Mario Lopez Sparks Debate Over Taking Teenage Daughter to Usher and Chris Brown Concert
The 'Saved by the Bell' alum's 'dad-daughter date night' to the R&B tour drew mixed reactions online, with some criticizing the choice and others praising his parenting.
Mario Lopez is facing online backlash for taking his 16-year-old daughter, Gia, to a recent concert featuring Usher and Chris Brown in Los Angeles. Lopez, 52, shared a clip on Instagram of the concert, describing it as a "dad-daughter date night, round 2." The footage showed Lopez and Gia enjoying Usher's performance of his 1997 hit "Nice & Slow."
"Had a blast with my Gigi… even if I embarrassed her a little," Lopez captioned the post. However, the celebrity father's choice of entertainment for his daughter quickly drew a range of reactions from social media users.
Some commenters expressed surprise and concern, with one user writing, "Ain't no way I'd be singing that song with my daddy on my arm." Another commented, "You're brave because most of that concert is X-rated, lol." Others pointed to the performers' reputation for provocative stage presence, with one user noting, "There were definitely some parts that you had to cover her eyes." A different commenter simply stated, "Idk with all that humping."
Despite the criticism, many users praised Lopez for prioritizing quality time with his daughter. "You're an amazing dad. She's going to grow up and remember you being an active dad in her life," one follower wrote. Another echoed this sentiment, stating, "We need more Mario dads in this world. The kind who show up, stay present."
Gia also shared moments from the concert on her own Instagram account, captioning a post with "keeping it breezy in LA #chrisbrown #usher #snoop #rnbtour." The concert outing followed a family getaway to Costa Rica. Lopez previously shared photos from the trip with Gia, referring to it as a "cowgirl" outing before the "dad-daughter date round 2."
Lopez, who hosts the radio show "ON" with his wife Courtney Lopez, shares Gia, as well as sons Dominic, 13, and Santino, seven, with her. He recently celebrated Gia's 16th birthday, sharing a heartfelt tribute on social media about watching her grow into a "smart, kind, funny & strong young woman."