Mario Lopez ‘future at Access Hollywood in doubt after NBC execs hold meeting’ over trans comments

Mario Lopez’s could be axed from Access Hollywood before his September hosting gig has even started, according to sources.  

Lopez was reportedly forced to make his Wednesday apology for his June remarks on the Candace Owens Show that it was ‘dangerous’ for the parents of transgender children to support their offspring’s transition.  

NBC hasn’t publicly spoken about the controversy but an insider claims executives at his new network were discussing what to do ahead of his on-screen debut for them.

‘The execs at NBC held an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss Mario’s future with the show because they do not see how they can just let this fly,’ a source told RadarOnline.

‘Mario’s comments are not an accurate representation of what the network stands for at all. The network prides itself on equality and do not accept anti LGBTQ hate speech at all.’

Lopez came under fire for saying June on the Candace Owens podcast that it was ‘dangerous’ for parents of transgender children to support a child’s transition 

Lopez was back at work for Extra on Thursday after skipping a day when he made a public apology for his comments. He shared a video of himself on the Universal Studios Hollywood set following an earlier backlash that prompted him to call his own words from last month ‘ignorant and insensitive’. 

But a source shared that despite him saying sorry, he’s not completely in the clear.

‘His apology really meant nothing at all,’ the insider told RadarOnline. ‘All it does is solidify that he was aware that his comments were transphobic and hurtful.’

Lopez is due to take over fired Access host Natalia Morales next month. 

An insider claims Lopez’s controversial words will be used to ‘make an example out of him’.

The source told RadarOnline: ‘He lost a lot of fans from this and there is no way that he could ever really recover them back.’

However one of the sources said Lopez’s future does not hang in the balance and production is due to go ahead as scheduled this fall.

Lopez shared pictures Thursday on the Netflix set of the Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, a Latinx family series he co-created.

Source said his words aren’t an accurate representation of what [NBC] stands for’, it ‘prides itself on equality’ and ‘doesn’t accept anti LGBTQ hate speech’

Lopez shared pictures Thursday on the Netflix set of the Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia

Lopez made the remarks when conservative pundit Owens asked him about what she described as a ‘new trend’ where Hollywood celebrities are ‘saying their child is picking their gender’. 

Owens specifically name-dropped Charlize Theron, who openly declared that her son Jackson identifies as a girl.

‘I am trying to understand it myself, and please don’t lump me into that whole [group],’ Lopez bristled.

‘I’m kind of blown away too. 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 three-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.’

Appearing misinformed, Mario suggested transgender people were simply choosing a gender on a whim instead of recognizing them as people whose gender identity differs from the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth.

‘I just think it’s dangerous as a parent to make that determination then — “Okay, well then you’re going to be 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.’

He also went on to conflate sexuality – which relates to one’s sexual orientation – with gender identity telling Owens: ‘When you’re a kid… You don’t know anything about sexuality, you’re just a kid.’ 

Lopez told parents they have to be ‘the adult in the situation’ and wait until their child’s ‘formative years’ to make determinations about gender or transitioning. 

‘I personally think it’s just way too young to start making these… I know other parents who have certain parenting styles that I necessarily don’t agree with, but I do know they’re good people and they’re coming from a good place,’ he said.

Mario Lopez returned Thursday after skipping filming Extra on Wednesday amid a backlash

Lopez was absent from Extra on Wednesday when he released a statement. Renee Bargh and Tanika Ray carried the show and hosted a segment about the controversy

Extra brought in GLAAD director Anthony Ramos and Dr Johanna Olson Kennedy, a leading expert on trans youth development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, as Lopez was absent

The interview resurfaced on social media and sparked a backlash where the likes of the Queer Eye cast demanded he apologize.

‘I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were,’ Lopez said in a statement. 

‘I have been and always will be an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself. Moving forward I will be more informed and thoughtful.’

On Wednesday, Extra brought in GLAAD director Anthony Ramos and Dr Johanna Olson Kennedy, a leading expert on trans youth development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.   

Lopez appears to be in hot water with the producers on Extra, who released a statement saying: ‘While we have enjoyed a long relationship with Mario Lopez, who we know to be a caring person, the opinions he expressed in this interview do not reflect those of Extra. We wholeheartedly embrace our friends from the LGBTQ community and believe they need support and love. For more support on these issues you can go to GLAAD.org.’ 

DailyMail.com reached out to reps for Lopez, Extra and Access Hollywood but they did not comment.  

