Lilian Garcia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lilian Garcia |
|
|---|---|
Garcia in 2018
|
|
| Birth name | Lilián Annette Garcia |
| Born | August 19, 1966 Panama Canal Zone, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of South Carolina |
| Spouse(s) |
Christopher Jozeph
(m. 2009; div. 2022) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Lilian Garcia |
| Billed height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Billed weight | 110 lb (50 kg) |
| Billed from | New York City |
| Debut | August 23, 1999 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop, dance, rock |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| YouTube information | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
| Subscribers | 41 thousand |
| Total views | 3 million |
Lilián Annette Garcia (born August 19, 1966) is an American ring announcer, singer, and podcaster. She is well-known for her work with WWE, where she announces special events. She also announces for the Professional Fighters League (PFL), which is a mixed martial arts organization.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lilian Garcia was born on August 19, 1966, in the Panama Canal Zone. When she was just three months old, her family moved to Spain. She lived in Spain for eight years because her father worked for the American Embassy. She went to school on an American military base there. Because of her family's military background, she often calls herself a "military brat." Lilian speaks both English and Spanish fluently.
After returning to the United States, Lilian graduated from Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina. She then attended the University of South Carolina, where she graduated with honors.
Before her wrestling career, Lilian was a top-ten finalist in the Miss South Carolina beauty pageant. She also worked in radio as a popular morning show host in Columbia, South Carolina. Later, she had her own show during drive time. She was also a VJ (video jockey) in Atlanta, Georgia, and hosted karaoke nights.
Singing Career
Lilian Garcia started singing when she was a young child in Madrid, Spain. She and her sister began entering singing contests when Lilian was five years old. As a teenager, she sang with a band in clubs around Columbia, South Carolina. Her mother would go with her to these performances. In 1990, she appeared as a singer in the movie Modern Love.
Besides her announcing duties, Lilian often sang the national anthem of the United States of America before most Monday Night Raw shows. She did this from February 2000 until she left in August 2016. She also sang "America the Beautiful" at WrestleMania 2000, WrestleMania 21, and WrestleMania XXVIII. She holds the record for the most musical performances at WrestleMania with three.
After joining WWE, Lilian became a popular performer at many professional sports events. She sang for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. She also performed at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She even opened for the famous singer James Brown.
Lilian's first song, "Shout," was released in October 2002 and reached No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She also recorded Torrie Wilson's entrance theme, "Need A Little Time," for the WWE Anthology album in 2002. She co-wrote "You Just Don't Know Me At All," which became her own entrance theme, released on the WWE Originals album in 2004.
In 2005, Lilian started working on her first solo album. She worked with Grammy Award-winning producers. Her album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, which means "I Want to Live!" in Spanish, was released on October 9, 2007. She helped write 11 songs on the album, including three with Jon Secada, who also sings with her on "Adonde." The album has 10 Spanish songs and two English ones. The title track, "¡Quiero Vivir!", became her entrance theme.
After leaving WWE in 2016, Lilian started working on another album. She released an EP called My Time on August 17, 2012. This EP has six English songs. To promote My Time, Lilian released her first music video for "U Drive Me Loca" in December 2011. Another song from the EP, "Ur Girl ('Til the End of the World)," became her entrance theme when she returned to WWE. She released a music video for this song in March 2012. In January 2013, she released a music video for "Over & Over."
Lilian Garcia attended the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. Her appearance on the red carpet was shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the next night. In May 2014, Lilian announced that she and her band, The Fuse, would perform at Club Madrid in Henderson, Nevada. Her first show there was on June 14, 2014.
Announcing Career
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1999–2010)
In 1999, Lilian Garcia was hired by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which is now WWE, as a ring announcer. She made her first appearance on August 23, 1999, on Raw is War. Early in her career, she was sometimes part of the wrestling storylines, called "angles." For example, in September 1999, wrestler Jeff Jarrett put her in a wrestling hold after she upset him.
Another time, in December 1999, Lilian announced a "chocolate pudding pool match." After she announced the winner, the wrestler known as The Kat got angry and threw Lilian into the pool of pudding.
Lilian sang the national anthem for the first time at a WWE event on February 11, 2000. The company's owner, Vince McMahon, was so impressed that he asked her to sing it every week before Raw. Her first televised performance was on April 2, 2000, at WrestleMania 2000. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Lilian sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" on SmackDown! and shared her thoughts on the attacks, expressing gratitude for her loved ones' safety.
In August 2002, Lilian had a brief storyline rivalry with fellow announcer Howard Finkel. She won a match against him with help from other female wrestlers. In May 2003, while Lilian was singing "America the Beautiful," she was interrupted by wrestlers Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée who insulted America. Her friend, Stone Cold Steve Austin, came to her rescue and helped her finish the song. In November 2003, after announcing a match winner, Lilian was stripped down to her bra by an angry wrestler.
In June 2005, Lilian was part of a storyline where she had a romance with wrestler Viscera. She even proposed to him during a pay-per-view event, but he turned her down. The storyline was briefly brought back later when Viscera proposed to her, but it was interrupted. Lilian also appeared in the Divas 2005 swimsuit magazine and DVD.
