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CNN Larry King Live
Bill Cosby Takes on Bullying; Lopez Discusses Conan Moving to TBS
Aired April 18, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, George Lopez exclusive -- he's making way for Conan O'Brien on TBS this fall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LOPEZ, COMEDIAN: Rub it in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're going to move for the white man, huh?
LOPEZ: I am. I am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I hope he appreciate this.
LOPEZ: I think the white man does appreciate it very much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And you don't to clean the park or nothing, right?
LOPEZ: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: George reveals for the first time how he helped seal the deal for Team Loco.
And Bill Cosby on bullying -- the Cos and his alter ego, Fat Albert, have had it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS," COURTESY CLASSIC MEDIA)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But some people get attention by being mean. And that's a bully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: They're defending kids everywhere who get picked on, beaten up -- even driven to suicide by other kids.
All next on LARRY KING LIVE.
Good evening.
George Lopez is just finishing up with this evening's taping of his show. And there you see a live shot of George's studio. And that's where the comedy happens. He'll be joining us from his own studio shortly.
Here's some of his Conan humor from "Lopez Tonight," hot off the press.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LOPEZ TONIGHT," COURTESY TBS)
LOPEZ: It's almost like every time I say I'm down with Conan, we're loco together, they almost look at me like I've got to take a breathalyzer.
Will you breathe into this?
(LAUGHTER)
LOPEZ: I'm glad Conan is coming, OK?
I'm glad.
(APPLAUSE)
LOPEZ: I'm glad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: George will be with us in a little while.
Now, we welcome back our friend, the one and only Dr. Bill Cosby.
And Dr. Marilyn Irving is also with us. She's a professor at Howard University School of Education. She's also CEO of Irving and Associates Character Education Services.
They're here to talk about bullying. The case of Phoebe Prince is the latest to make news. She may have been bullied to death, allegedly by schoolmates, who are charged in the case. And there are others.
Surveys indicate one third of American kids have bullied or been bullied. Some 100,000 children skip school every day, fearing insults and worse.
Bill, what do you make of this?
BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: I think that the adults -- and there are supposed to be adults who have gone to college, studied psychology or something who are around these children -- or should be around these children -- they should be able to recognize it when they see it, as they're walking around the hallways, as the kids are sitting in the classrooms. They should be able to recognize it and play it for real.
I'm really asking all of them to -- to wake up, because, you know, for a child to hang him or herself, to me, that's a very, very violent, violent act -- a way of taking yourself out because some people are practicing hatred toward you, whether they know what they're doing or not.
KING: Dr. Irving, why do people bully?
Do we know the psychology of bullying?
DR. MARILYN IRVING, USES COSBY'S "FAT ALBERT" TO TEACH ABOUT BULLYING: I think people bully because of low self-esteem and problems that stem from home. Usually children who are bullied at home tend to bully in school.
KING: Is there more of it now or are we hearing more about it now?
IRVING: I think there's more of it now. And I think that it stems from children watching TV and looking at violence, you know, on TV shows. I think it has to do with the technology -- students not being supervised or monitored using the computer.
COSBY: I think -- I agree wholeheartedly. You know, you see things on, whatever, YouTube or something and it looks like the more you see it, the more it could be thought of as, well, that's normal.
And I don't want anybody saying, well, what is normal?
If you see it enough, pretty soon, in your mind -- the minds of these kids or whatever -- it may be a fun -- fun thing to do to somebody. And when you see people fighting, when you see videos of people beating on someone and it's on TV and it's called reality TV or whatever, I think an awful lot of kids will want to imitate that to give themselves a feeling of power.
KING: Yes. By the way, Bill Cosby's celebrated animated series, "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," combined entertainment and education to take on lots of social issues.
Well, one episode includes this musical message about bullies.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS," COURTESY CLASSIC MEDIA)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you a bully?
Ask yourself why.
Are you really happy being that kind of guy?
You'll never have friends if you're always mean. You'll be the loneliest kid that you've ever seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Taking us back in time. It's fun to see that and important, too.
COSBY: Yes.
KING: Was Cosby ahead of his time?
We'll also ask the doctor for a definition of bullying. It can be physical or psychological.
And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back.
Dr. Irving, by the way, uses segments from Bill Cosby's "Fat Albert and The Cosby Kids" as part of a character building education program that she has designed.
