Jennifer Lopez

Template:Short description Template:Other uses Template:Redirect2 Template:Pp-blp Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking barriers for Latino Americans in Hollywood and helping propel the Latin pop movement in music. She is also known for her cultural impact through fashion, branding, and shifting mainstream beauty standards.

After appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy series In Living Color (1991–1993), Lopez rose to wider fame as an actress with leading film roles in Selena (1997), Anaconda (1997), Out of Sight (1998), and The Cell (2000). She successfully ventured into music with her debut album, On the 6 (1999), which spawned the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "If You Had My Love". With her second album J.Lo and the romantic comedy The Wedding Planner (both 2001), she became the first woman to simultaneously have the number-one album and film in the United States. Her musical success continued with J to tha L–O! The Remixes—the first remix album to top the US Billboard 200—and This Is Me... Then (both 2002). These projects included the US number-one singles "I'm Real", "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)", and "All I Have".

Lopez established herself as one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses with her roles in romantic comedies, including Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004), and Monster-in-Law (2005). Subsequent albums included Como Ama una Mujer (2007), which broke first-week sales records for a debut Spanish album. After a career decline, Lopez returned to prominence as a judge on American Idol (2011–2016) and released her comeback single, "On the Floor", from the album Love? (2011). She later starred in the police drama series Shades of Blue (2016–2018) and served as a judge on World of Dance (2017–2020). Her film career saw an upturn with her critically praised performance in the crime drama Hustlers (2019). She has since starred in Marry Me (2022), The Mother (2023), This Is Me... Now: A Love Story and Atlas (both 2024), while receiving praise for her supporting roles in Unstoppable (2024) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025).

Lopez has sold over 80 million records worldwide, while her films have cumulatively grossed over US$3.1 billion. Her accolades include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Billboard Icon Award, three American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards (including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award), and six Guinness World Records. She has been ranked among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time (2018) and the World's 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes (2012). Lopez has a large social media following, being one of the most-followed individuals on Instagram. Her other ventures include a lifestyle brand, beauty and fashion lines, fragrances, a production company, and a charitable foundation.

Early life

Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969, in the Bronx, one of the boroughs of New York City, and raised in its Castle Hill neighborhood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Gallick2003">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=biography.com>Template:Cite web</ref> Her parents, Guadalupe Rodríguez and David Lopez, were born in Puerto Rico and met in New York City.<ref name=Cartlidge-book>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After serving in the Army, David worked as a computer technician at Guardian Insurance Company.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Guadalupe was a homemaker for the first ten years of Lopez's life, later working as a Tupperware salesperson<ref name="HuffPost">Template:Cite news</ref> and a kindergarten and gym teacher.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They divorced in the 1990s after 33 years of marriage.<ref name="HuffPost"/>

Lopez is a middle child; she has an older sister, Leslie, and a younger sister, Lynda.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The three shared a bed.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name=wmagazine>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez has described her upbringing as "strict".<ref name=robinson>Template:Cite news</ref> She was raised in a Catholic family; she attended Mass every Sunday and received a Catholic education, attending Holy Family School and the all-girls Preston High School, a private school.<ref name="actorsstudio">Template:Cite episode</ref> In school, Lopez ran track on a national level, participated in gymnastics, and was on the softball team.<ref name=rantrack>Template:Harvnb</ref> She danced in school musicals and played a lead role in a production of Godspell.<ref name="Parish 21">Template:Harvnb</ref> She described herself as a "tomboy" and "very athletic".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

There was "lots of music" in the typically Puerto Rican household,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Lopez and her sisters were encouraged to sing, dance, and create their own plays for family events.<ref name=behind/><ref name="atriplethreat">Template:Cite web</ref> West Side Story made a particular impression on the young Lopez, who wanted to be an entertainer from an early age.<ref name="actorsstudio" /> As a teenager, Lopez became "obsessive" about dance, stating that "I practiced until my legs and feet ached".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She learned flamenco, jazz, and ballet at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club<ref name=actorsstudio/> and taught dance to younger students, including Kerry Washington.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After graduating from high school, she had a part-time secretarial job at a law firm and studied business at New York's Baruch College for one semester.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At age 18, she enrolled as a full-time student at Manhattan's Phil Black Dance Studio, where she had already taken night classes in jazz and tap dance.<ref name=robinson/><ref name=wmagazine/><ref name=actorsstudio/> Her parents were unhappy with her decision to leave college to pursue a dance career. According to Lopez, her parents felt it was "foolish" because "no Latinas did that".<ref name="Parish 21" /> Her mother asked her to move out of the family home, and they stopped speaking for eight months.<ref name=behind/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez moved to Manhattan, sleeping in the dance studio's office for the first few months.<ref name=robinson/><ref name=wmagazine/><ref name=actorsstudio/>

Career

1989–1996: Professional dancing and early acting roles

Lopez's first professional job came in 1989 when she spent five months touring Europe with the musical revue show Golden Musicals of Broadway. She was upset at being the only member of the chorus not to have a solo, and later characterized it as a pivotal moment where she had to "try harder and become that much more committed".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="LA Times 99"/> In 1990, she danced alongside MC Hammer in an episode of Yo! MTV Raps,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and traveled around Japan for four months as a chorus member in Synchronicity.<ref name=actorsstudio/> When she returned to the United States, she was hired as a backup dancer for New Kids on the Block's performance of "Games" at the 1991 American Music Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also traveled around America with regional productions of the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Oklahoma!.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During this period, Lopez also danced in music videos including Doug E. Fresh's "Summertime", Richard Rogers' "Can't Stop Loving You", EPMD's "Rampage",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Samantha Fox's "(Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez stated: "I'd dance in a piece-of-garbage rap or pop video for 50 bucks and make the money last a whole month."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Her most high-profile job as a professional dancer was as a Fly Girl jazz-funk dancer on the sketch comedy television series In Living Color. The show's choreographer, Rosie Perez said she chose Lopez because "she had that look that I knew the audience would tune in to".<ref name="Parish27">Template:Harvnb</ref> Lopez moved to Los Angeles in late 1991 for the job; she filmed In Living Color during the day and attended acting classes taught by Aaron Speiser at night.<ref name=actorsstudio/> Lopez felt ostracized by the other Fly Girls because of her "voluptuous figure", and also clashed with Perez.<ref name="Parish27" /> The head of Virgin Records considered signing The Fly Girls as a girl group to rival the Spice Girls, but the deal fell apart.<ref name="LA Times 99"/> After appearing as a Fly Girl in seasons three and four of In Living Color, Lopez left to work as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, and appeared in the music video for "That's the Way Love Goes".<ref name="LA Times 99"/> She was scheduled to tour with Jackson on her Janet World Tour in late 1993 but opted to pursue an acting career instead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Music industry executives expressed interest in giving Lopez a record deal, but she chose to focus on acting.<ref name="Lazic">Template:Cite web</ref> She hired In Living Color producer Eric Gold as her manager. He advised Lopez to lose weight if she wanted to succeed as an actress.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Lopez's first professional acting job was a small recurring role on the television show South Central (1994). She was invited to audition for the pilot by a casting director who had seen her speak to camera during a behind-the-scenes In Living Color segment.<ref name=actorsstudio/> She then acquired an agent and was cast in the CBS show Second Chances; the series was quickly cancelled, but her popularity with viewers led to her being cast in its spin-off Hotel Malibu.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She subsequently appeared in the television film Lost in the Wild (1993).<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> For her first major movie role, in Gregory Nava's 1995 drama Mi Familia, Lopez received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She then starred in the action comedy Money Train (1995). The film was not a box office success, though her performance was reviewed positively,<ref name="Marquez 1">Template:Harvnb</ref> which led to her being further noticed in Hollywood.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1996, Lopez had a supporting role opposite Robin Williams in the comedy Jack, which director Francis Ford Coppola cast her in after seeing her performance in Mi Familia.<ref name="Marquez 1" /> She next starred opposite Jack Nicholson as a "calculating Cuban maid" in the neo-noir thriller Blood and Wine (1996),<ref name="Lazic" /> where David Rooney of Variety felt she delivered in "juggling" the "smoldering and soulful sides" of the character.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1997–1999: Breakthrough with Selena and On the 6

With her casting as the singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in the biopic Selena (1997), Lopez became the first Latina actress to earn $1 million. She described her salary for the film as a "statement to the world",<ref name=NominatedOscarSelena>Template:Cite news</ref> but expressed disappointment that other Latina actors were not being afforded the same opportunities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite having previously worked with the film's director Gregory Nava on Mi Familia, Lopez participated in an intense auditioning process and spent time with the late singer's family in Corpus Christi, Texas before filming began.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Selena was a box office hit, and Lopez's performance received critical acclaim.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described it as "a star-making performance" and wrote: "She has the star presence to look convincing in front of 100,000 fans."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez received her first Golden Globe nomination for the performance. Nava asked the heads of Warner Bros. to fund an Academy Award campaign for Lopez but was told the Academy would "never nominate a Latina."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Later in 1997, Lopez starred opposite Ice Cube in the horror film Anaconda, which received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Joe Leydon of Variety found the film "silly" but said it deserved "a little credit" for being "the first movie of its kind to have a Latina and an African-American" as its stars.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the crime film U Turn (1997),<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Lopez appeared topless in a sex scene that was added by director Oliver Stone during filming. Speaking in 2003, Lopez said it was not something "I would have chosen to do" and that she and Stone fought over it: "It's hard being the only woman on a set."<ref name="actorsstudio" />

