George Lopez Half-Jokes He Might 'Cry' When Reflecting on Sandra Bullock's Impact on His Career

Lopez recalled Bullock telling him at the first meeting, "Why don't you worry about being funny and why don’t you let me worry about all that other stuff?"

George Lopez is reflecting on the pivotal role his friend Sandra Bullock played in his career.

On the latest episode of Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, the 62-year-old comedian half-jokingly said he might “cry” over Bullock’s support after she became an executive producer of his sitcom, George Lopez, in 2002.

The Lopez vs Lopez star recalled at the time he was doing things that had “never been done before stand-up wise” as a Latino comic and had gotten used to being rejected in Hollywood, saying, “And after our first meeting, which I wasn't going to go to. I mean, really, I just heard no so many times, you're like, ‘What’s she gonna do for me?’”

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“And when we were leaving her production company, we got down the stairs as she opened the door and I said, ‘Hey, whatever happens with this, wherever it goes or doesn't go, I just want to say thanks. You know, thanks and because what you're going to try to do has never been done successfully before,’” he continued. “And then she said, ‘Why don't you worry about being funny and why don’t you let me worry about all that other stuff?'”

When host Chris Wallace asked if Bullock, 59, has "had his back" in the two decades since, Lopez replied, “Yeah. She has.”

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Back in 2006, Lopez opened up to PEOPLE about his bond with The Lost City star, saying, “Sandra Bullock completely gave me life.”

Bullock was searching for Latino talent when she was introduced to Lopez, then a little-known comedian working the comedy circuit. Bullock drove an hour from Los Angeles to Orange County to catch his act. Two years later, she was the executive producer of his hit television show, George Lopez.

“From the time Sandy and I first laid eyes on each other, she has been nothing but a person of her word and embracing of me and my family,” he said of Bullock, who often visited the set of his show, even making a few guest appearances. “It’s beautiful. I love her!”

The pair has been friends since 2000. As a gift many years before his PEOPLE interview, Bullock gave Lopez his first BlackBerry, and she sent him a message that he saved.

“She said, ‘If you ever need me, I’m your big sister. If you ever need me to be the bad guy, I will be the bad guy,’” he said.

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