Dr. Irving, quickly, what's a definition of bullying?
IRVING: Bullying is when someone intentionally causes harm or say hurtful things to others.
KING: And it can be psychological or physical, right?
IRVING: It can be psychologically, physical and verbally -- verbal abuse.
KING: Bill, wasn't there bullying when you were a kid?
COSBY: Big time.
KING: Didn't you always see bullying?
COSBY: Well, big time. I -- and one of the stories -- I think you and I, since we're of that age, can remember -- I don't know if you had a parent like it, but certainly people your age -- you remember when the big guy beat up -- beat you up. And you came home crying. And your mother or your father said, let's go back out and made you fight the bully.
Did you ever hear that?
KING: No. Oh, I've heard of it. But it didn't -- it didn't happen to me, Bill.
COSBY: You had your own TV show when you were a kid?
KING: No. My father had passed away.
COSBY: Oh.
KING: And my mother -- I was -- I was bullied a little, but not a lot.
COSBY: Yes. Well, anyway, of course it did. We -- and we had guys on the corner. I was born in 1937. There were guys on the corner, young teenagers.
And if -- the point, Larry, is these adults have to get in now. This is something that cannot just fly away and happen by itself. If you're in charge, if you're a teacher, if you're someone in a rec center or something, recognize it and it can be stopped.
Kids understand and -- and bullies, as -- as you were asking, a long time ago, bullies had different philosophies about when to bully and when not to bully. And this thing of getting together and staying on the person who may, before the bullying started, a kid may be very depressed, with -- without it even happening. And then by the time you apply it, the bullying, and you stay on it -- I just call it a form of hate and hatred.
If you don't realize you're bullying and somebody tells you, then you stop it.
KING: What makes a kid, Bill, do you think, susceptible to bullying?
COSBY: Depression. I think a kid may be -- have low self- esteem, want to belong or have some -- someone or people at home not giving the strength and -- or -- or looking at the child and saying, you know, how do you feel today?
I think, also, that these kids have too much time in the room alone at home with a computer. And this becomes very important to them. That becomes another life -- one that they disappear out of the home and away from the parent or the love caregiver.
KING: Dr. Irving, what kind of kids get bullied?
IRVING: Children who have low self-esteem; children like Dr. Cosby mentioned, who are depressed and usually who do not have a support system at home. Not only not have a support system at home, but if they see bullying at home, they may carry to it the school.
COSBY: But they also -- this is the computer. This is a new life that kids get into and want to join and want to be a part of. And when they see these things, see, they're able to tune in and see a group of people beating somebody up -- because the kids who -- who join in, also, to get together to pick on someone -- there's a -- there's a group -- I saw it on a news thing in Washington, D.C. about four years ago. They had four or five girls going up and down the subway, following a girl and beat her up because they knew that she was still a virgin.
KING: Boy.
We'll be back with more of Bill Cosby and Dr. Marilyn Irving.
We'll ask Bill, also, later on, what he thinks of this late nights going on.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: George Lopez is our guest at the bottom of the hour. He'll be with us from the set of "Lopez Tonight" just ahead.
We'll even ask Cosby what he thinks about this late night shuffle involving O'Brien and Lopez.
But back to the important topic of bullying.
We'll take another look at "The Fat Albert and Cosby Kids" episode on bullying. Important.
Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "FAT ALBERT AND THE COSBY KIDS," COURTESY CLASSIC MEDIA)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why you always hassling us kids, Slappy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I feel like it, see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wouldn't do this to Fat Albert.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, that tub a lard don't scare me none.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh, Slappy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Fat Albert was here, I'd tell him a few things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey, hey, what you got to say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Let's take a call for Bill Cosby and Dr. Marilyn Irving.
Springfield, Illinois, hello.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.
How are you, Larry?
KING: Fine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. I have a -- a question for Dr. Cosby.
Does he think bullying is something new, like within the last 10 years or 20 years?
What is his time frame?
COSBY: No. It's not new at all -- at all.
KING: It's just we hear more about it, though, right...
COSBY: Well, it's...
KING: -- with (INAUDIBLE)?
COSBY: We're trying to -- it -- it's not that we're hearing about it, what we're getting is at a point where people who should be handling the situations appear to be ignoring it and it's something...
KING: You mean teachers or?