Lopez starred opposite George Clooney in the crime caper Out of Sight (1998), Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard 1996 novel.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal, she won rave reviews for her performance.<ref name="Parish65">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Kyle" /> Janet Maslin of The New York Times described it as her "best movie role thus far, and she brings it both seductiveness and grit; if it was hard to imagine a hard-working, pistol-packing bombshell on the page, it couldn't be easier here."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Turan of the Los Angeles Times described Lopez as "an actress who can be convincingly tough and devastatingly erotic" and said the film solidified "her position as a woman you can confidently build a film around."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian named Lopez and Clooney's partnership as one of the best examples of on-screen chemistry in cinema history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 1998, Lopez provided the voice of Azteca in the animated film Antz.<ref name="Parish65" />

Lopez decided to pursue a music career after working on Selena, realizing that she had missed "the excitement of the stage".<ref name="LA Times 99">Template:Cite news</ref> Her new manager Benny Medina sought to position her as "a brand name that will cross over into all media."<ref name="LA Times 99"/> Lopez, who was "really feeling [her] Latin roots",<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> recorded a Spanish-language demo for circulation among prospective labels. With Lopez being a high-profile personality, a bidding war ensued.<ref name="Bruns 299">Template:Harvnb</ref> Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music's Work Group, signed her but suggested that she sing in English instead.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her record deal with Sony was described as "lucrative", having outbid other offers from Capitol Records and EMI Latin.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> While Lopez worked on her debut album, Sony "began a major push" to feature her with other high-profile entertainers, leading her to appear in the Sean Combs music video "Been Around the World" (1997).<ref name="Bruns 299" />

Her debut album, On the 6 (1999), named after the 6 Subway line which connected her childhood home in the Bronx to Manhattan,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was met with positive reviews and further propelled her public profile.<ref name="Parish2">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Recording-Academy">Template:Cite web</ref> The album was a success and Lopez's debut single, "If You Had My Love", topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks,<ref name="Recording-Academy" /> with another single, "Waiting for Tonight", reaching number eight and becoming a celebratory anthem for the new millennium.<ref name="Shemesh" /> Other singles from the album included "Let's Get Loud", which became one of Lopez's signature songs, and "No Me Ames", a duet with future husband Marc Anthony.<ref name="Recording-Academy" /> In July 1999, she performed "If You Had My Love" and "Let's Get Loud" at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup closing ceremony. It was watched by over one billion viewers worldwide, exposing Lopez's music career to a larger international audience.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref>

2000–2002: Box office success, J.Lo and This Is Me... Then

In February 2000, Lopez and then-boyfriend Sean Combs attended the Grammy Awards, with Lopez wearing a plunging green Versace silk chiffon dress.<ref name="PhillipsReay2002">Template:Cite book</ref> The dress generated worldwide attention and became the most popular search query in Google's history, leading to the creation of Google Images,<ref name="Google Images">Template:Cite news</ref> while boosting Lopez's album and movie ticket sales.<ref name="Lee2003">Template:Cite book</ref> Later that year, Lopez starred in the psychological thriller The Cell, for which she received a $4 million salary.<ref name="Parish2" /> The film, where Lopez played a psychologist who uses radical experimental therapy to enter the mind of a killer, received mixed reviews but was a box office success.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> David Edelstein of Slate remarked that the "imperious" Lopez was "trying to look waifishly expectant"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Amy Taubin of The Village Voice noted that she appeared to be engaged "in some kind of pouting competition" "in lieu of acting."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In January 2001, Lopez became the first woman to have a number-one film and album simultaneously in the United States, with the release of her second album, J.Lo, and her first romantic comedy The Wedding Planner, which co-starred Matthew McConaughey.<ref name="timeTyrangiel">Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez had been searching for a romantic comedy role for several years; she wanted to show that she could be "every girl", stating: "I felt like all the women in romantic comedies always looked the same way, they were always white."<ref name="Wong">Template:Cite web</ref> Despite negative reviews, the film opened at number one at the box office and solidified her place in Hollywood.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Vice" /><ref name="Wong" /> At the same time, J.Lo debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200; she was the first female solo recording artist under Epic Records to do so since the label's inception in 1953.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> J.Lo was titled after the nickname she had been given by her fans, with Lopez also adopting J.Lo as her stagename.<ref name="Divas" /> The album received mixed critical reviews but became the most successful of her career, selling 12 million copies worldwide.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It produced four singles: "Love Don't Cost a Thing", which reached number one in various countries,<ref name="Recording-Academy" /> "Play", "I'm Real", and "Ain't It Funny". A remix of "I'm Real" featuring rapper Ja Rule propelled that song to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref name="I'm Real ET">Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2001, Lopez performed a two-concert residency in Puerto Rico, which marked her first concerts. It was broadcast that November as an NBC special, Jennifer Lopez in Concert, and became one of the most-watched concert specials of the year, with a US audience of almost 12 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Also in 2001, Lopez founded her production company, Nuyorican Productions, with manager Benny Medina, and starred in the romantic drama, Angel Eyes, opposite Jim Caviezel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez's performance was well-reviewed,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though the film was a critical and commercial disappointment.<ref name="Woog 55">Template:Harvnb</ref> She was slated to star alongside Ricky Martin in a remake of Elvis Presley's Viva Las Vegas, but this did not eventuate.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Lopez released two albums in 2002. The first was J to tha L–O! The Remixes, which became the first remix album in history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.<ref name="Billboard Book of Number One Hits">Template:Cite book</ref> Its singles included "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" and "I'm Gonna Be Alright", which reached number one and ten on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.<ref name="Biggest Billboard">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez's third studio album, This Is Me... Then, was released in late 2002, and was heavily influenced by her relationship with then-fiancé Ben Affleck. It received mixed critical reviews; BillboardTemplate:'s Michael Paoletta noted the "considerable growth she reveals as a performer and tunesmith" on the album,<ref name="Paoletta" /> while Jon Caramanica called it "the least interesting music on the pop charts today."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album became a commercial success, achieving the highest opening sales week of her career. The album's lead single, "Jenny from the Block", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, was viewed as a response to the notion that Lopez had alienated her "core fan base: the black and Hispanic hip-hop community."<ref name="Lynette" /> The album also spawned the US number-one single "All I Have".<ref name="Recording-Academy" />

Lopez starred as an abused wife who fights back in the thriller Enough (2002), a role which required her to learn Krav Maga.<ref name="Woog 55" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An overworked Lopez suffered a nervous breakdown in 2001 while filming it.<ref name="Singh">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The film received negative reviews;<ref name="Woog 55" /> Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt it was "tacky material" and was surprised to see "an actress like Jennifer Lopez" involved with the project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her next film was the romantic comedy, Maid in Manhattan (2002), in which Lopez starred opposite Ralph Fiennes as a maid and single mother from the Bronx.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> It became the highest-grossing film of her career at the time.<ref name="BOM Breakdown" /> Reviewing Maid in Manhattan, A. O. Scott of The New York Times enjoyed Lopez as a romantic lead and said "her greatest skill as an actress" was "her ability to melt without cracking the hard shell of composure she wears."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez was ranked among the top ten highest-paid actresses in Hollywood in 2002, earning $8 million per feature.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2003–2006: Media scrutiny

Lopez arriving at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2004

Lopez became the subject of widespread media criticism in 2003 due to her public relationship with Ben Affleck and the tabloid depiction of her as a demanding diva.<ref name="Observer">Template:Cite news</ref> She fired both her personal manager Benny Medina and her publicist in mid-2003; The New York Times reported that movie executives had become frustrated by having their communications with Lopez "largely filtered" through Medina.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, Lopez starred opposite Affleck in the romantic comedy Gigli, which was a box-office bomb and is considered one of the worst films of all time.<ref name="BOM Breakdown" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rex Reed of The Observer criticized the lead actors, calling them "pathetically incompetent" in both "craft and talent".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Roger Ebert agreed that the movie "doesn't quite work", but found Lopez and Affleck "appealing in their performances" and noted the couple's chemistry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez had a minor role opposite Affleck in the film Jersey Girl (2004). Following test audiences' negative reactions to the onscreen couple, her screen time was halved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While she remained one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood during this period,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez later described this as the lowest point of her career<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and admitted she felt "eviscerated" by the media coverage surrounding Gigli: "I lost my sense of self, questioned if I belonged in this business, thought maybe I did suck at everything. And my relationship self-destructed in front of the entire world. It was a two-year thing for me until I picked myself up again."<ref name=BeautyAndRedemption>Template:Cite news</ref> Months later, she starred opposite Richard Gere in the romantic comedy-drama Shall We Dance?, which was a box-office success.<ref name="BOM Breakdown">Template:Cite web</ref>

She released her fourth studio album, Rebirth, in early 2005. Its title was symbolic of Lopez's hopes for "a new professional beginning".<ref name="Tracy 107">Template:Harvnb</ref> It was recorded during a period where Lopez felt "a little bit lost, trying to get my footing in a new life", "I had just gotten married [to singer Marc Anthony] ... I wasn't with Benny [Medina]."<ref name="Van Meter" /> In a review of Rebirth, journalist Alexis Petridis remarked that the title "suggests even Lopez has realised that something is amiss with her career ... Despite the highlights, you're still left pondering the question: what happened to Jennifer Lopez?"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The album reached number two on the Billboard 200, but failed to replicate the sales of her previous albums.<ref name="Variety" /> Its lead single, "Get Right", however, reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of her most successful songs.<ref name="Biggest Billboard" />

