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The Rookie’s Alyssa Diaz Was Pregnant at the Same Time as Lopez’s First Pregnancy — Her Character Is Expecting Again
Wednesday, April 19th, 2023
Life imitates art? Since her pregnancy at the same time as her Rookie character in Season 3, fans have wondered if Alyssa Diaz is pregnant in real life again as her character, Angela Lopez, expects her second baby two seasons later.
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The Rookie is ABC’s procedural drama following the personal and professional lives of police officers and detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department. The series, which premiered in 2018 and has led to the spin-off Rookie: Feds, centers around John Nolan, a 45-year-old newly divorced man from Pennsylvania, who moves to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department after inadvertently helping police officers during a bank robbery in his hometown.
Diaz plays Angela Lopez, a police officer (now detective) with the Los Angeles Police Department, who is assigned as a training officer to Jackson West in Season 1. She becomes a Detective I in Season 3 and welcomes her first child with her husband, Wesley Evers, in Season 4. She becomes pregnant with her second child in Season 5.
Is Alyssa Diaz pregnant in real life?
Is Alyssa Diaz pregnant? The answer seems to be no. Unlike her character on The Rookie, Angela Lopez — who is pregnant with her second child in Season 5 — there is no confirmation that Diaz is also pregnant in real life. Diaz, however, was pregnant at the same time as Lopez in The Rookie Season 3. Lopez learned she was pregnant with her husband’ Wesley Evers’ child in Season 3, Episode 1, “Consequences.” She gave birth in Season 4, Episode 1, “Life and Death,” after she was abducted and held hostage by mafia boss Sandra de la Cruz, also known as La Fiera. La Fiera abducted Lopez with the plan to take her baby once it was born and kill Lopez as revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department after her son, Diego de La Cruz, was killed by a hitman hired by criminal Cesar Madrigal.
In “Life and Death,” Lopez is rescued by the LAPD and kills La Fiera in her escape. In a time jump at the end of the episode, viewers learn that Lopez gave birth to her and Evers’ son, who they name Jackson after Lopez’s late rookie, Jackson West, who was killed on the job in Season 3. In Season 5, Episode 12, Lopez learns that she was pregnant with her and Evers’ second child.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2021, The Rookie‘s creator, Alexi Hawley, explained why the series decided to write Lopez’s pregnancy into after she told them she was expecting. “Alyssa just had a baby in real life. That was part of our journey this season was her calling up to say, ‘I’m pregnant’ and us going, ‘OK, great you’re pregnant on the show,'” Hawley said. “Because it’s 2020 and we’re just rolling with everything. But I do think that ultimately it’s been a great storyline for her character.”
He continued, “It really does add a level of reality to her experience to finally get this job that she wanted so much, but to be pregnant going into it and knowing the consequences that could come if people knew about it. I think it will resonate with a lot of women in the workplace who have had to walk that line. It does add a great layer of drama and complication to her story. How does she navigate being pregnant on the job? How does she navigate when and where to tell people? And then also how long can you really do the action-y part of being a cop when you’re pregnant? There’s a lot of really rich stuff that we mine with her.”
Hawley also hinted at the time about how Lopez’s pregnancy would affect her relationship with Evers. “There’s some potential complications with the pregnancy which come up down the road,” he said. “There is definitely a bit of a culture clash between them. He grew up as the only child in a wealthy household with nannies, and she grew up with four older brothers and a mom who worked two jobs. The experience of children and babies are just different in their world, so we do have some fun with that, as well as the different expectations of what a baby needs and how she needs to treat her pregnancy.”
Who is Alyssa Diaz dating in real life?
Who is Alyssa Diaz dating in real life? Diaz is engaged to singer-songwriter Gustavo Galindo. “To the love of my life @gustavo_galindo my forever valentine, thank you for always being so patient and loving with me – through the light and dark, you are always there for me. I adore you my handsome! #happyvalentinesday,” Diaz wrote in a Instagram post to Galindo on Valentine’s Day February 2020.
Diaz announced that she and Galindo had welcomed their first child together, a son, on December 28, 2020. She confirmed that she and Galindo were still together with a black-and-white photo of them on Instagram on Valentine’s Day 2023. Diaz’s Rookie co-star, Jenna Dewan, who plays firefighter Bailey Nune, commented three heart emojis on the post. Galindo is a singer-songwriter with almost 1,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. His most popular songs include “Wrong Things Right,” “Corazon en Llamas,” “Te Perdi,” “Barco De Papel” and “Como la Luna Lleva al Mar.”