COSBY: Every -- the school, the parents. People need to look at their children. And they need to really find out, well, what's going on with so and so?
You're not yourself today.
What's the problem?
We also may have a problem because the kid may not -- may be caught up in, well, I don't want my people to think I'm a snitch. There's a lot of things going on. So we really have to look at our kids.
KING: Dr. Irving, do you see any improvement at all?
I mean we have a suicide two weeks ago.
IRVING: No, I don't. And I agree with Dr. Cosby, sometimes bullying is ignored. And it's ignored by, I think, the school districts.
KING: Ignored how?
They don't -- they turn away?
COSBY: Well, let me put it...
IRVING: They ignore it.
COSBY: Let me put it to you this way. If you look at some schools, there's one counselor for 420 kids. And unless that child really steps out and comes to that counselor, how would one know?
KING: Yes.
Let's take a call.
Tucson, Arizona, hello.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Tucson, Arizona, hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?
KING: OK. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bill Cosby -- and while I think you guys are great, I'm only 55. I'm an ex-bully. But my question is this. You know, when we bullied back when we were kids, it seemed like it was restricted to just a certain group of kids. You know, there may have been 10 or 15 kids.
Now with the Internet, do you think that the Internet, 24 hours news cycles -- you know, I don't remember anybody ever committing suicide that we bullied.
I mean is it because now, with the Internet, it spreads out throughout the world, your local neighborhood, the state, the city, the government, I mean everywhere, it seems like?
So is that what adds to the pressure of what the recipient of being bullied is?
KING: Good point, Bill?
IRVING: Yes, it does. And it does because, for example, when Phoebe Prince was being bullied, it's called cyber bullying, where children post bad things about other children, where they say hateful things, they spread rumors. And if a child has a low self-esteem, it is very hurtful and it will cause that child to become depressed and fearful.
KING: Bill, are you shocked when teachers and administrators in the Prince case are saying they had no idea it was going on?
COSBY: I don't know if shocked is the word as -- as much as I just did not believe. I don't believe that you can take a job as a teacher, as a superintendent, as a principal and -- and not recognize, when you're being told by parents. You see, for instance, when our daughter Erica had a problem, she reported it to us. Mrs. Cosby then went to the school. The school immediately -- and Erica is maybe seven, eight years old -- immediately brought the parents in of the child who was doing the bullying. And it -- it worked.
KING: Yes.
We've got more coming up.
Was George Lopez, by the way, the key to Conan's deal with TBS?
We're going to ask him from the set of "Lopez Tonight." He'll be on in a couple of minutes.
Back with The Cos after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Let's take a call.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. Thanks, Larry. KING: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This question is actually for Dr. Cosby.
KING: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Cosby, I work with a grassroots anti- bullying campaign called The Coastal Factor. And we try to fight bullying through education, communication and legislation.
What do you think about the criminalization of bullying behavior?
KING: Yes?
What about making it a crime, Bill?
COSBY: Well, first of all, I -- I think, that it is hateful. And, secondly, I don't know what you're going to do with all these kids, because most of your prisons -- like the State of California is now -- I mean I just think that they have just prison camps. I don't think the State of California has anything to do with turning the criminal mind around in terms of behavior, to put a person back into society...
KING: Well, these...
COSBY: -- who...
KING: -- these nine people have been charged in -- in the case of the girl who committed suicide.
Do you think they should be criminally charged?
COSBY: I think they need to be fixed.
If they are charged, why are we charging them?
You're a taxpayer, I'm a taxpayer. If they go to jail, you and I are responsible for paying 41 grand or more a year for them to be incarcerated.
What is prison supposed to be about?
KING: Well, it's supposed to rehab but punishment at the same time.
COSBY: Then that's what I want. But if you're not going to rehab them, we're not making any sense.
KING: Yes.
COSBY: So put them in and put -- and let's hire psychiatrists to work with these people and turn them around.
KING: It makes sense.
Before you leave us, Bill, we have to ask you, what do you make of what's going on late night -- Lopez, O'Brien, Leno?
COSBY: I'm -- I'm sorry...
KING: What do you make of all of this?
COSBY: I'm sorry I started it. It's all be...
(LAUGHTER)
COSBY: It's all because I wouldn't -- I didn't want my own show at that hour. So now all three of these people are just wandering around. The networks are having a terrible time.