The marketing for the romantic comedy Monster-in-Law (2005), in which Lopez starred opposite Jane Fonda, played up her "Gigli-and-tabloid tarnished image", and it became a box office success.<ref name="BOM Breakdown" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She next starred alongside Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman in the drama An Unfinished Life (2005), which received mixed reviews. Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times predicted that the typical review would be unkind: "It will have no respect for Jennifer Lopez, because she is going through a period right now when nobody is satisfied with anything she does ... Give Lopez your permission to be good again; she is the same actress now as when we thought her so new and fine."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The next year, she returned to the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 as a featured artist on "Control Myself", the lead single from LL Cool J's twelfth studio album.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2006, she reunited with director Gregory Nava to star in the crime drama Bordertown as a journalist investigating female homicides in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was negatively reviewed and received a direct-to-video release.<ref name="BOM Breakdown" /> David D'Arcy of Screen Daily found Lopez "unconvincing" as a journalist.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

2007–2010: Career downturn

By the late 2000s, Lopez's commercial success had declined. Her music career "entered a plateau", while "her film career entered a period of some disappointing-to-middling successes".<ref name="Piatkowski">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, she starred opposite her then-husband Marc Anthony in the music biopic El Cantante, which told the story of Puerto Rican salsa singer Héctor Lavoe and his wife Puchi.<ref name="CantanteNYReview">Template:Cite news</ref> It did not perform well at the box office and received mixed reviews from film critics; Lopez's performance, which she expressed pride in,<ref name=Pitchfork /> drew both praise and criticism.<ref name="Tracy 107" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez in 2008

Lopez released two studio albums in 2007. Her fifth album, Como Ama una Mujer, was her first to be recorded entirely in Spanish.<ref name="CAUM" /> Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly acknowledged that the album offered "fairly persuasive proof" that Lopez can sing, but was unimpressed by the "flaccid torch songs."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It became the fifth Spanish album to debut in the top ten of the Billboard 200, and achieved the highest first-week sales for an artist's debut Spanish album at the time.<ref name="Billboard Spanish Album 2016" /> The lead single, "Qué Hiciste", reached number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the second single, "Me Haces Falta", failed to chart. Lopez's sixth studio album, Brave, released later that year, was her lowest-charting album worldwide.<ref name="lovereview"/> Jonathan Bernstein of Entertainment Weekly was disappointed that Lopez had returned to "listless vocals" for her "back-to-the-dance-floor album."<ref name="Bernstein">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and produced two singles, "Do It Well" and "Hold It Don't Drop It". The first peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the latter failed to chart. While pregnant with twins, Lopez embarked upon her first ever concert tour, a show co-headlined by Anthony, in September 2007; the tour was well received.<ref name="Tracy 107"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also created, produced and was featured in the MTV show DanceLife, which she described as a "passion project".<ref name="Tracy 107" />

After giving birth to twins in February 2008, Lopez took a career break.<ref name="Tampa">Template:Cite news</ref> She described the next few years as a "strange time" as she primarily focused on family and travelling with Anthony while he toured.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> After rehiring former manager Medina,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez released two songs in late 2009, "Louboutins" and "Fresh Out of the Oven". The songs were intended for her seventh studio album but failed to make an appearance on the Billboard charts, leading to her departure from Sony Music and Epic Records.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez's first theatrical role in three years was in the romantic comedy The Back-up Plan (2010).<ref name="Tampa"/> Manohla Dargis of The New York Times was unimpressed by the movie and described Lopez as "an appealing screen presence with a disappointing big-screen track record. That's probably not all her fault: romantic roles for women often are the provenance of the bland or the blonde."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2011–2015: American Idol and career revival

Lopez performing during her Dance Again World Tour in Paris, France in 2012

A "big turning point" in Lopez's career came when she joined the judging panel of the singing competition series American Idol for its tenth season, replacing Simon Cowell. Despite being advised that it was a "huge gamble",<ref name="Stylist">Template:Cite web</ref> she accepted the job, as she was "not getting offered a whole bunch of movies".<ref name=varietyidol>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez's appearance on American Idol in 2011 returned her to prominence.<ref name=varietyidol /> Hannah Elliot of Forbes described it as "a remarkable comeback", writing: "Idol humanized her. Viewers who knew only an attention-grabbing siren met a hardworking, self-made, empathetic single mother, who got emotional when contestants did well and when they failed."<ref name="Forbes2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez's exposure on American Idol resulted in what Billboard called "the most impressive reality-TV-based rejuvenation of a music career ever."<ref name="Rejuvenation">Template:Cite magazine</ref> After signing a new recording contract with Island Records, her seventh studio album, Love?, was released in early 2011. While the album itself was a moderate commercial success,<ref name=lovereview>Template:Cite web</ref> the single "On the Floor" was the year's highest-selling single by a female artist,<ref name="Digital report 2012">Template:Cite web</ref> and ultimately became the best-selling single of her career.<ref name="Variety" /> It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her highest-charting song as a lead artist since "All I Have".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album produced two more singles, "I'm Into You" and "Papi", which did not achieve similar success.<ref name="Rejuvenation" /> By the end of 2011, Lopez was deemed the "world's greatest musical comeback act", based on a study which analysed over one billion Google searches since 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez returned as a judge for American IdolTemplate:'s eleventh season in 2012, earning a reported $20 million.<ref name="Forbes2" /> That year, she released her greatest hits album, Dance Again... the Hits, to fulfil her contractual obligations with her former label Epic Records.<ref name="radio1">Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez, who was divorcing Anthony and navigating the "breakup of a family", felt as if the album's sole single, "Dance Again", had come to her at the "perfect moment".<ref name="ryaninterview">Template:Cite web</ref> "Dance Again" reached number 17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Lopez launched the Dance Again World Tour, her first headlining concert tour, in mid-2012. It grossed over $1 million per show.<ref name="Forbes 2013">Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez returned to the big screen in 2012, starring alongside an ensemble cast in the film What to Expect When You're Expecting, which is based on the 1984 book What to Expect When You're Expecting.<ref name="Lopez">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez voiced Shira, a saber tooth tiger, in the animated film, Ice Age: Continental Drift, the fourth film in the Ice Age franchise.<ref name="Rovi Ice Age 4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also in 2012, a talent show, ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen followed Lopez, Anthony, and director-choreographer Jamie King as they travelled across 21 countries in Latin America to find new talent for a Las Vegas show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, Lopez starred alongside Jason Statham in the crime thriller Parker, in which she played Leslie. Her performance earned positive reviews, with the Chicago Tribune commending the role for giving Lopez "an opportunity to be dramatic, romantic, funny, depressed, euphoric and violent. The audience stays with her all the way".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, Lopez released the single "Live It Up", and was named chief creative officer of NuvoTV.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Latino1">Template:Cite news</ref> She also served as an executive producer of the television series The Fosters (2013–2018), a show about a lesbian couple raising a family. Lopez's desire to work on the series was driven by her late aunt, who was gay.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez at the 25th GLAAD Media Awards in 2014

After a one-season absence, Lopez returned to American Idol for its thirteenth season, earning a reported $17.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her eighth studio album, A.K.A., was released in mid-2014 through Capitol Records, experiencing lacklustre sales, becoming her lowest-selling album in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album produced three singles: "I Luh Ya Papi", featuring French Montana, "First Love", and "Booty", featuring Iggy Azalea. They reached 77, 87 and 18 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. Also that year, Lopez released "We Are One (Ole Ola)", the official song for the 2014 FIFA World Cup along with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte. Lopez released a book, True Love, which became a New York Times best-seller.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

2015 saw the release of The Boy Next Door, an erotic thriller that Lopez both co-produced and starred in as a high school teacher who becomes involved with a student, which eventually leads to his dangerous obsession with her.<ref name="HuffPost Latino">Template:Cite news</ref> The film received negative reviews from critics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite this, it became her most successful opening at the box office for a live action film since Monster-in-Law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Box Office Mojo">Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez had a voice role in the animated feature Home and contributed the single "Feel the Light" to the film's official soundtrack.<ref name="Martin & Lopez">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also starred in the independent drama film Lila & Eve, alongside Viola Davis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2016–2021: Television work, Hustlers and Super Bowl LIV

In January 2016, Lopez commenced a concert residency show, All I Have, at Planet Hollywood's Zappos Theater in Las Vegas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She performed 120 shows during the three-year run, grossing over $100 million in ticket sales.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the beginning of the residency, Lopez signed a multi-album deal with her former label Epic Records<ref name="New Epic Deal">Template:Cite news</ref>—though she would depart the label before releasing any albums—and released "Ain't Your Mama", one of her most successful singles during the 2010s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also in 2016, she began starring in NBC's crime drama series Shades of Blue, which she also executive produced. She played Harlee Santos, a single mother and police detective who goes undercover for the FBI to investigate her own squad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The series' premiere brought NBC its most-watched Thursday debut in seven years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starring alongside Ray Liotta, Lopez's performance received critical praise.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, she reprised her voice role as Shira in the animated film Ice Age: Collision Course (2016).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez was executive producer and judge on NBC's dance competition series World of Dance,<ref name="Variety July 2016">Template:Cite web</ref> which was a ratings success upon its May 2017 premiere.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That year, Lopez released the singles "Ni Tú Ni Yo" and "Amor, Amor, Amor", which were intended to be included on her second Spanish-language album, Por Primera Vez,<ref name="Billboard Spanish Album 2016">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Idolator 1">Template:Cite web</ref> which was ultimately shelved.

