Mario Lopez's 3 Kids: All About Gia, Dominic and Santino

Mario Lopez's daughter and sons are following in his steps as a performer

Mario Lopez wants to pass down lessons he learned from his parents to his three kids: Gia, Dominic and Santino.

The Saved by the Bell star met actress Courtney Lopez when they worked together on the Broadway musical A Chorus Line in 2008. They wed in Punta Mita, Mexico, in 2012, surrounded by family and friends. Two years earlier, they welcomed their first child, daughter Gia, who served as the flower girl at their nuptials.

Dominic was born just a year later. "Once we go to number three, we are going to be outnumbered — then it will get very real," the Pacific Blue alum joked to Mini magazine before Santino's birth in 2019.

He also shared the sweet reason he cherishes his children and couldn't wait to have more: "You don't realize the amount of love that you have for these new little humans. It changes your whole perspective and all your priorities."

Related: Who Is Mario Lopez's Wife? All About Courtney Lopez

Mario credits his immigrant parents for the "strong work ethic mentality" that he grew up with and is imparting to his daughter and sons.

"I want to teach them to never forget where they came from and to always try to be better," he told Yahoo Life in 2022.

The Access Hollywood host attributed his success as a father to his "very understanding and supportive wife," who acts as "the quarterback of the team," when speaking to Mini magazine.

Courtney echoed his praise in the same interview, saying, "Mario works so hard for our family, but no matter how long of a day he's had, he comes home and is so present. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect father for my children."

Here's everything to know about Mario Lopez's kids: Gia, Dominic and Santino.

Gia Francesca Lopez, 13

Mario and Courtney welcomed Gia on Sept. 11, 2010, two years after they started dating.

The new dad told Extra that he was "overjoyed" when she came into the world. "The whole thing is so surreal, and it happened so quick," Mario said. "I just want to go and stare at her, check her out and just look at her. She's chubby, and she looks so cute."

Gia is "a total Daddy's girl" according to the TV host, who often praises her.

"My daughter, she's very smart," he told PEOPLE in 2017. "I know a lot of parents say that about their kids, but she's a very quick kid and very funny and very sensitive and emotional and nurturing."

Still, that doesn't stop Gia from roughhousing with her dad. "It's the WWE at my house every night, [the kids] get mad if I don't wrestle with them," Mario shared before revealing that Gia is the wrestler to watch in his household.

"She's as physical if not more physical than my son. That's her favorite, to be honest," he said. "They can't seem to get enough. She's like a little Ronda Rousey."

Gia and her dad have also worked together on his syndicated radio show, On With Mario Lopez, and a few of his other projects. When she was 7, Gia booked her first acting gig on the Disney Channel animated series Elena of Avalor, and since then, she has appeared in some of her dad's Access Hollywood coverage.

As she's grown, Mario has shared his pride for Gia on Instagram. In 2020, the actor and television personality shared a birthday carousel in which his daughter wore a Bayside Tigers hoodie as a nod to his breakout role on Saved by the Bell.

"Happy Birthday besos to my little mija, Gigi! She's growing up too fast, but I'm very proud of you and your kind heart," Mario captioned the tribute.

The Daytime Emmy winner is also focused on making Gia feel special. "I think the way you treat your daughter is going to set a certain standard of the way she ought to be treated," Mario told PEOPLE in 2017.

"And if you raise her right, she's not going to put up with anything less than that, and that's [what] I'm trying to do with my daughter," he added.

Dominic Luciano Lopez, 10

Mario and Courtney celebrated the arrival of Dominic on Sept. 9, 2013. His name is an homage to Mario's maternal great-grandfather, Dominico, but he also goes by many other nicknames.

"I just think Dominic sounds cool," Mario told Today in 2022. "We call him Nico for short. He's got a bunch of nicknames, Dom, Nico Suave. My wife and I call our son Wreck-It Ralph because he destroys everything. He's got a lot of fire in him."

Despite initial worry over their sibling bond, Courtney told PEOPLE in 2014 that Gia turned out to be "the best big sister." The mom of three added, "She is so nurturing and takes the big sister role very seriously."

Spending time with his son also keeps Mario young: When Dominic was 8, the father-son duo participated in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament together.

"When your son asks you to compete in the same tournament as him, you do it. You're never too old to challenge yourself & set goals," he wrote on Instagram. "Thank you to all the homies who helped get us ready!"

Dominic has continued with his sporty hobby. In April 2024, Mario shared on Instagram that his elder son had placed first in a Jiu-Jitsu competition.

As well as testing their physical prowess, it's important for the actor and presenter to keep his children grounded and down-to-earth.

"The most important thing for me to teach my kids is that manners go a long way," he told PEOPLE in 2017. "Being polite and respectable, and respecting other people, and treating them how you would want to be treated and doing the right thing."

Dominic is also following in his dad's Hollywood footsteps. The two are starring alongside Courtney in the holiday film My Grown-Up Christmas Wish, part of the Great American Christmas 2024 lineup, according to Deadline. Dominic will play the younger version of Mario's character.

"Lil man stealin the movie...," the proud dad wrote on Instagram in March 2024.

Santino Rafael Lopez, 4

Mario and Courtney welcomed Santino on July 7, 2019. Before his birth, the couple were open about not being sure they'd be able to have a third child and called him "a miracle."

"If it didn't happen, it wasn't meant to be. Not part of God's plan. We have one of each," the Access Hollywood host told PEOPLE in 2019. "But it got in there! It snuck in, towards the end, so [it was] a bit of a Christmas miracle."

After Mario and Courtney found out the happy news, it took a minute for Gia and Dominic to get on board with the idea of having another sibling.

"At first they were like, 'Wait, what?' They couldn't understand," he recalled. "My daughter got very dramatic. She was like, 'If I have another brother, I'm telling you right now, I'm moving to Texas!' "

In no time, however, the kids stepped up to help welcome Santino and tend to their expecting mother. "They're always kissing her belly. They're very excited. It's really neat to see how the kids react," Mario shared.

The pair's youngest child was named after James Caan's character in The Godfather, as the host revealed in a sweet tribute to the actor.

"I named my son after Santino Corleone in the Godfather and the man who infamously played him passed away today on my son's birthday," he captioned an Instagram photo of Santino next to Caan.

When Santino was still an infant, Mario revealed that he was "the most chilled out baby," before joking that this means "he's probably going to save it all up for later on, so he'll explode with all of his energy."

As he's gotten older, Santino has taken after his brother, competing in his own Jiu-Jitsu competitions.

In March 2024, Mario shared on Instagram that both of his sons had taken home gold in a recent tournament. The proud dad posted videos of both kids' matches, which showed Santino jumping in excitement when he won.

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