KING: You turned down a late night show?
COSBY: I turned everybody down. I turned down George Lopez. I turned -- I...
KING: What do you mean you turned him down?
COSBY: Well, George want me to take Conan's slot. And I said no to George. Then Conan -- Conan offered me George's slot and I -- I turned it down. Then somebody else came along -- I think it was George Burns.
Or was it Carlin?
(LAUGHTER)
COSBY: Somebody asked me.
I'll have none of it.
KING: Thank you, Bill Cosby, for setting us straight. And now you know the rest of the story.
Dr. Marilyn Irving and Bill Cosby, thank you so much.
Half of Team Loco is standing by, ready to launch TBS's new late night lineup -- the George Lopez -- the George Lopez is next.
George, you ready to go?
LOPEZ: I'm ready to go. I want to profess my love to Bill Cosby, also. I love Bill.
KING: OK, well done. Get ready to laugh.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LOPEZ, "LOPEZ TONIGHT": One day after the big announcement, I must tell you that I am still down with team Loco. Conan O'Brien, George Lopez. And the reporters keep asking me the same question. They even all sound the same. George, are you happy that Conan O'Brien is coming to TBS? Are you? Are you happy?
I'm really happy. Really. And I'm a Latino. I'm never happy. I'm really happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That was from tonight's show, as yet to be seen. You've seen it here first. It will be on later. George Lopez, the actor, comic and host and executive producer of "Lopez Tonight" on America's most famous channel today, TBS. He played a role in bringing Conan O'Brien to TBS late night. TBS is owned by Time Warner, CNN's parent company.
So, George, Conan and I are all working for the same people, along with you. George joins us from the set of "Lopez Tonight," part of team Loco, as he calls it.
All right, give it to us straight. The story is that you called up. Conan was hesitant to do this. He didn't want to see someone get bumped to a later time. That you personally called Conan and assured him it was OK.
LOPEZ: Absolutely, Larry. Last Wednesday, Steve Kunin (ph), who is the head of TBS, flew from Atlanta to Burbank, sat in my office and said, I have something that sounds really crazy. I want to propose this to you and let you know. If I don't have your blessing, this deal does not go forward. What would you think about Conan O'Brien coming to TBS and taking the 11:00 spot, and you going to midnight?
I said I think it's fantastic. He said, will you call Conan and tell him how you feel about TBS, how you feel we do business? I said, absolutely.
TBS and Warner Pictures and Telepictures has been nothing but great to "Lopez Tonight" tonight. They have been nothing but great to me. And Conan is a wonderful asset to the TBS family. And also I believe that this combination, almost the same sex Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, if you will, will take late night into a new generation, and change the landscape.
Larry, I'm a Latino. I know something about landscape. It's going to be fantastic come November.
KING: George, what did Conan say to you when you called him and said it was all right with you? What did he say to you?
LOPEZ: You know, everybody has been asking me this question. I haven't really answered this question from the time Conan and I last spoke on Sunday. I'm going to tell you, and I think respectfully Conan will not have an issue with this. What he was concerned with was that he wasn't going to do to me what was done to him at NBC. That was his biggest concern, that he did not want to get, as they say on Twitter, Lenoed. I am not getting Lenoed. I welcome Conan. I think that moving to midnight -- hey, I'll go to work an hour later, come on, it's a dream come true. And the pay is the same. Conan O'Brien only wanted to know that he could do the type of show that he wanted to do. And his biggest concern was that he was not going to do to me what was done to him. That is not the case. And if you hear than, you didn't hear it from me. That is not the case.
KING: George, in the conversation, did he tell you he was going to take the deal?
LOPEZ: You know, he didn't tell me that he was going to take the deal. I didn't hear about it until in the morning when I was in a meeting this Monday morning. And it just everything changed, I mean everything. I almost feel like -- you know, I almost feel like one of the "Dancing With the Stars" that got voted on to the next week.
My profile has changed in a day. No longer do I get confused from being Eric Estrada. I'm not Paul Rodriguez anymore. I'm George Lopez. Come on, Larry, Jorge! You know.
KING: Did he take it you think after you spoke to him?