In 2018, Lopez released a string of Spanish and Spanglish singles: "Se Acabó el Amor", "El Anillo", "Dinero" featuring DJ Khaled and Cardi B, and "Te Guste" with Bad Bunny. Forbes noted that the songs were unable to "completely connect on a crossover, mainstream level", but were more successful on US-based Latin charts, nearly all of them reaching number one on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart.<ref name="Benjamin" /> She later starred in and executive produced the comedy film Second Act (2018), directed by Peter Segal;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> she also recorded the single "Limitless" for its soundtrack.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Second Act earned mixed reviews from critics,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but performed well at the box office, grossing over $72 million on a $16 million budget.<ref name="Childress">Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez performing during her It's My Party tour in July 2019

In the first half of 2019, Lopez embarked on an international concert tour, It's My Party, to celebrate her 50th birthday. The tour grossed an estimated $54.7 million from thirty-eight shows. Variety reported that most shows were sold out.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also signed with new label Hitco Entertainment and released the single "Medicine" featuring French Montana.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also became executive producer of two television series, Good Trouble and Thanks a Million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez executive produced and starred in the crime drama film Hustlers (2019). Directed by Lorene Scafaria, the film is inspired by a true story, following a group of Manhattan strippers who con wealthy male Wall Street clientele.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez's portrayal of a veteran stripper in Hustlers garnered acclaim from critics, with some deeming it the best performance of her acting career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film also gave Lopez her highest opening weekend at the box office for a live action film, grossing $33.2 million.<ref name="Childress" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her performance received nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Awards and Independent Spirit Awards.<ref name=GiftedActress>Template:Cite web</ref> The success of Hustlers was regarded by various media outlets as a comeback as an actress for Lopez.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her perceived Academy Award snub for Hustlers (2019) was referenced by Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti when announcing a new initiative for Latino representation in Hollywood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2020, Lopez co-headlined the Super Bowl LIV halftime show in Miami, Florida alongside Shakira; the performance included an appearance by her child Emme Muñiz.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The performance was widely praised and became the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show to date.<ref name="BBC" /> Later that year, Lopez released the singles "Pa' Ti" with Maluma―which became her most successful song since 2017―and "In the Morning", before headlining the 2021 Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest special live from Times Square on ABC.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In January 2021, she performed at the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Inauguration">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In mid-2021, she signed a multi-year deal with Netflix to produce a range of films and television shows through her own Nuyorican Productions,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and released the reggaeton Spanish single "Cambia el Paso" with Rauw Alejandro.<ref name=Pitchfork />

2022–present: Focus on film and This Is Me... Now

In January 2022, Lopez appeared as a guest on the fourteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in the episode titled "She's a Super Tease". She co-produced and starred opposite Owen Wilson and Maluma in the romantic comedy Marry Me (2022).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film grossed over $50 million at the box office while becoming the most-streamed day-and-date film on Peacock,<ref>Template:Cite Box Office Mojo</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and received generally mixed reviews from critics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez and Maluma released a soundtrack for the film, which generated the singles "On My Way" and "Marry Me". Her next project was the documentary Jennifer Lopez: Halftime (2022), which focuses on her life following the release of Hustlers and in preparation for her Super Bowl performance.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Released on Netflix following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, it garnered positive reviews from film critics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>* Template:Cite magazine

• Template:Cite news
• Template:Cite news</ref> The following month, Jimmy Fallon and Lopez released a children's book, Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure, which became a New York Times best-seller.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez co-produced and starred opposite Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Coolidge in the action-comedy Shotgun Wedding (2023). It became one of the top-streamed films on Amazon Prime Video that year.<ref name="Variety 2024">Template:Cite web</ref> She also led and co-produced the action thriller film The Mother (2023).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film received mixed reviews,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but became the most-watched film on Netflix in 2023,<ref name="Variety 2024" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and at one point, was one of the most-watched original films of all time on the platform.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After marrying Ben Affleck and entering a publishing partnership with BMG Rights Management,<ref name="bmg_partnership">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez released her ninth studio album, This Is Me... Now, in February 2024.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A sequel to This Is Me... Then (2002), the album spawned two singles: "Can't Get Enough", and "Rebound" featuring rapper Anuel AA.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez promoted the album with an exclusive concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, which was recorded as a concert film and released by Apple TV+ on February 21, 2024.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

This Is Me... Now formed part of a "three-part multimedia project" which included a companion musical film, This Is Me... Now: A Love Story directed by Dave Meyers, and a documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.<ref name="Variety 2024" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez plays a fictionalized version of herself in A Love Story, which was described as an "autobiographical musical rom-com action sci-fi"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> inspired by her own "tumultuous dating history".<ref name="Lee" /> After potential partners backed out, Lopez financed the film herself for $20 million before it was purchased by Amazon.<ref name="Variety 2024" /> While A Love Story received positive reviews from critics and became a success on Prime Video,<ref name="D'Alessandro, 2024">Template:Cite web</ref> the film and its accompanying documentary also divided audiences, due in part to the overexposure of her relationship with Affleck.<ref name="Lee">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Hassett" /> Lopez was set to embark on the This Is Me... Live North American tour, but cancelled it in order to spend more time with her family. Shortly after, it was announced that she and Affleck were divorcing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She would later state that "it was like my whole f***ing world exploded" amid the public scrutiny surrounding her personal and professional life in 2024.<ref name="Hassett">Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez in 2024

Despite facing public scrutiny throughout 2024, Lopez's films continued to achieve success; Collider and Deadline Hollywood noted her to be among the most successful actors of the streaming era.<ref name="Lee" /><ref name="D'Alessandro, 2024" /> She co-produced and starred in the sci-fi thriller Atlas (2024), the third project under her Netflix deal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Atlas received negative reviews from critics but became a success on the platform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a positive review of the film, The New York Times praised Lopez's performance and called the film "an intriguing concept."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her next role was in the biographical sports drama Unstoppable (2024), in which she plays the mother of wrestler Anthony Robles. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and received limited theatrical release before debuting on Prime Video. Lopez received praise for her work in the film,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which Owen Gleiberman of Variety called "the fullest screen performance she has ever given".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She was presented with VarietyTemplate:'s "Legend & Groundbreaker Award" at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival in honor of Unstoppable and her overall career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez returned to touring with Up All Night: Live in 2025, which consisted of twenty dates across Africa, Asia and Europe.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On July 24, 2025, Lopez's 56th birthday, she released the single "Birthday".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She co-executive produced and starred in the Bill Condon-directed musical drama Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025), a film adaption of the Broadway 1993 musical of the same name. Her first role in a full-fledged musical, Condon wrote the part with Lopez in mind.<ref name="Sasic">Template:Cite web</ref> The film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Lopez's performance received positive reviews.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Upcoming projects

In late 2025/early 2026, she will play a multi-night residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez will co-produce and star opposite Brett Goldstein in Netflix's Office Romance.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She will also co-produce a series adaptation of Emily Henry's 2023 novel Happy Place for Netflix.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She has also committed to lead and co-produce Netflix's film adaptation of the bestselling novel, The Cipher.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez has several projects in the works as a producer.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Through her continued partnership with Netflix, she will also star in an adaption of the novel The Last Mrs. Parrish, directed by Robert Zemeckis.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Personal life

Lopez was in a nearly decade-long relationship with David Cruz, her high-school boyfriend, until the mid-1990s.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They were engaged at one point, and Cruz relocated to Los Angeles to be with her when she began pursuing her career.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She later said of Cruz, "You get lucky, you have a first love like that."<ref name=BrokeAllTheRules>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She was married to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa from February 1997 to January 1998. In subsequent court cases, Noa was prevented from publishing a book about their marriage<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and from using private honeymoon footage of Lopez in a documentary.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez was in an on-again, off-again relationship with record producer and rapper Sean Combs (then known as "Puff Daddy") from 1999 to early 2001.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On the night of December 27, 1999, Lopez, Combs and rapper Shyne were arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon and possession of stolen property, after leaving the scene of a shooting at a Times Square nightclub.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Charges against Lopez were dropped within an hour<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Combs was acquitted of all charges at trial in March 2001.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They broke up shortly thereafter.<ref name=behind/> Shyne was sentenced to ten years in prison.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez later said that, while she had "cared very much" about Combs, their "crazy, tumultuous" relationship "was always something I knew would end."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=behind/> She was married to Cris Judd, her former backup dancer, from September 2001 to January 2003.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Lopez and Marc Anthony, 2006

Before her divorce with Judd was finalized, Lopez was in a relationship with actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck from mid-2002 to early 2004. Although they had crossed paths several times before (including at the 70th Academy Awards and at the premiere of Armageddon,<ref name=StyleRules/> both in 1998), their first major meeting was on the set of Gigli (2003) in December 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They later worked together on the music video for "Jenny from the Block" and the film Jersey Girl (2004).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her album This Is Me... Then was dedicated to and inspired by Affleck. Their relationship was extensively publicized.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tabloids referred to the couple as "Bennifer", a portmanteau Vanity Fair described as "the first of that sort of tabloid branding".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They became engaged in November 2002,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but their planned wedding on September 14, 2003, was postponed with four days' notice because of "excessive media attention".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They ended their engagement in January 2004.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Years later, Lopez said Affleck's discomfort with media scrutiny was one reason for their split<ref name=behind>Template:Cite episode</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and described it as her "first real heartbreak": "I think different time, different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After her relationship with Affleck, Lopez stopped discussing her personal life in interviews.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She was married to singer Marc Anthony from June 2004 to June 2014;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> they had previously worked together and dated for a few months in the late 1990s.<ref name=behind/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Their wedding took place five months after the end of her relationship with Affleck. During their marriage, they collaborated on music and performed together, as well as co-starring in El Cantante (2006).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez gave birth to fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, on Long Island in February 2008.<ref name="Welcomes Twins">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> People magazine paid a reported US$6 million for the first photographs of the twins, making them the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken at the time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2009, Anthony and Lopez purchased a stake in the Miami Dolphins.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They announced their separation in July 2011. Anthony filed for divorce in April 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it was finalized in June 2014. Lopez retained primary physical custody of the two children.<ref name="2014 name change">Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez occasionally performs with her daughter.<ref>* Template:Cite magazine

