You probably know him as the dimpled guy who never seems to age, or maybe you still call him A.C. Slater when you see him on Access Hollywood. Mario Lopez has been a fixture in our living rooms for decades. But for all his screen time, people still get fuzzy on the details of his romantic life. Specifically, the question of who was Mario Lopez married to usually brings up a mix of "wait, didn't he marry a Miss USA?" and "isn't he still with that dancer?"
He has been married twice. That's the short answer. The long answer involves a spectacular tabloid-ready disaster and a slow-burn Broadway romance that actually stuck.
That Infamous Two-Week Marriage to Ali Landry
If you were around in 2004, you couldn't escape the headlines. Mario Lopez and Ali Landry were the "it" couple. She was a former Miss USA and the famous Doritos girl from the Super Bowl commercials. They had been dating for six years. Six years! That is a lifetime in Hollywood.
They had a gorgeous Catholic ceremony in Mexico. It was supposed to be the start of a legendary celebrity union. Instead, it became a legendary cautionary tale.
Just two weeks later, it was over. Annulled.
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The reason? Honestly, it was pretty messy. Mario eventually admitted that he had been unfaithful during his bachelor party. He basically confessed that he wasn't "man enough" at the time to come clean before the wedding, so he went through with the ceremony anyway. Landry found out about the infidelity (reportedly via photographic evidence of him with another woman) and pulled the plug immediately.
- Married: April 24, 2004
- Annulled: May 2004
- The Aftermath: It took Mario years to really own up to it publicly, eventually detailing the "immature" mistake in his memoir, Just Between Us.
Finding the Real Deal: Courtney Mazza
After the Ali Landry debacle and a high-profile stint on Dancing with the Stars where he dated his partner Karina Smirnoff, Mario headed to Broadway. That’s where things changed.
In 2008, while starring in A Chorus Line, he met Courtney Mazza. She was a dancer and actress from Pittsburgh. Unlike the whirlwind drama of his first marriage, this one had a bit more of a foundation. They dated for four years before they ever walked down an aisle.
They actually became parents before they became husband and wife. Their daughter, Gia, was born in 2010. By the time they got married in 2012, they were already a solid family unit.
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The Wedding Fiesta
They didn't go small for the wedding. On December 1, 2012, they tied the knot in Punta Mita, Mexico. If you feel like you saw it, you probably did—it was literally a TV special on TLC called Mario & Courtney’s Wedding Fiesta.
The guest list included stars like Eva Longoria, and their daughter Gia served as the flower girl. It was a far cry from the two-week disaster of his past.
The Lopez Family Today
As of 2026, Mario and Courtney are still going strong. They’ve built what many consider one of the more stable families in the industry. They now have three children:
- Gia Francesca: Born in 2010.
- Dominic Luciano: Born in 2013 (often called "Nico").
- Santino Rafael: Their "miracle" baby born in 2019.
They don't just live together; they work together. You’ll often see Courtney appearing on Access Daily or working on their iHeartRadio show, On with Mario Lopez. They even did a holiday movie together recently for Great American Family called Once Upon a Christmas Wish.
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Mario often jokes that Courtney is the "quarterback" of the family. He basically does what she says, and honestly, given how well his life is going now compared to twenty years ago, that seems like a solid strategy.
What Most People Miss About His Dating History
Before the marriages, Mario had a very famous "teen dream" relationship. During the Saved by the Bell years, he dated his co-star Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski). It’s the kind of fact that makes 90s kids lose their minds, but it was just a young Hollywood romance that eventually fizzled out.
He also had a brief, buzzy relationship with Fergie back in the day. Yes, that Fergie. He’s been around.
Key Takeaways for Fans
If you're trying to keep the facts straight, remember these three points:
- The Blunder: His first marriage to Ali Landry lasted only 14 days in 2004 due to his infidelity at his bachelor party.
- The Rock: He has been married to Courtney Lopez (née Mazza) since 2012.
- The Legacy: He’s moved from being a tabloid fixture to a family-oriented host with three kids and a decade-plus marriage.
If you're looking for a lesson in Mario's journey, it's pretty simple. Longevity in Hollywood usually requires a lot of "work" behind the scenes and, as Mario would say, listening to your wife.
Next Steps for You:
If you're curious about other 90s icons, you might want to look into the current projects of the rest of the Saved by the Bell cast. Many of them, like Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen, have had similarly interesting transitions into "adult" Hollywood. You can also check out Mario’s memoir if you want the unfiltered, first-person account of that 2-week marriage mess.