Lopez suggested it was ‘dangerous’ for parents of transgender children to support their offspring’s transition and received a public backlash after the comments to Candace Owens

Owens had name-dropped Charlize Theron, who openly declared last month that her seven-year-old Jackson (above together) identifies as a girl 

Owens has refused to apologize like Lopez and called liberals bullies in her Thursday tweets

Candace Owens podcast host said she won’t ‘bend to the mob…when it comes to child abuse’

But Donald Trump Jr and Piers Morgan were among high-profile figures voicing their support for the star who has hosted Extra since 1994.

On Wednesday, Piers Morgan replied on Twitter to the Human Rights Campaign’s tweet that 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’.

Morgan responded: ‘What nonsense. No 3-yr-old child can possibly self-determine their own gender or sexuality. Mario’s been shamefully bullied into apologizing for stating what every parent knows to be the truth. I’ve had 4 kids & they could barely determine what day it is at that age.’

The Good Morning Britain host continued in a response to India Willoughby, a Celebrity Big Brother star who reports for his morning show.

Willoughby commented on his tweet: ‘99% of people on this thread (bar me) are not trans. You’re viewing it through your own prism. “I never felt that way – they must be nuts.” If kids are adamant for YEARS they are in the wrong body, then guess what – they’re not changing their mind. Let them switch.’

Morgan retweeted it and commented for his 6.7 million followers: ‘You know I don’t think transgender people are nuts. I do however think it’s nuts to let a 3-yr-old make any life-altering decision about anything. They haven’t a clue.’

Donald Trump Jr also chimed in on the day Lopez said sorry for his comments.

‘I literally can’t see anything wrong with what Mario Lopez said here that would cause the Outrage Mob try to destroy him,’ Don Jr wrote on Twitter.

‘He was as reasonable and accepting as anyone could be but because he may have had doubts about letting a 3 Year Old make a permanent decision hes killed? (sic).’  

‘I literally can’t see anything wrong with what Mario Lopez said here that would cause the Outrage Mob try to destroy him,’ Don Jr wrote on Twitter Wednesday

Piers Morgan replied on Twitter to the Human Rights Campaign’s tweet about Lopez

Comedian Terrance K Williams started #IStandWithMario and many chimed in

Social media users also backed him with an #IStandWithMario hashtag that comedian Terrance K Williams championed.  

‘No one in his camp knew how they would be able to spin this and justify his remarks. They told him to make a public apology, stat!’ a source revealed to RadarOnline Wednesday.

‘He is more than aware of how bad this could be for him.’  

Yet there hasn’t been much outrage shown on social media after the initial reaction to his comments and many who disagree with his view have even said he shouldn’t be fired.

Before Mario’s Wednesday ‘mea culpa’ Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye urged him to ‘do better.’

The 32-year-old took to Twitter to share a few choice words explaining why Lopez’s comments on the conservative show were unnecessary.  

‘If you’re not raising a child who is part of the LGBTQ+ community you should really be quiet,’ Van Ness wrote to his followers. ‘You don’t need to understand what you do not know. You both need to do better, your causal transphobia is par for the course. Christianity says leave judgment to god.’ 

Jonathan added on Twitter: ‘The persecution that trans & non binary people face bc some small minded people are blindly identified with the gender binary is deadly. Trans & Non binary people face violence, death, homelessness, discrimination because of this constant lack of understanding and need to judge.’

Fellow Queer Eye coach Karamo Brown also chimed in on the harsh words from Lopez and wrote: ‘I’m disappointed to read [Lopez’s] comments about parents who support their child’s openness about their gender identity. As a social worker I am trained to identify abuse or neglect of a child. Healthy & safe dialogue w/ kids is neither abusive, neglectful or ‘dangerous.”

Karamo even offered to talk to Mario about his confusion, writing: ‘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.’ 

Candace Owens herself has refused to say sorry. 

‘I have to give an unusual shout out to the @breakfastclubam and @cthagod for having the courage to stand up the Leftist mob on their show this morning,’ she tweeted on Thursday afternoon. ‘They said what we all know: Mario Lopez did nothing wrong and he told the truth. The trans lobby is vicious! Gross bullying!’

‘I will never back down or apologize for telling the truth,’ Owens added. ‘My show brings forth the conversations that people are scared to have publicly. I swim against the current and will never bend to the will of the mob— especially when it comes to child abuse.’ 

DailyMail.com did not receive and immediate response when contacting a rep for Extra.

Talk about it: Jonathan fired back at the Extra host on Twitter and told him to ‘be quiet’ about LGBTQ+ matters