• Template:Cite magazine
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Lopez had an on-again, off-again relationship with her former backup dancer Casper Smart from October 2011 to August 2016.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She dated New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez from February 2017 to early 2021.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=BeautyAndRedemption/> They became engaged in March 2019<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but postponed their wedding twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to tabloid speculation about the state of their relationship, they released a statement in March 2021, saying they were "working through some things".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They announced the end of their relationship in April 2021.<ref name="Today1">Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2021, Lopez and Affleck were reported to be dating again,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> with Lopez publicly confirming their rekindled relationship that July.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In April 2022, Lopez announced their second engagement, 20 years after the first proposal.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They were married in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and held a wedding celebration for family and friends the following month.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On August 20, 2024, Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck, citing April 26, 2024, as the date of their separation.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She also requested that her legal name be changed back to Jennifer Lynn Lopez.<ref name=Robinson>Template:Cite news</ref> On January 6, 2025, the divorce was finalized.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Other activities

Business ventures and endorsements

Lopez first ventured into product endorsement in 1998, becoming a national spokesperson for Coca-Cola and L'Oréal.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2001, Lopez launched her first business venture, the lifestyle brand J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez. It included a clothing line which catered to women of all sizes, as Lopez felt "the voluptuous woman [was] almost ignored" in the fashion industry.<ref name="Divas" /> The following year, she opened Madre's, a Los Angeles restaurant serving Latin cuisine,<ref name=madre>Template:Cite news</ref> and released her first fragrance, Glow by JLo, through a partnership with Coty, Inc.; it became the top-selling fragrance in the U.S.<ref name=HS>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2003, she released a second fragrance, Still Jennifer Lopez, and became the face of Louis Vuitton's fall advertising campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez has since released 30 fragrances as of 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her clothing lines and two fragrances generated over $300 million in revenue throughout 2004.<ref name="timeTyrangiel" />

In 2005, Lopez launched her second fashion label, Sweetface, which was geared towards "high fashion" in comparison to her previous fashion line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also appeared in a Kill Bill-inspired Pepsi commercial with Beyoncé and David Beckham.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the late 2000s, her restaurant Madre's closed permanently,<ref name=madre/> as did her two fashion lines.<ref name="Forbes2" /> In 2011, in the midst of her career resurgence, Lopez became brand ambassador for various brands including L'Oréal, Gilette Venus, Tous and Fiat.<ref name="Forbes2" /> She also launched the Jennifer Lopez Collection, a clothing and homeware line with Tommy Hilfiger for Kohl's; the collection generated an estimated $3 billion in sales during its first year.<ref name="Stylist" /> The following year, she launched Teeology, a luxury T-shirt brand.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, she founded the phone retail brand Viva Móvil, which caters specifically to Latinos.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, Lopez released a range of jewelry, designed in partnership with Endless Jewelry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016, she designed a capsule collection of shoes and jewelry in collaboration with Giuseppe Zanotti.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, she was announced as the new face of clothing company Guess, becoming the oldest spokeswoman in the company's history.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In collaboration with Inglot Cosmetics, Lopez launched a limited-edition makeup collection in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, she became the global face of the Coach brand,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and launched a collection of sunglasses with the brand Quay Australia.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2020, after modelling an updated version of her iconic Green Versace "jungle" dress at Milan Fashion Week the previous year, Lopez was the face of the brand's Spring/Summer 2020 campaign, which featured other pieces based on the same jungle print.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Throughout 2021, Lopez focused on investments and creating her own brands. She launched her skin care company, JLo Beauty,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> released a shoe collection in partnership with DSW, and invested in companies including Hims & Hers Health, Bodyarmor SuperDrink, Goli nutritional supplements and meal delivery service Wonder.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2022, she was appointed as the chief "entertainment and lifestyle" officer of the cruise line, Virgin Voyages.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> That September, she became the global ambassador of Italian lingerie label Intimissimi.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2023, Lopez launched a spritz brand named Delola in collaboration with mixologist Lynnette Marrero.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That year, she partnered with fashion retailer Revolve to design a footwear line, JLO Jennifer Lopez, which was released as three collections in March, May, and June.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2024, she released a lingerie collection with Intimissimi inspired by her album This Is Me... Now.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Philanthropy

Lopez and then First Lady Michelle Obama posing for a selfie at the League of United Latin American Citizens National Convention and Exposition in 2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez was heavily involved in charitable activities following the September 11 attacks. Joining other artists, she was featured on charitable singles such as "What's Going On" and "El Ultimo Adios (The Last Goodbye)", which benefited people affected by the tragedy.<ref name=africa1>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="artistlist">Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2007, Lopez was honored with the Artists for Amnesty prize by Amnesty International for her work in Bordertown, which shed light on the hundreds of feminicides in Ciudad Juárez. Lopez described it as "one of the world's most shocking and disturbing, underreported crimes against humanity".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, part of the proceeds from Lopez and Anthony's co-headlining North American concert tour was donated to the Run for Something Better program, which fights childhood obesity.<ref name="ld1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Lopez has been a long-time supporter of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Her album Rebirth (2005) is dedicated to Paige Peterson,<ref name="Album Credits">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> an eleven-year-old cancer patient she befriended at the hospital who died in 2004. Lopez stated that "[she doesn't] like to do [her] charity work in public. That's not what you do it for."<ref name="Paige">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2009, Lopez launched the Lopez Family FoundationTemplate:Efn alongside her sister, Lynda. The organization works to increase healthcare access for underprivileged women and children, including through a telemedicine program in partnership with the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The foundation has facilitated the expansion of medical facilities in Panama and Puerto Rico, and created the Center for a Healthy Childhood at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In December 2012, Lopez held a charity drive to benefit her three favorite charities: the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the American Red Cross, mainly benefiting victims of Hurricane Sandy.<ref name="HSp">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2015, she became the first celebrity spokesperson for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and the BC Children's Hospital Foundation (BCCHF).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She also became the first Global Advocate for Girls and Women at the United Nations Foundation, working on issues including maternal health care, education, and violence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2017, following Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, Lopez donated $1 million from the proceeds of her Las Vegas residency to humanitarian aid for Puerto Rico.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Along with Marc Anthony, she launched a humanitarian relief campaign entitled Somos Una Voz (English: We Are One Voice), an effort to rush supplies to areas affected by Hurricane Maria.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez and Anthony presented a concert and telethon for disaster relief, "One Voice: Somos Live!", which raised over $35 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was also among various artists featured on Lin-Manuel Miranda's charity single "Almost Like Praying", which benefits Puerto Rico.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

As of 2021, Lopez continues to regularly donate to and support charities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2021, she launched a philanthropic organization, Limitless Labs, which supports and empowers Latina entrepreneurs and business owners. Limitless Labs has entered partnerships with the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Grameen America, the latter being an effort to empower Latina businesses with $14 million in business loans and "6 million hours of financial education and training by 2030."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez headlined the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation's Blue Diamond Gala in 2022, which raised $3.6 million for education, health care, homelessness and social justice causes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political views and activism

Lopez performing at the inauguration of Joe Biden in 2021

A supporter of the Democratic Party, Lopez has a long history of backing Democratic candidates for public office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She endorsed President Barack Obama in his 2012 presidential campaign, speaking in television advertisements and attending fundraising events for Obama.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Bustle">Template:Cite web</ref> She endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, headlining a free concert in Florida in support of her that October.<ref name="Bustle" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez has been critical of President Donald Trump.<ref name="Halftime" /> During her Super Bowl halftime show performance in 2020, she performed her song "Let's Get Loud" while cloaked in a large Puerto Rican flag, with children in metal cages displayed on the field. It was interpreted as a statement about the Mexico–United States border crisis and Trump's immigration policy.<ref name="Inauguration" /><ref name="Inauguration2">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The NFL attempted to remove the cages from the performance but Lopez refused.<ref name="Halftime">Template:Cite web</ref> She endorsed President Joe Biden in his 2020 presidential campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She later performed at Biden's 2021 inauguration, where she sang "This Land Is Your Land" and "America the Beautiful", while reciting the last phrase of the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish.<ref name="Inauguration"/> She also worked "Let's Get Loud" into the performance as a "reprise" to her political message at the Super Bowl.<ref name="Inauguration2" /> Lopez endorsed Kamala Harris during her 2024 presidential campaign. She spoke at a Las Vegas rally for Harris that November, pushing back on remarks made at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden which were deemed offensive to Puerto Ricans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez is an avid supporter of LGBTQ rights, and has raised millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS research.<ref name="amfAR" /> In June 2013, amfAR presented her with its humanitarian award for her philanthropic work.<ref name="amfAR">Template:Cite web</ref> That September, she was awarded the Ally for Equality award presented by the Human Rights Campaign, for her support of the LGBTQ community.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In July 2016, Lopez released a single entitled "Love Make the World Go Round", a collaboration with Lin-Manuel Miranda, which benefits victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She was also featured on the song "Hands" along with numerous other artists, also benefiting those affected by the Orlando shooting.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez signed an open letter from Billboard magazine to the United States Congress in 2016, which demanded action on gun control.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In June 2020, Lopez attended a Black Lives Matter movement protest in Los Angeles, in connection with the broader George Floyd protests.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez has also been an active advocate for the Time's Up movement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2022, she became one of the co-chairs for Michelle Obama's When We All Vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She expressed solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war. As part of a group called Artists4Ceasefire, she signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Artistry

