00:00On behalf of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, we now declare today Mario Lopez Day in Hollywood!
00:11How do I say something?
00:14All right, all right, all right.
00:21This is the best birthday ever.
00:25Thank you, Jan, Anna, Ellen, Steve, everyone from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce,
00:31and I want to thank everyone here who came out.
00:33You could be anywhere, but you chose to be here today, and I really, really appreciate it.
00:37It means a lot.
00:39A special big thank you to my NBCUniversal and iHeartRadio families
00:45who keep me on TV and radio every day.
00:48To my guy, Mark Wahlberg, thank you, brother.
00:52You are an inspiration.
00:54I appreciate you getting all dressed up for me.
00:58And it's funny that my star happens to be directly in front of your restaurant.
01:03I'm assuming that means free burgers for life.
01:08But you're the best. Thank you.
01:11Val Staub, thank you so much for the kind words.
01:14You've not only been a dear friend and advisor to me, but just someone just incredibly special,
01:19and when I grow up, I hope to be just like you.
01:23And a special thanks to two legends who were incredibly influential in my life and in my career.
01:30The late Norman Lear, who gave me my first professional job when I was only 10 years old
01:35on a show called A.K. Pablo,
01:37and Dick Clark, who I was proud to call a good friend and a mentor to me.
01:42He said, Mario, there are a lot of great actors out there,
01:46but very few great hosts.
01:49And as my mom said earlier, she made a point to keep me busy as a kid.
01:54If you don't have time for trouble, trouble won't have time for you.
01:57And it wasn't just about being busy, it was about time.
02:01And that time is, of course, the most valuable thing we have.
02:05Work hard while you have it.
02:07It's not good enough to just spend it. You've got to use it.
02:10Well, I've used my time over the last 40 years doing what I love most.
02:16Over that time, I've done every type of job you can think of in TV and film.
02:22Sitcoms, dramas, soaps, daytime talk, nighttime talk, game show host, award show host, radio show host, podcast.
02:30I even did Broadway, where I met my beautiful wife.
02:33I wrote a few books.
02:35I even went on Dancing with the Stars because my mom wanted me to do it.
02:39I've been memed and gifed on social media, been spoofed on SNL a bunch,
02:44and I'm even creeping in your hotel rooms while on vacation.
02:50I've had my share of wins along the way and losses, but I wouldn't change anything.
02:57I've loved every second of it.
03:00And I really love what I do. I mean, I absolutely love it. I love this business.
03:07And I recognize and appreciate that I'm incredibly blessed to be doing it after all this time.
03:13And now I'm being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and I'm beyond grateful.
03:18It's an incredibly special moment and even more special that I get to share it with my family.
03:26And Ellen was saying earlier, it's funny because when I was a kid, coming up for auditions from Chula Vista,
03:33it's about a two-and-a-half hour, three-hour drive.
03:36The traffic is good.
03:38And sometimes you'd come up, and you know, these auditions would be like five minutes,
03:41and then my dad would turn around and drive me right back.
03:46There was no Zoom back then, so you actually had to show up in person.
03:51And my dad would have to take time off. He worked for the city.
03:55And when I started getting a little busier, my mom quit her job at the phone company to be with me on set.
04:01They sacrificed their own time to help me.
04:05And I just want to say to my mom, my dad, and my sister, who's always been awesome and supportive,
04:10thank you for everything. I wouldn't be here without you.
04:14You know, today I happen to be turning 51 years old, and I'm still blessed to be doing what I love the most.
04:27Right now, what I love most is being a dad.
04:32And I've had so many blessings in my life, but none greater than my wife, Courtney.
04:39I love you, honey, and thank you for everything.
04:46And most of all, thank you for Gia, Dominic, and Santino.
04:51And as great an honor it is to cement my family name in the Walk of Fame here,
04:57what I'm most proud of is that my kids are here to see this.
05:02So they know that if they don't just spend their time, but use their time,
05:08they can achieve anything they want in their lives.
05:12You know, the message from my mom continues to be important in the foundation and everything that I do.
05:17And with that, my wife and I have decided to do our part and start the Mario Lopez Family Foundation,
05:24which will benefit Title I schools, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, which I grew up going to,
05:30and any other charities that are close to our hearts,
05:34all in an effort to help other kids like me possibly have the chance to achieve their dreams
05:41in the same way that I was able to achieve mine.
05:45And I'll always remember, listen to mama.
05:50You know, as I look around, I think, you know what?
05:55Not too bad for a Mexican kid from Chula Vista.
05:59So thank you so much, everyone.
06:06Again, I really appreciate it and God bless.
06:15For more information, visit www.FEMA.gov
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