Lilian Garcia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lilian Garcia
Garcia in 2018
Birth name	Lilián Annette Garcia
Born	(1966-08-19) August 19, 1966 (age 58) 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

Lilián Annette Garcia (born August 19, 1966) is an American ring announcer, singer, and podcaster. She is famous for her work with WWE, where she announces matches. She also works as a ring announcer for the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Lilian Garcia's Early Life and Start

Lilian Garcia was born on August 19, 1966. She spent her first eight years in Madrid, Spain. Her father worked for the American Embassy there. She went to school on an American military base. This made her feel like a "military brat". Lilian speaks both English and Spanish very well.

When she returned to the United States, Lilian finished high school in Columbia, South Carolina. She then went to the University of South Carolina. She graduated with honors from the university.

Before joining WWE, Lilian was a top-ten finalist in the Miss South Carolina beauty pageant. She also worked on a popular morning radio show. Later, she had her own radio show. Lilian was also a VJ (video jockey) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lilian Garcia's Singing Journey

Lilian Garcia started singing when she was a young child in Madrid, Spain. She and her sister took part in singing contests from age five. As a teenager, she sang with a band in clubs. Her mother went with her to these shows. She also appeared as a singer in the 1990 movie Modern Love.

Besides her announcing work, Lilian often sang the national anthem for the United States. She sang it before most Monday Night Raw shows. This was from February 2000 until she left in August 2016. She also sang "America the Beautiful" at three WrestleMania events. These were WrestleMania 2000, WrestleMania 21, and WrestleMania XXVIII. She holds the record for the most musical performances at WrestleMania.

After joining WWE, Lilian became well-known in sports. She sang for the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). She also performed for the National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball (MLB). She sang at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Lilian also performed on TV shows like Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. She even opened for the famous singer James Brown.

Lilian's first song, "Shout," was released in October 2002. It reached No. 69 on the Billboard music chart. She was very excited about this achievement.

She also recorded a song called "Need A Little Time". This was the entrance music for wrestler Torrie Wilson. It was part of the WWE Anthology album in 2002. Lilian also helped write "You Just Don't Know Me At All". This song became her own entrance theme. It was released on the WWE Originals album in 2004.

In 2005, Lilian started working on her own album. She worked with Grammy award-winning producers George Noriega and Tim Mitchell. Her album, ¡Quiero Vivir!, means "I Want to Live!" in Spanish. It was released on October 9, 2007. Lilian helped write 11 songs on the album. She even sang a duet with Jon Secada called "Adonde". The album has 10 Spanish songs and two English ones. The song "¡Quiero Vivir!" became her new entrance theme.

After leaving WWE in 2016, Lilian started working on another album. She released an EP (a shorter album) called My Time on August 17, 2012. This EP has six English songs. To promote My Time, Lilian released her first music video in December 2011 for "U Drive Me Loca." Another song, "Ur Girl ('Til the End of the World)", became her entrance theme when she returned to WWE. She released a music video for it 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. Her appearance on the red carpet was shown on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

On May 27, 2014, Lilian announced that she and her band, The Fuse, would perform. They played at Club Madrid in Henderson, Nevada. Her first show was on June 14, 2014.

Music Albums and Songs

• WWE Anthology (2002)
• WWE Originals (2004)
• ¡Quiero Vivir! (2007)
• 2008 Año de Exitos Pop (2008)
• My Time (2012)

Becoming a Ring Announcer

First Time in WWE (1999–2009)

Garcia in 2003

In 1999, World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now WWE, hired Lilian Garcia as a ring announcer. She first appeared on August 23, 1999, on Raw is War. She was part of a storyline on September 13. A wrestler named Jeff Jarrett put her in a wrestling hold. This happened after she announced his loss in a match.

Lilian was part of another storyline on December 13, 1999. She introduced Miss Kitty for a chocolate pudding pool match. Miss Kitty, who wanted to be called "The Kat", got mad at Lilian. This was because Lilian announced her as "Miss Kitty". So, The Kat pushed Lilian into the pool of pudding.

Garcia in 2006

Lilian sang the national anthem for the first time at a WWE event on February 11, 2000. Vince McMahon, the head of WWE, was impressed. He asked her to sing the anthem every week before Raw. Her first TV performance was on April 2, 2000, at WrestleMania 2000. After the September 11 attacks, Lilian sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" on SmackDown! on September 13, 2001. She also shared her thoughts on the attacks.

In August 2002, Lilian had a small storyline with another announcer, Howard Finkel. Lilian won a match against him with help from Stacy Keibler and Trish Stratus. On May 26, 2003, Lilian was singing "America the Beautiful". Two wrestlers, Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée, interrupted her. They made fun of America. Lilian's friend, Stone Cold Steve Austin, came to help. He sang with Lilian and they celebrated.