Influences

Lopez credited Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno's performance in the musical film West Side Story (1961) as the major influence on her career path and artistry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Moreno was the only performer Lopez was able to identify with, at a time when Latinos were rarely on television.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She was also inspired by Barbara Streisand's career as a singer, director and actress.<ref name=GiftedActress/> Growing up, she was influenced by Latin music styles ranging from salsa to bachata, and artists including Celia Cruz and Tito Puente, though it was the hip hop song "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by The Sugarhill Gang that she said changed her life.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Lopez has cited Madonna as her "first big musical influence", explaining "It was all about Madonna for me. She inspired me to want to sing, to dance, to work hard."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her other major influences include Tina Turner, James Brown, and Michael Jackson.<ref name="10 Questions for Lopez">Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez has cited Janet Jackson as a major inspiration for her own dance and music videos, stating that she "probably started dancing" because of Jackson's music video for "The Pleasure Principle".<ref name="timesofindia">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She also looked to the careers of Cher, Bette Middler and Diana Ross,<ref name="Parish2" /> and has been inspired by younger artists such as Lady Gaga.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Musical style

Musically, Lopez is described as a "chameleon" by outlets like Variety and Forbes, having been known to experiment and jump between genres.<ref name="Variety" /><ref name="Malone" /><ref name="Benjamin">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Statesman">Template:Cite web</ref> Her music strongly identifies with hip hop while exploring the "romantic innocence" of Latin music.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Billboard observed that she has "never been one to downplay her Latinidad, and always makes sure to display it" in her music, "regardless of genre".<ref name="Malone" /> On the 6 and J.Lo, described by Lopez as Latin soul, fuse a wide range of Latin genres with R&B and hip hop, while also containing dance-pop.<ref name="Malone" /><ref name="Woog 55"/><ref name="LA Times 99" /> While mostly English, the albums include some Spanish and bilingual songs such as "Cariño",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with Lopez also speaking in Spanish and asserting her Latin identity on songs like "Let's Get Loud".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A departure from her previous work, This Is Me... Then blends 1970s soul with "streetwise" hip hop.<ref name="Paoletta">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rebirth was noted for its "relaxing" atmosphere, while Como Ama una Mujer was characterized as "silkily sedate Spanish Sade worship".<ref name="Variety" /> Brave and Love? delved further into dance-pop,<ref name="Bernstein" /><ref name="Drew">Template:Cite web</ref> while A.K.A. and This Is Me... Now saw her return to her R&B roots, though the latter eschews Latin influences.<ref name="Papi">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Daily Telegraph Review">Template:Cite web</ref>

Described as autobiographical,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> most of Lopez's music has centered around the "ups and downs" of love, often inspired by her own love life.<ref name="LoveMTV" /><ref name="Brown">Template:Cite web</ref> Lyrically, This Is Me... Then is largely focused on her relationship with Ben Affleck; the song "Dear Ben" was described as the album's "glowing centerpiece".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Its sequel album, This Is Me... Now, was informed by her marriage to Affleck, and Lopez's "psychological journey of the past two decade".<ref name="ThisIsMeNow_Variety">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Como Ama una Mujer features introspective lyrics about romance, heartache and self-loathing.<ref name="CAUM">Template:Cite news</ref> Regarding Love?, Lopez stated: "There's still so much to learn and that's why the question mark."<ref name="LoveMTV">Template:Cite web</ref> Other recurrent themes in Lopez's music have included her upbringing in the Bronx,<ref name="LA Times 99" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> social class<ref name="Statesman" /> and women's empowerment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez has received mixed reviews for her "light" soubrette voice,<ref name="Philly">Template:Cite journal</ref> which critics have described as thin,<ref name="Daily Telegraph Review" /> and overshadowed by her music's production.<ref name=vocall>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Erlewine">Template:Cite web</ref> With On the 6, critics described Lopez's voice as a "sultry purr" and "breathy";<ref name="NME">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Rob Sheffield remarked: "Lopez sticks to the understated R&B murmur of a round-the-way superstar who doesn't need to belt because she knows you're already paying attention ... She makes a little va-va and a whole lot of voom go a long way."<ref name="Rolling">Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez, who often worried about her singing "not being as strong" as her other attributes, would later credit ex-husband Marc Anthony for helping her find her "best singing voice".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Pitchfork described her voice as being "stronger than ever" on This Is Me... Now, while opining that "the thinness of the voice has often been beside the point, if not a boon to her early career", which was marked by "Bronx regularness".<ref name=Pitchfork>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lopez has been criticized for her use of background vocals from demo singers, prompting rumors of ghost singers' vocals being used in place of her own.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The rumors have been debunked by writers and background singers who worked with Lopez,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Milian">Template:Cite web</ref> including Christina Milian ("Play"), who called the controversy "funny" and said: "It's no different than Michael Jackson having background singers on songs or Britney Spears. This is what music is made of."<ref name="Milian" />

Dance, videos and stage

Lopez performing during the 2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Brazil

Considered one of dance's "greatest success stories",<ref name="Variety July 2016" /> Lopez has received praise for her highly choreographed dancing,<ref name="Philly" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is noted for her technical skill.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She has been trained in a range of dance styles, including ballet, jazz, flamenco, ballroom,<ref name="Shall We Dance? - Interview">Template:Cite web</ref> pole dancing,<ref name="Elena">Template:Cite web</ref> breakdancing, street dance, and hip hop.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Her signature movements include "clock-wise pivoting with salsa hip circles and sequential torso undulations".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Described by MTV's Madeline Roth as "some of the most memorable visuals of the 21st century",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez's music videos made her a dominant figure on MTV,<ref name="Asia Pacific">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and helped influence 2000s fashion trends.<ref name="Fader">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her music videos are known for showcasing her ability as a dancer,<ref name="Spanos" /> which CNN's Holly Thomas said gave her a "captivating, commanding presence",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as themes of surveillance and fame.<ref name="Spanos">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Sonia">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her videography and dancing have also been criticized for their provocative nature,<ref name="IBT">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Lopez being described as one of the Latin performers whose work "racialized and sexualized their bodies".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

On stage, Lopez is recognized for her showmanship, sex appeal, and glamorous costumes, which often include bodysuits.<ref name="LA Times Vegas">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Journalists have described her as the "ultimate showgirl".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While being noted to lip sync in the early stages of career,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Lopez's Dance Again World Tour was praised for showcasing live vocals and choreography synchronously.<ref name="Philly" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="filipino">Template:Cite news</ref> In a review of her Las Vegas residency All I Have, Los Angeles Times writer Nolan Feeney remarked that her dancing is "undoubtedly the centerpiece of the show".<ref name="LA Times Vegas" />

Her provocative stage performances and costumes have also drawn scrutiny. Robin Givhan of The Daily Beast criticized the nude bodysuit Lopez wore during her performance at the 2011 American Music Awards, calling it "banal exhibitionism" which "cried out for attention in all the wrong ways".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A number of her performances have been deemed inappropriate for television,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> including her controversial appearance at the Moroccan musical festival, Mawazine, in 2015. Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane called it "disgraceful" and demanded that legal measures be taken, while an education group claimed that she "disturbed public order and tarnished women's honor and respect".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Acting and screen

Lopez at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019

Lopez's films often see her playing "relatable everywomen",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Cady Lang of Time writing: "A longtime hallmark of Lopez's filmography is her penchant for stories about survivors. Her characters are never shrinking violets."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Discussing the roles she is drawn to, Lopez said in 1998: "I don't think of them as strong women ... I like characters that are really part of the story as opposed to window dressing, but I think the interesting thing is that they are real people. Nobody walks around being strong all the time."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Like her music, a number of her film roles explore class consciousness, including Maid in Manhattan (2002) and Second Act (2018).<ref name="Wilkinson">Template:Cite web</ref>

Film critic Stephanie Zacharek described Lopez as "one of the most gifted and appealing performers of the past two decades ... and yet the movies have rarely known what to do with her and her significant gifts as an actor."<ref name="Patron Saint">Template:Cite magazine</ref> While Lopez received acclaim for her early film work, The New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan noted that her tendency to star in romantic comedies, and her pop music career, "lowered her critical bona fides".<ref name="Kyle">Template:Cite web</ref> Taylor Hackford, who directed Lopez in Parker, said she "can really act": "She knows how to transmit nuances, to make the subtlest of shifts. Does she have humor? Yes. But at the same time she can get into the deepest dramatic areas."<ref name="Van Meter">Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez, who identifies the romantic comedy as her favorite film genre,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> has been referred to as the "Patron Saint of Romantic Comedies"<ref name="Patron Saint" /> and the "Queen of Romantic Comedies".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In her early films, Lopez played stereotypical roles which signified her as a "racialized, exoticized" other. In films such as Blood and Wine and U Turn, her body is fetishized "through extreme close-ups" and "framed as animalistic, primitive, and irresistibly dangerous to the Anglo American male characters."<ref name="Latina Iconicity">Template:Cite journal</ref> This shifted with her role in Selena, which "affirmed her Latinx identity, and won her the loyalty of that significant section of the U.S. and global audience."<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite web</ref> She has also been criticized for playing ethnically ambiguous parts and tapping into "the ability to perform a panethnic other" to commodify herself.<ref name="Latina Iconicity" /> Her role as an Italian woman in The Wedding Planner has been described as "a case of classic Hollywood whitewashing."<ref name="Vice">Template:Cite web</ref>