LOPEZ: Well, you know, I know that one thing that was important to him was the freedom of doing a show that was edgy, that was his own, that was a vision of his own show, like we do at "Lopez Tonight." When you go to cable, there are no -- there are no stations, and there are no affiliates. And they allow you to do your type of show.
I believe that the system of the network talk show is a little bit dated. Larry, the guys are a little bit older. They're not as fresh. People are tuning away. The demographic for "Lopez Tonight" is 33 years old. That's amazingly young. And with Conan, it is an incredible contribution to our dynamic two-hour block every night.
Come on. Hey, Larry, man, it sells itself. Come on.
KING: Are you saying -- are you predicting then that these shows are going to do very well, the 11:00 and the 12:00?
LOPEZ: I am predicting that these shows will change late night TV. My intention was to bring the party back to late night. From the time I've been on in November, I've been doing that. And Conan is a fantastic edition to TBS. And, listen, he is on earlier. He needs to get done earlier and get out and get some sun. Eventually I want us to end up being the same color.
KING: Ah, you have a goal!
LOPEZ: I have a goal. We want to end up the same color.
KING: George Lopez.
LOPEZ: No one is going to miss this show.
KING: We'll ask if the suits anted up for George since he helped land Conan. Did he get anything extra for this, a bonus, a big thank you, a bigger studio, some special dressing room? We'll ask next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The four captains from Discovery's "Deadliest Catch" are with us tomorrow night. Sig, Andy, Keith and Jonathan are all here. That's Wednesday night on LARRY KING LIVE. Friday night Willie Nelson.
Right now George Lopez. All right, George, you pulled this off for them. You called him. If you didn't do it, they wouldn't have got him. Did TBS give you any extra special things for this?
LOPEZ: Well, I can probably say right now unofficially and allegedly -- a word I like to use -- that I probably will be picked up for another season.
KING: Ah-ha.
LOPEZ: I feel comfortable enough putting TBS on the spot with you. The contract could have been up, you know, in a couple of weeks. So I believe that I will continue for another year.
And here is the beautiful part. You always know somebody is making more money than you when the terms of their deal aren't disclosed.
KING: By the way, do you know where Conan will do his show from? Do you know where he is going to work physically?
LOPEZ: I believe that it would be done at Warner Brothers. We're trying to keep him close, because he and I want to have something that you don't see in late night. Well want to have some synergy. You know, Craig Ferguson and Letterman, east coast, west coast. Conan and I talked about doing things together, about him being on the lot, about him and I doing pieces together back and forth, which I think is innovative for late night TV.
KING: Is there space there? Is there room on the lot they could build a nice studio by November?
LOPEZ: Well, you know, I'm prepared to blow out "Dark Blue," which is right on the stage next to me. "Big Bang Theory," hands off. "Two And a Half Men," hands off. "Big Blue," maybe we can get them to move out.
KING: By the way, Conan is now on tour with his live comedy show, "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television." But he was still featured, in a way, on last night's "Lopez Tonight." Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: I'm looking forward to you being my lead in opposite "Family Guy."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you two get together and have a coupe of Spanglish love children. LOPEZ: That's Stewey, Conan. He is now your lead-in. He is head and shoulders above your former lead-in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, I followed a baby for years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, guys, why are you taking a shot at me? That's hitting below the denim belt. I'm the victim here too. I'm not the bad guy. There's no funeral. We're friends. You see the news today? Tiger had a tough weekend. You hear about that. Hey, we've got some big guests coming up on the show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. Now he is trying to take over this sketch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Funny, George. Funny stuff.
LOPEZ: Thank you.
KING: By the way, do you have any background with Conan? Are you friends? Do you know him well?
LOPEZ: You know, I was on Conan's show twice in 2004. In 2003, we co-hosted the Emmys together. And we've always been cordial and very honest with each other. I think it's interesting that in Hollywood, this deal was brokered the way deals used to be done. A guy comes into the office and says this is my intention. If I have your blessing, this is what I'm going to do. I picked up the phone. I called Conan on Wednesday. He started to mull it over. I talked to him on Sunday night, man-to-man. I called his number, he picked up the phone.
We did it the way things used to be done, face-to-face, phone call to phone call. That's the kind of integrity that Conan has. He wanted to make sure that I was happy moving to midnight and that I was OK, that he would not have come over if he would even feel a little bit like, you know, he was going to have done to him what Jay Leno did to him.