Diaz has also starred in Galindo’s music videos. “My Co-star @alydiaz has been acting since she was 12 years old. She has made more than 30 appearances between TV and film. It was my pleasure to be in front of the camera with her in a world where she’s super comfortable,” Galindo captioned an Instagram post of a music video with Diaz, according to a translation.
For more on primetime shows, check out our photo gallery on the best nighttime soaps ranked.
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30/56
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> Set in Orange County, Calif., Josh Schwartz’s teen drama made us with that, like Ben McKenzie’s Ryan Atwood, we, too, could be adopted by the Cohens, a family with even more love than money. And they had a <em>lot</em> of money. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Five words — “Welcome to the O.C., bitch.” <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Chrismukkah, the holiday invented by Adam Brody’s Seth Cohen to merge both of his parents’ religions, became so popular, it even got a mention on <em>Grey’s Anatomy.</em></p>
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40/56
<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> Two words: Jane Wyman. The sour grapes that she served as viperish vintner Angela Channing kept us coming back for refills of the CBS soap from 1981-90 no matter <em>how</em> (hic) intoxicated she left us. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The Who’s Who of silver-screen stars that passed through the series, among them Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson and Kim Novak. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Robert Foxworth, who played halo-clad Chase Gioberti, turned down the role of devilish J.R. Ewing on <em>Dallas</em>.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Love It:</strong> The foul-mouthed Roy family proves that the only way in which the rich are truly different is that their dysfunctions play out in mansions and exotic locales. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Beaten-down hubby Tom Wamsbgans telling wife Shiv, “I wonder if the sad I’d be without you would be less than the sad I get from being with you.” Ouch. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> The HBO hit’s bombastic patriarch, Logan Roy (played by the inimitable Brian Cox) originally was set to die in the pilot episode, setting in motion a battle for control of Waystar Royco.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> In 1990, the supernova that was ABC’s short-lived David Lynch series was something altogether new, a traditional soap on an alternately dreamy and nightmarish acid trip. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The Season 2 episode that revealed that Laura Palmer had been killed by her possessed father. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> In 2017’s Showtime revival, Lynch muse Laura Dern finally gave a face to Diane Evans, the FBI secretary to whom Special Agent Dale Cooper was always dictating messages.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Love It:</strong> Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount Network Western pulls no punches, and neither do any of the members of the rough-and-tumble Dutton family. Well, maybe Jamie. (But he’s adopted.) <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The outta-control Season 4 finale that gunned down John, took aim at Kayce and blew up Beth. Or <em>tried</em> to, anyway. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> As of Season 5, Sheridan has written or co-written every episode of the series, which has thus far spawned two prequels, <em>1883</em> and <em>1932</em>.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> As much as we may hate actually going to see the doctor, we can’t get enough of medical dramas set in hospitals. Plus, this long-running NBC series featured George Clooney, whose Dr. Doug Ross was the original McDreamy. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The Season 2 episode in which Ross saved a child trapped in a storm drain left us breathless and helped propel Clooney to superstardom. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> The series was created by Michael Crichton. Yes, the same man who gave us <em>Jurassic Park. </em></p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> There was no “there” to which Tyler Perry’s OWN soap wouldn’t go. Yet neither Jeffrey Harrington stabbing his homophobic Mommie Dearest in the breast implant nor Veronica Harrington setting her estranged husband on fire is <strong>What We’ll Never Forget:</strong> That would be Crystal R. Fox’s fierce portrayal of long-suffering Hanna Young. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> In 2022, Tika Sumpter, who played Candace Young, tied the knot with co-star Nicholas James, aka off-kilter Officer Justin Lewis.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> Over the course of its 2016-22 run, the creators of the NBC series proved master manipulators where our emotional well-being was concerned. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The unbreakable bond between the Big Three — the Pearson siblings. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> So upset were fans upon learning that a slow cooker was the cause of Jack Pearson’s death that the makers of the responsible appliance posted a Facebook message addressing the incident. “We love [Jack], and we love you, too. Don’t further add to our heartbreak by no longer using Crock-Pot Slow Cookers.” </p>