Public image

Lopez has been a polarizing figure in popular culture.<ref name="Idol1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="TWP" /> Andrew Barker of Variety writes that she "exhibits a plethora of contradictions", observing: "Despite a carefully cultivated image as an imperious pop empress in ludicrously expensive outfits, her signature hits bear the titles 'I'm Real' and 'Jenny From the Block'."<ref name="Variety">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2002, Lynette Holloway of The New York Times described Lopez's image as including "a dash of ghetto fabulousness" and "middle-class respectability" for mass appeal.<ref name="Lynette">Template:Cite news</ref> The media discerned a shift in her public image upon joining American Idol in 2011,<ref name="Idol1" /><ref name="J.Lo 2.0">Template:Cite web</ref> with Entertainment Weekly writing: "Gone was her old cut-a-bitch swagger; J. Lo 2.0 is an all-embracing, Oprahfied earth Template:Linktext."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> People editor Peter Castro said American Idol made Lopez "a celebrity of the people" whereas before, "there was a huge distance with the American public."<ref name="J.Lo 2.0" />

Lopez performing during her Dance Again World Tour in 2012

Lopez is widely celebrated for her curvaceous hourglass figure,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> which earned her the nickname La Guitarra (the guitar).<ref name="Divas" /> Vanity Fair described her buttocks as "in and of themselves, a cultural icon".<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Recounting her experience on early films, Lopez stated: "I've always had costume people looking at me a little weary and immediately fitting me out with things to hide my bottom."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> She often wears revealing outfits to accentuate her curves.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Author Mary Beltrán opined that for Lopez to "unashamedly display her well-endowed posterior during this time period" could be viewed as "a revolutionary act with respect to Anglo beauty ideals".<ref name="Beltran" /> However, she was also criticized for perceived changes in her image upon launching her music career,<ref name="Beltran" /> which included "weight loss and lightening her hair".<ref name="Baez" />

Considered a fashion icon, Lopez is known for her sense of style and "breaking fashion rules".<ref name="CFDA" /><ref name="Divas">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She is recognized for both her "bold" red carpet fashion,<ref name="Brookins" /> including fourteen appearances at the haute couture Met Gala in New York City, and her everyday street style, which is "discussed ad infinitum by the fashion press."<ref name="Athleisure">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Vogue CFDA">Template:Cite web</ref> British Vogue said she "added megawatt glamour to every outfit she wore",<ref name=StyleRules>Template:Cite web</ref> with Billboard describing her style as "scantily clad".<ref name="Scla">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez's style has been influenced by "women who epitomize old Hollywood glamour like Rita Hayworth", as well as her Bronx upbringing and Nuyorican identity.<ref name="Chambers">Template:Cite web</ref> Described as the "ultimate sex symbol" of the early 21st century,<ref name="Greatest Pop Star">Template:Cite magazine</ref> various publications have ranked her as the most beautiful or sexiest woman in the world, including People,<ref name="Forbes2" /> People en Español,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vibe,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Details,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and FHM, with Lopez topping the latter's 100 Sexiest Women list twice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez has criticized "this funny notion in America that you can't be a mom and be sexy", stating: "The truth is that women can be sexy until the day they die."<ref name="HuffPost Latino"/>

She has a large following on social media, being the 14th most-followed individual on Instagram and having one of the 50 most-followed accounts on Twitter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s "Music Fuels" ranking, Lopez is the eighth-most-followed musician across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She is the richest Latin actress, with an estimated net worth of US$400Template:&nbspmillion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Described as "one of the most photographed women in the world",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez has long been a tabloid fixture, and admits to having a "less-than-perfect" public image.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Frances Negrón-Muntaner wrote that by 1999, "Internet chat rooms exploded with anti-Lopez babble" and she became "one of the easiest moving targets for cheap laughs as well as anxieties about working-class 'loud' sexuality and specifically Latino visibility."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Much of the media coverage surrounding Lopez in the 2000s "focused on her dramatic private life",<ref name="Parish2" /> with several writers describing her as overexposed at the time, despite her continued success.<ref name="Lynette" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Media outlets often liken her to actress Elizabeth Taylor, due to her numerous failed relationships and glamorous public persona.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="W2013">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her high-profile relationship with Combs was described as having "defined an age",<ref name="Observer" /> with Vanity Fair writing that they entered "the pantheon of slightly notorious celebrity couples: Liz and Dick, Frank and Ava."<ref name="Zeman" />

Throughout her career, she has also received a bad reputation as being a demanding and outspoken "diva",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Beltran" /> something which she denies, stating: "I've always been fascinated by how much more well-behaved we have to be than men."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some of the backlash and fabricated tabloid stories surrounding Lopez have been attributed to her 1998 interview with Movieline, in which she was quoted as criticizing various actors and directors. Lopez, who "cried for hours" after the article was published, said the comments were made in jest and she was "so misquoted and so taken out of context".<ref name="Zeman">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2003, Lawrence Donegan of The Guardian posited that "indefensible" misogyny and racism were to blame for her position as "the most vilified woman in modern popular culture".<ref name="Observer" /> In 2021, Ben Affleck said: "People were so fucking mean about her; sexist, racist, ugly vicious shit was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now, you would literally be fired for saying some of the things you said."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Legacy and cultural impact

Entertainment industry

Lopez's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Regarded as one of the most influential performers of her time,<ref>Sources:

• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez is often cited by journalists and academics as the most influential entertainer of Latin descent,<ref>Sources:
• Template:Cite news
• Template:Cite book
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• Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Run the World">Template:Cite web</ref> credited with breaking racial barriers in the entertainment industry.<ref name="Parish 5">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Forbes3">Template:Cite web</ref> She was described as "the first Latina superstar" by writer Ned Zeman,<ref name="Zeman" /> and the "embodiment of the American Dream" by Robert C. Cottrell in Icons of American Popular Culture (2009).<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Maer Roshan, editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, said "Lopez has broken barriers and redefined what’s possible for women and Latinos in entertainment."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Often dubbed the "Queen of Dance" by media outlets,<ref>Publications referring to Lopez as the "Queen of Dance":
• Template:Cite web
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• Template:Cite web</ref> she is considered a triple threat performer,<ref name="BBC" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was one of few actors to successfully cross over into music.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rachel Sklar of The Huffington Post called Lopez a trailblazer, writing: "Beyoncé, Miley, Gaga, any actress who's ever released an album — they are all standing on the shoulders of J.Lo. She was a true triple threat — actress, singer, dancer ... and packaged it sometimes outrageously but always sexily."<ref name="Sklar">Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez is considered a pop icon,<ref name="Cottrell1">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with VH1 ranking her at number 15 on their list of 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> number 16 on 100 Greatest Women In Music,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and number 21 on 50 Greatest Women of the Video Era.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The highest-paid Latina actress in history,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez's film career has been credited with paving the way for greater representation of Latino Americans in Hollywood, a historically white space.<ref>

• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=therecord>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Beltran">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Oprah Daily">Template:Cite web</ref> Biographer Kathleen Tracy opined that "Lopez blazed a trail no openly Latin actress had gone before", noting that previous Latina stars cosmetically downplayed their ethnicity and changed their names.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Lopez, who achieved "ethnic 'blind' casting" with Out of Sight (1998),<ref name="Negrón-Muntaner, 244-245">Template:Harvnb</ref> is noted by biographer James Robert Parish to have "helped minimize racial boundaries in show business" by deliberately avoiding stereotypical roles.<ref name="Parish 5" />

With her musical debut, Lopez helped influence the Latin pop movement in American music, often dubbed the "Latin explosion" of the 1990s.<ref name="Run the World" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Recording Academy called her the "breakout female star" of the Latin pop movement,<ref name="Recording Academy 2017">Template:Cite web</ref> with historian Roger Bruns describing her as "an influential force in driving a growing Latin cultural influence in popular music" at the time.<ref name="Bruns 299" /> Ella Cerón of Teen Vogue wrote: "In an era of blonde, bubblegum pop, there was only one J.Lo."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She has been credited with paving the way for U.S.-born Latina artists including Selena Gomez, Becky G, and Cardi B,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Oprah Daily" /> and for Latin American artists to venture into English pop music, including Shakira, Thalía and Paulina Rubio.<ref name="Aida">Template:Cite journal</ref> Along with Ricky Martin, she helped increase the visibility of Latin music in international markets including East Asia and Canada.<ref name="Asia Pacific" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Due to her "multi-tasking career", she has been described as "the next-generation Madonna",<ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and "the first woman to demonstrate that a Madonna could be a Latina".<ref name="Statesman" />

Lopez's music has been credited with helping influence the trajectory of 2000s music,<ref name="Shemesh">Template:Cite web</ref> including dance music,<ref name="Variety" /><ref name="Lockett">Template:Cite web</ref> Latin music,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> R&B,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and pop rap collaborations.<ref name="I'm Real ET" /><ref name="Shemesh" /> Billboard magazine described her as having "helped define an era where hip-hop, R&B and pop all got more cuddly together than ever before".<ref name="greatestpop21stcentury">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Scholar Miriam Jiménez Román suggested that Lopez, who represents the "often-suppressed" history of Puerto Ricans in hip hop culture, was "able to traverse the difficult racial boundaries".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In July 2023, Madame Tussauds New York unveiled a wax figure of Lopez inspired by her performance at the Super Bowl LIV halftime show.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Cultural influence