KING: Honestly, George, were you Team Coco or Team Leno?
LOPEZ: You know, I am -- I got to tell you the truth. If a show is promised to somebody, then that person should have a chance to either succeed or fail on his own terms. The 10:00 show that Jay Leno did in front of Conan O'Brien and "The Tonight Show" I think was a disservice to Conan having a fair shot of succeeding as the host of "The Tonight Show." It was offered to him six years before. It was not a surprise. And in my opinion, as George Lopez, I don't think that Jay Leno should have done a show at 10:00.
KING: So you were Team Coco.
LOPEZ: I'm team Coco. And now I'm Team Loco.
KING: You know that cross over idea is interesting. We're going to see him at the beginning of yours? You'll come on at the end of his? You'll be like a team.
LOPEZ: You know, I think that would work. Conan, unfortunately, with the significant amount of severance that he was given, has been asked to stay off until the end of September. I think he was given by NBC a million dollars a day until the end of September to stay off.
KING: Not bad. We would have taken that.
LOPEZ: I'm trying to get Carrot Top to fill his shoes while -- until the end of September.
KING: Have to do it from Vegas. We'll talk about Sarah Palin, Kate Gosselin, some other news makers, next with Jorge. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWS BREAK)
KING: Conan O'Brien's the guest from his set. Let's switch to a few hot comedy topics. Kate Gosselin, she is competing on "Dancing With the Stars." What are your thoughts about Kate?
LOPEZ: Larry, I have to tell you, I have never enjoyed anything more than Kate Gosselin dancing on "Dancing With the Stars." I went in person a week ago. It is a train wreck you cannot turn away from. Ketel One -- I don't know why she bothers to train. Ketel One is the secret to her rhythm and her dancing feet you. You think someone with such a talented cervix and hip area could be able to gyrate and keep a rhythm.
KING: You -- you're giving it a thumbs-down.
LOPEZ: No. I'm giving her the thumbs-up. I was on Twitter. I follow you on Twitter, by the way. I'm on Twitter. And I want everybody to vote to keep Kate Gosselin on "Dancing With the Stars." Last night, I watched with my wife, my daughter, the dogs in the bed. It was like a Norman Rockwell painting. Only Kate Gosselin has been able to make that happen in my house. I'm not ready for that to end.
KING: What about Sarah Palin? Reports are that she has made apparently 12 million dollars in the last year.
LOPEZ: Well, those are Alaskan dollars. The -- here is the beauty of Sarah Palin, with her at Fox News, she's not the craziest person at Fox News anymore. There's something to be said for that.
KING: That's a good way to look at it.
LOPEZ: She makes Glenn Beck --
KING: She what?
LOPEZ: She makes Glenn Beck look significantly abnormal.
KING: George has had a lot to say about Tiger Woods on this show. Hold on. What do you want to say?
LOPEZ: Let me say this. Everyone is trying to build a wall. They don't know the answer to immigration. I'll give you the answer, Larry King, to immigration. If Sarah Palin wins and runs for president in 2012, I have a reliable source, as the head of all the Latinos, we will voluntarily go back to Mexico. There it is.
KING: There you have it from George himself. He's had a lot to say about Tiger Woods. Here is a sample.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: Phil Mickelson won the Masters with the lowest score in nine years. Phil thanked his wife. And then Tiger Woods immediately said, screw you, man. All hugged up. Nice, rub it in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: By the way, George, TMZ reported that you had a pleasant meeting with Tiger Woods last week in the locker room at Augusta International. Is that true or false?
LOPEZ: I was a guest of former champion and friend of mine Mike Weir. I was in the past champions locker room. It's not a big locker room. He and I are sitting there. In walks Hank Heine (ph), who is Tiger Woods' swing coach, and Tiger Woods, with his swing coach. I thought for sure I'm either going to take a swing or reminiscent, without an Escalade, take a nine iron to the side of the face. Neither of that happened, thank God, Larry.
KING: What did tiger say to you?
LOPEZ: You know what, he said hello. He was very gracious. Very few people know that Tiger Woods played -- since he was released from sex rehab, he played with an ankle monitor, much like criminals do for crimes. His was different. He had an ankle monitor that could detect maple syrup, to keep him on the course, and out of pancake houses and waffle houses in the area.