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<p><strong>Why We Love It:</strong> Unlike its American brethren, the British sudser makes a big deal of the “little people.” In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a “have” amongst the “have-nots” who populate Albert Square and hang at its beloved Queen Vic pub. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The 2008 tearjerker in which Dot Cotton recorded an episode-long farewell monologue to former hubby Jim. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> For 28 years running, June Brown’s Dot wore the same dress on Christmas Day. </p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> In a way, we grew up with the characters on Aaron Spelling’s 1990-2000 Fox hit, which originated as the fish-out-of-water story of sheltered Minnesota twins transferred to schmancy West Beverly High. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The heated debates that erupted over Season 3’s Brenda/Dylan/Kelly triangle. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Since the network wasn’t initially as sold on Luke Perry or the character of Dylan McKay as Spelling was, the EP at first paid the future teen idol’s salary himself.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> While we could wax poetic about the shocking plot twists which befell the Lyon family as they fought for control of their hip-hop dynasty, the truth is, what we <em>really</em> loved was Taraji P. Henson’s trash-talking Cookie. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Sadly, the show will likely be most remembered for star Jussie Smollett staging a fake attack against himself. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Henson darn near got a spinoff focused on her character, but that Cookie crumbled before the proposed show could launch.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Love It:</strong> Nineteen seasons in, Shonda Rhimes’ medical drama never forgets that sometimes all it takes to get a <span style="text-decoration: line-through">patient</span> series off life support is a transfusion of fresh blood. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Season 5’s finale, which kept us waiting till the last second to learn whether Izzie Stevens or George O’Malley died. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Original cast member Ellen Pompeo was TV’s highest-paid actress — to the tune of $20M/year — when she stepped away from her role of Meredith Grey in 2022.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> The suburbs-set 2004-12 series beautifully combined slapstick comedy with dark drama while chronicling the lives of Wisteria Lane’s residents… as seen through the eyes of a dead neighbor! <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Early in Season 1, Gabrielle Solis mowed her lawn in a full-length evening gown to prevent her hubby from finding out their hunky young gardener had been too busy tending to her needs to do the chore himself. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Said gardener was played by none other than a post-<em>Passions</em>, pre-<em>Chesapeake Shores</em> Jesse Metcalfe.</p>
Image: Fox/Courtesy of the Everett Collection
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> After Aaron Spelling spiked his <em>Beverly Hills, 90210</em> spinoff with <em>Dynasty</em> vet Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward, it went from plain and boring to wild and crazy. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The Season 2 scene in which a back-from-the-dead Kimberly Shaw ripped off her wig to reveal her scarred head. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> Years after the show ended, Locklear dated and even got engaged to former leading man Jack Wagner, who’d played her love/hate interest, Dr. Peter Burns.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> ABC’s answer to <em>Dallas</em> was heavy on the glitz and glamour and even heavier on the catfights and spectacles. (Moldavian massacre, anyone?) <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Joan Collins’ Season 2 debut as Blake Carrington’s ex, Alexis, who elevated bitchcraft to an art form and moved the series out of Dullsville. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> The role of the scheme queen was originally supposed to go to Sophia Loren. Elizabeth Taylor and Jessica Walter were also pursued, Collins told <em>W</em> in 2018. </p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> Based on Grace Metalious’ novel, ABC’s 1964-69 serial about a small town with big secrets was so addictive that at one point, three new episodes aired every week. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> Lee Grant’s stunning turn as the sublimely cynical Stella Chernak. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> The exit of rising star Mia Farrow in 1966 not only killed the popular Allison/Rodney/Betty triangle with Ryan O’Neal and Barbara Parkins’ characters, it began the series’ slide toward the primetime graveyard.</p>
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<p><strong>Why We Loved It:</strong> Only one thing ran deeper than the oil wells on CBS’ 1978-91 smash, and that was the grudges onto which the Ewing and Barnes families held with a viselike grip. <strong>We’ll Never Forget:</strong> The Season 9 finale, in which the “late” Bobby Ewing stepped out of sometime wife Pamela’s shower and erased Season 8. <strong>Fun Fact:</strong> The Season 4 episode that resolved the “Who shot J.R.?” cliffhanger is the second-highest-rated primetime telecast ever. (FYI, Kristin Shepard did it.)</p>
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