Lopez waving the Puerto Rican flag in 2009 at the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan

In 2012, Forbes ranked Lopez as the world's most powerful celebrity and the 38th most powerful woman.<ref name="Forbes2" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was named one of TimeTemplate:'s 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.<ref name="Time 100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez's influence has been attributed to her bicultural identity and ability to code-switch.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Latina magazine founder Christy Haubegger, Lopez was "the first icon that generationally fits" young Latino Americans who followed celebrity culture.<ref name="TWP">Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez was featured on the first cover of Latina in 1996, with editor Galina Espinoza writing in 2011 that there is "no recounting of modern Latina history without Jennifer".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She has been credited with empowering Puerto Ricans, a group "which has been subdued to different forms of discrimination" since Puerto Rico was annexed by the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Jonathan Van Meter of Vogue described Lopez as having "changed the face of modern celebrity."<ref name="Van Meter" /> Her ability to start trends has prompted the usage of the phrase "the J.Lo effect" in popular culture, which has been used in various different contexts,<ref name="Allure">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Bahr">Template:Cite web</ref> including the trend of networks hiring "big name" judges for reality competition programs after Lopez's successful casting on American Idol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With her moniker J.Lo, Lopez started a trend of celebrities being given abbreviated nicknames, while "Bennifer" began the convention of celebrity couple name blending.<ref name="Statesman" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Described by scholar Helene A. Shugart of the University of Utah as "arguably the most visible Latina in contemporary mainstream popular culture", Lopez has been the subject of considerable academic analysis, including in relation to ethnicity, class, "body politics",<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> race, Latin culture, and gender.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Baez">Template:Cite journal</ref> While credited with opening "the door to [Latino culture having a] broader appeal",<ref name="BBC" /> Lopez has also been a polarizing figure, generating "often vehement disagreement about what is and isn't Latino."<ref name="TWP" /> According to journalist Jesús Triviño Alarcón, Lopez "widened the scope of what it means to be Latina by simply being her. You don’t have to speak perfect Spanish, or Spanish at all, to be proud of your roots."<ref name="Oprah Daily" />

As a result of the public emphasis on her curvaceous figure, Lopez has been credited with influencing a shift in cultural beauty standards.<ref name="Statesman" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The surge in popularity of buttock augmentation surgery in the early 2000s was attributed to Lopez.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Latin Sensations (2001), Herón Marquez wrote: "Because she wasn't rail thin, Lopez had broken the mold ... Suddenly, it was okay for women to have hips, curves, and a big backside."<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> This has been considered a sign of Lopez's social power in "changing cultural standards within the mainstream media as a whole".<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

In 2014, scientists named a species of aquatic mite found in Puerto Rico, Litarachna lopezae, after Lopez.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In Tok Pisin, a language spoken in Papua New Guinea, the term palopa is used to describe non-heteronormative people whose identities may correlate with those who, in Western contexts, identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2019, she was presented with keys to the city of Miami Beach, where July 24 was declared "Jennifer Lopez Day".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fashion and branding

Lopez (left), wearing an updated version of her iconic green Versace dress, and Donatella Versace (right) in 2019

The Council of Fashion Designers of America presented Lopez with its Fashion Icon Award in 2019 for her "long-standing and global impact on fashion".<ref name="CFDA">Template:Cite web</ref> Her green Versace "Jungle Dress" was voted the fifth most iconic red carpet dress of all time in a poll run by The Daily Telegraph.<ref name="Telegraph08">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The dress had a significant impact on the fashion industry, celebrity endorsements, and the evolution of red carpet fashion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Brookins">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Riley 241">Template:Harvnb</ref> The images of Lopez wearing the dress became the most popular search query of all time at that point, and subsequently led to the creation of Google's image search.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez has been credited with popularizing various fashion and beauty trends throughout her career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="CNN Juicy">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Pitchfork /><ref name="Hats">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2003, she inspired a trend of curvier mannequins being designed, which fuelled a rise in sales for manufacturers and retailers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lopez's personal style and brand deals have had a considerable effect on sales in the fashion industry.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 2002" /><ref name="Hats" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The success of Louis Vuitton's fall 2003 campaign, for which Lopez was the brand's model, led to more Hollywood stars "becoming image models of fashion and cosmetic labels".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, The Daily Telegraph reported that she was among ten celebrities whose personal style choices drove the greatest spikes in searches and news coverage for brands.<ref name="Abraham">Template:Cite web</ref> Her appearance at Milan Fashion Week in 2019 generated over $31.8 million in total media impact value.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Described as a "branding pioneer", Lopez has been credited with ushering in a new era of celebrity branding.<ref name="Riley 241" /><ref name="Adweek">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Van Meter" /> Her first fragrance, Glow by JLo, influenced the rise of celebrity fragrances in the 2000s.<ref name="WWD">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Riley 241" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her fragrance line became the most successful celebrity line in the world, with sales exceeding $2 billion Template:As of.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lopez's clothing brand was one of the first celebrity fashion lines;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> scholars have credited her with redefining "how fashion is produced and entwined with other artistic endeavors",<ref name="Aida" /> and popularizing a trend of utilizing racial ambiguity for branding purposes in fashion and cosmetics.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> As of 2022, her business ventures have cumulatively earned over US$5 billion in sales globally.<ref name="Stats_2022"/>

Achievements

Template:As of, Lopez has sold more than 80 million records worldwide and amassed over 15 billion streams; her films have grossed a cumulative total of Template:US$ while her business ventures have cumulatively made over Template:US$ in consumer sales.<ref name="Stats_2022">Template:Cite news</ref> She remains the only female entertainer to have a number-one album and film simultaneously in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Guinness World Records acknowledged J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002) as the first number-one remix album on the U.S. Billboard 200,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and recognized "On the Floor" as the "Highest Viewed Female Music Video of All Time" in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Billboard named Lopez the top Hot 100 female artist and the Greatest Pop Star of 2001.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Greatest Pop Star"/> Billboard ranked her as the ninth-greatest dance club artist of all time in 2016, having scored 18 number-one songs on its Dance Club Songs chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Recording-Academy" /> The magazine also ranked her at number 22 on its "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" list (2025).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She was named the top Latin touring artist of the decade by Pollstar in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

For her contributions to the music industry, Lopez was honored by the World Music Awards with the Legend Award in 2010,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was presented with the prestigious landmark 2,500th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, she became the first female recipient of the Billboard Icon Award.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2017, she was awarded the Telemundo Star Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lopez received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award during the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, making her the first Latin performer to receive the honor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She later received the Icon Award at the iHeart Radio Music Awards in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Outside of music, Univision presented her with the World Icon Award in its Premios Juventud in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She received the Generation Award at the MTV Movie & TV Awards for her contributions to film and television in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Discography

• On the 6 (1999)
• J.Lo (2001)
• This Is Me... Then (2002)
• Rebirth (2005)
• Como Ama una Mujer (2007)
• Brave (2007)
• Love? (2011)
• A.K.A. (2014)
• This Is Me... Now (2024)

Filmography

Template:Main Films starred

• Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993)
• My Family (1995)
• Money Train (1995)
• Jack (1996)
• Blood and Wine (1996)
• Selena (1997)
• Anaconda (1997)
• U Turn (1997)
• Out of Sight (1998)
• Antz (1998) (voicing)
• The Cell (2000)
• The Wedding Planner (2001)
• Angel Eyes (2001)
• Enough (2002)
• Maid in Manhattan (2002)
• Gigli (2003)
• Shall We Dance? (2004)
• Monster-in-Law (2005)
• An Unfinished Life (2005)
• El Cantante (2006)
• Bordertown (2007)
• The Back-up Plan (2010)
• What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)
• Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) (voicing)
• Parker (2013)
• The Boy Next Door (2015)
• Lila & Eve (2015)
• Home (2015) (voicing)
• Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) (voicing)
• Second Act (2018)
• Hustlers (2019)
• Marry Me (2022)
• Shotgun Wedding (2022)
• The Mother (2023)
• This Is Me... Now: A Love Story (2024)
• Atlas (2024)
• Unstoppable (2024)
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025)
• Office Romance (2026)
• The Last Mrs. Parrish (2026)

Bibliography

Lopez has written a memoir and co-written a children's book.

• Lopez, Jennifer. True Love. Celebra, 2014. Template:ISBN.
• Lopez, Jennifer and Jimmy Fallon (authors). Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure. Feiwel & Friends, 2022. Template:ISBN.

Tours and residencies

Headlining tours

• Dance Again World Tour (2012)
• It's My Party Tour (2019)
• Up All Night: Live in 2025 (2025)

Co-headlining tours

• Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony en Concierto (2007)
• Enrique Iglesias & Jennifer Lopez Tour (2012)

Residencies

• Jennifer Lopez: All I Have (2016–2018)
• Jennifer Lopez: Up All Night Live in Las Vegas (2025-2026)<ref name="k860">Template:Cite web</ref>

Cancelled tours

• This Is Me... Live (2024)

See also

• History of women in Puerto Rico
• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of dancers
• List of most-followed Instagram accounts
• List of Puerto Ricans
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Sources

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External links

• Template:Official website – official site
• Template:Official website – official beauty site
• Template:AllMusic
• Template:Discogs artist
• Template:IMDb name
• Jennifer Lopez at Rotten Tomatoes
• Template:C-SPAN