On June 5, 2006, Lilian accidentally hurt her wrist when a wrestler bumped into her. This accident was then turned into a storyline. Lilian was off television for several weeks to recover.
In April 2007, Lilian was part of a funny moment in the ring when her skirt was accidentally torn off by Bobby Lashley while Vince McMahon was trying to hide under it. This incident made Lilian very popular online. She returned to announcing on July 2, 2007, after recovering from a skiing injury where she tore a ligament in her knee. On August 6, 2007, Lilian announced her new album, "Quiero Vivir." She then had a storyline rivalry with Jillian Hall, who claimed to be a better singer. Lilian also announced for WWE Superstars. In August 2009, Lilian celebrated ten years with WWE, becoming the first "Decade Diva."
On September 21, 2009, Lilian announced that it was her last night with WWE. She gave an emotional speech, thanking the fans and her co-workers. She made a special appearance on November 16, 2009, singing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden. Lilian also filled in as ring announcer on April 19, 2010, when the regular announcer was stuck in Europe due to a volcanic eruption.
Return to WWE (2011–2019)
On December 5, 2011, WWE announced that Lilian Garcia would return as a full-time ring announcer for SmackDown. She also announced for Main Event and pay-per-view events. Lilian had a couple of minor accidents before shows in 2012, including tripping over equipment. In April 2013, she was involved in a dance segment with wrestler Fandango.
On June 6, 2014, Lilian had a confrontation with wrestler Alicia Fox. In October 2014, she became the full-time ring announcer for Raw. Lilian took time off for knee surgery and returned on May 31, 2015, at Elimination Chamber. On August 1, 2016, Lilian announced she was leaving WWE again. She made a one-night return on December 14, 2016, to sing the national anthem at WWE Tribute to the Troops.
She made another special appearance on July 4, 2017, singing the national anthem before SmackDown Live. She was also the ring announcer for the finals of the Mae Young Classic on September 12, 2017.
On January 22, 2018, Lilian was honored during the Raw 25 Years special episode as a legend who helped the company. She announced the first-ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 in April 2018. On October 28, 2018, she announced the first-ever WWE Women's Pay Per View, WWE Evolution. On July 22, 2019, Lilian made a special appearance at the Raw Reunion show.
Professional Fighters League (2019-2023)
In May 2019, Lilian Garcia announced on her podcast that she had joined the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as a ring announcer. The PFL is a mixed martial arts organization.
Lilian later shared that in late 2023, she had trouble using her announcing voice. Because of this, PFL told her they would not renew her contract for 2024. It was discovered that her voice issues were caused by a gas leak in her old family home. Once she moved, her voice recovered, which led to her return to WWE.
Second Return to WWE (2024–present)
On May 13, 2024, Lilian Garcia made a one-night return on WWE Raw. She helped the current ring announcer, Samantha Irvin, introduce a wrestling match. On October 21, 2024, Lilian announced for the entire night on RAW because Samantha Irvin had left WWE. It was later announced that Lilian had signed a full-time contract to return to the company.
From January 3 to March 14, 2025, Lilian served as the SmackDown ring announcer. After the March 14 episode, she announced it was her last as a full-time announcer for that show. However, she continues to work with WWE as the ring announcer for Saturday Night's Main Event and other roles.
On June 7, 2025, Lilian Garcia sang the American National Anthem to open the WWE X AAA Worlds Collide event. She also announced for the event, mainly in Spanish. On July 12, 2025, Lilian returned as the ring announcer for WWE Evolution 2, just as she did for the first WWE Evolution event.
Other Appearances
Podcasting
After leaving WWE, Lilian Garcia started hosting podcasts. These included Making Their Way to the Ring and the Spanish-language Luchando Con Lilian Garcia. On July 31, 2017, Lilian launched her new podcast, Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia.
The Price Is Right
On March 31, 2017, Lilian Garcia appeared as a contestant on the CBS game show The Price Is Right. She was on a special episode for college rivals, representing her alma mater, the University of South Carolina. She won a trip to London and some fashion accessories.
A.P. Bio
Lilian Garcia appeared as a wrestling ring announcer in an episode of the NBC comedy series A.P. Bio.
Personal Life
Lilian Garcia is a Christian. She has said that fellow wrestler Molly Holly helped her reconnect with her faith.
Lilian was previously married for thirteen years before getting divorced. She married her second husband, Christopher Jozeph, on September 28, 2009. They divorced in April 2022.
She is also close friends with seven-time WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus. They became friends early in their careers at WWE.
On March 17, 2007, Lilian twisted her knee while skiing, tearing a ligament. She had surgery in April 2007 and returned to Raw on July 2. On October 26, 2012, Lilian was hit by a car in Los Angeles. She had several injuries on her left side but was in stable condition and released from the hospital two days later.
On December 26, 2016, Lilian announced that her father had passed away on Christmas Day after battling cancer.
Discography
- WWE Anthology (2002)
- WWE Originals (2004)
- ¡Quiero Vivir! (2007)
- 2008 Año de Exitos Pop (2008)
- My Time (2012)
See also
In Spanish: Lilian García para niños