KING: We'll be back with more of George Lopez. He's a smurf, by the way. It's not an insult. It's a fact, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: Amy, what are you doing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Changing a light bulb.
LOPEZ: No, get down from. You have to make it one more day without getting injured.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. Dim lighting is responsible for 50 percent of the accidents in the work place. Did you know that in 1992, there was a study that -- LOPEZ: Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, yeah. My leg broke my fall.
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KING: Funny. What a show that was, by the way. Sandra Bullock, George, a terrific lady, going through some very tough times, was the exec producer of your sitcom, "George Lopez." Good friend of yours. Have you talked to her? How is she doing?
LOPEZ: I want to say that without Sandra Bullock in my life, I would no have been given an opportunity to succeed in this business. She has been a friend and inspiration the ten years that I have known her. She's going through a difficult time, as everybody knows. But she's a strong woman. We all love her and wish the best for her.
She's doing all right. I spent a little bit of time with her. She's doing as well as can be expected. I can say this honestly. She's not been asked to host a late night show. I can say that.
KING: OK, glad that's revealed. That's the one. Are you in a Smurf movie?
LOPEZ: Yes. I've gone blue. I'm in the new Smurf movie with Katy Perry. I'm Grouchy Smurf.
KING: Grouchy Smurf.
LOPEZ: Same sized hair, blue body.
KING: By the way, you have done this late night show for five months. Are you enjoying it?
LOPEZ: I truly am enjoying it. I enjoy -- I'm curious. Here is the beauty of growing up with TV as your sibling. I watched "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson threw a party every night. Johnny Carson knew everybody in Hollywood. Johnny Carson loved music. Johnny Carson smokes cigarettes. Johnny Carson was a good listener. That all came across. He was cool.
My homage and this show is a dedication to what I grew up watching on Johnny Carson. David Letterman, the same thing. I love David Letterman. I love Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon. Craig Ferguson, probably the most innovative guy because most of his show is done off the cuff. That's amazing.
I have no ill will towards anybody. Like I said, I'm happy Conan is coming. It makes late night exciting. It's almost like a heavyweight division filled with contenders. Everybody can knock everybody out.
KING: Does it mean you don't go out and do stand-up anymore?
LOPEZ: It's difficult. I was talking to Chris Rock about this on the show. It's difficult because of Youtube and Twitter and everybody having a video camera. It's a little bit -- when you are trying to work something out, Larry, it's a little difficult to have it pulled that's 40 seconds and taken -- Michael Richards can tell you that he's not in favor of cameras in comedy clubs. I liked it in the old days when you would just go and whatever was said was meant to stay in that room.
KING: Yeah. By the way, you mentioned Chris Rock. Here's a little of him on your show. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOPEZ: With Conan coming to TBS --
CHRIS ROCK, COMEDIAN: Conan is coming?
LOPEZ: Yes.
ROCK: Where you going?
LOPEZ: I'm staying. I'm going to Midnight. He's coming out at 11:00 and I am going to midnight.
ROCK: Get the hell out of here. You gonna move for the white man?
LOPEZ: I am. Hey.
ROCK: I hope he appreciate this.
LOPEZ: I think the white man does appreciate it very much.
ROCK: OK. You don't have to clean a park, nothing, right?
LOPEZ: No. And I get to go to work an hour later. It's a Latino dream come true. An hour later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That's a great line. That was a lot of terrific stuff. You can tell you really enjoyed him, right?
LOPEZ: You know, I really do. I love music. I have made some great relationships. Jennifer Lopez is coming back. Jennifer Lopez hijacked my monologue about a month and a half ago. She's coming back as a guest. Luke Wilson, Kara from -- the judge from "American Idol" is not only a guest on the show, she's going to sing. I'm not sure that's happened anywhere else. But a lot of stuff happens on "Lopez Tonight." You know that.
KING: We might add, Larry King is coming to "Lopez Tonight."
LOPEZ: Larry King is coming to "Lopez Tonight." And Lopez is going to host "LARRY KING LIVE" soon.
KING: You got it, brother. Great seeing you, George. Continued good luck. Look forward to seeing you soon. George Lopez. You can catch him tonight on TBS at 11:00 until it moves.
The guys from "Deadliest Catch" are here tomorrow night. Willie Nelson on Friday. Now Anderson Cooper and "AC 360." Anderson?
