ would be able to ‘contribute to the network’ both on screen and behind the camera, however she appeared to avoid the issue of Great American Family’s apparent ban on gay lead characters.
Last year during an interview with Variety, Abbott said Candace doesn’t speak ‘on behalf of Great American Media’, but was vague when directly asked if the company planned on spotlighting same-sex couples in their movies.
‘I think that’s a very good and fair question. I don’t think when we set out to do any type of movie we cast it first. The first thing we think about is a great storyline or great characters or an emotional journey. We’re not seeking to do anything or not do anything, and we take every day as it comes.
‘This business is so challenged across the entire industry right now — with the streaming model and with the linear decline and all the other pieces — that we’re just looking to celebrate great stories. We don’t have an agenda either way. It’s not in the faith-and-family playbook to have agendas that are either pro or anti. We want to entertain and inspire and be uplifting and consistently provide an experience that is high quality — that is our most important objective.’