In June 2005, Lilian started a storyline romance with wrestler Viscera. She even proposed to him during a pay-per-view event. The storyline ended when Viscera accidentally hurt Lilian during a match. Lilian was off TV for a few weeks to recover.

Lilian was part of a special Diva magazine in 2005. It was called Divas 2005 and featured swimsuit photos. On June 5, 2006, Lilian accidentally hurt her wrist. A wrestler named Charlie Haas bumped into her. This accident became a storyline. Lilian was off TV for several weeks after another accidental move by Viscera.

In 2007, Lilian was part of another Diva publication. It was called WWE Divas Do San Antonio. Lilian returned to announcing on July 2, 2007. She had been recovering from a skiing injury. She had torn a ligament in her knee. On August 6, 2007, Lilian announced her new album, "Quiero Vivir". She also had a storyline with Jillian Hall, who said she was a better singer. Lilian appeared on WWE Idol, a singing parody show. She sang "New York, New York".

Lilian also announced matches on WWE Superstars. In August 2009, Lilian celebrated ten years with WWE. She was 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 anthem at Madison Square Garden. Lilian also filled in as announcer on April 19, 2010. This was because the regular announcer was stuck in Europe.

Returning to WWE (2011–2019)

Garcia in 2015

On December 5, 2011, WWE announced that Lilian would return as a full-time ring announcer. She started on SmackDown on December 6. She also announced for Main Event and pay-per-view events. Lilian had a couple of small accidents before shows in 2012. Once, her shoe strap broke. Another time, she tripped over equipment and fell. On April 19, 2013, Lilian was part of a dance segment with Fandango.

On June 6, 2014, Lilian had a confrontation with Alicia Fox. This happened after Alicia lost a match. On October 20, 2014, Lilian became the full-time ring announcer for Raw. She returned from knee surgery on May 31, 2015. On August 1, 2016, Lilian announced she was leaving WWE again. She made a one-night return on December 14, 2016. She sang the national anthem at WWE Tribute to the Troops.

She made another special appearance on July 4, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. She sang the anthem before SmackDown Live. She also announced the finals of the Mae Young Classic on September 12, 2017.

On January 22, 2018, Lilian was honored on the Raw 25 Years special episode. She was recognized as a legend who helped the company. She announced the first-ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. 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.

Announcing for PFL (2019–present)

In May 2019, Lilian Garcia announced on her Chasing Glory podcast that she had joined the mixed martial arts organization. This organization is called the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She works there as a ring announcer.

Back to WWE Again (2024–present)

On May 13, 2024, Lilian Garcia made a one-night return to WWE Raw. She helped ring announcer Samantha Irvin introduce a match. On October 21, 2024, Lilian announced for the entire night on RAW. This was because Samantha Irvin had left WWE. It was later announced that Lilian had re-signed with WWE full-time.

On January 3, 2025, Lilian Garcia became the SmackDown ring announcer once more. She switched roles with Alicia Taylor.

Other Cool Stuff Lilian Did

Hosting Podcasts

After leaving WWE, Lilian Garcia started hosting two podcasts. One was called Making Their Way to the Ring. The other was a Spanish podcast, Luchando Con Lilian Garcia. On July 31, 2017, Lilian started her new podcast, Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia.

On The Price Is Right

On March 31, 2017, Lilian Garcia appeared on the TV game show The Price Is Right. She was a contestant during a special college episode. She represented her old school, the University of South Carolina. She won a trip to London and some fashion items.

Acting in A.P. Bio

Lilian appeared as a wrestling ring announcer in an episode of the NBC comedy series A.P. Bio. This was in Season 3, Episode 7, called “Aces Wild”.

Lilian Garcia's Life Outside Work

Lilian Garcia is a Christian. She says that wrestler Molly Holly helped her reconnect with her faith.

Lilian was married to Christopher Jozeph for a time, but they later divorced.

On March 17, 2007, Lilian hurt her knee while skiing. She had surgery on April 5, 2007. She returned to Raw on July 2. On November 6, 2009, Lilian almost got robbed in New York City. Someone tried to steal her phone and pushed her to the ground. She got a scraped elbow. On October 26, 2012, Lilian was hit by a car in Los Angeles. She had injuries on her left side. Doctors kept her neck still, and she was in stable condition. She left the hospital two days later.

On December 26, 2016, Lilian announced that her father had passed away on Christmas Day. He had been battling cancer.

See also

In Spanish: Lilian García para niños