Why Jennifer Lopez Didn't Think It Was A Good Idea To Split Super Bowl Halftime Show Duties With Shakira
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's 2020 Super Bowl halftime performance literally stole the show, with 103 million people tuning in to watch it, according to a Billboard report. For context, the halftime show surpassed the number of viewers for the actual game by approximately 3 million, as reported by the Nielsen company.
However, despite the massive success, Lopez felt a different kind of disappointment. In "Halftime," a Netflix documentary showcasing Lopez's career, including the behind-the-scenes process of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, Lopez revealed that she hated the concept of sharing the stage. "It's the worst idea in the world to have two people do the Super Bowl," Lopez stated, explaining that she wasn't happy with splitting the 12 minutes allotted for the performance.
"We have six f***ing minutes. We have 30 seconds of a song, and if we take a minute, that's it; we've got five left," Lopez continued, feeling like that wasn't enough time to present her extensive repertoire of musical hits. Shakira opened the show with "She Wolf" and, among other singles, later sang "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie." Some that Lopez opted for included "Jenny From the Block," "Waiting for Tonight," and "Love Don't Cost a Thing." Likely adding to Lopez's disappointment, the two stars concluded their halftime performance with a joint rendition of Shakira's song, "Waka Waka."
Lopez thinks her performance should've been longer
Despite being one of the best Super Bowl halftime performances, Jennifer Lopez thinks she and Shakira should've been given more time each to perform. In "Halftime," Lopez can be heard telling Shakira over the phone, "If it was gonna be a double headliner, they should've given us 20 minutes." Benny Medina, Lopez's manager, backed the star, arguing that the chosen main headliner could invite additional guests if they desired. "It was an insult to say you needed two Latinas to do the job that one artist historically has done," he concluded.
Interestingly, Gloria Estefan, another prominent Latin artist, was considered for the headline spot. However, Estefan revealed on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live!" with Andy Cohen that she turned down Lopez's Super Bowl Halftime Show, jokingly citing a reluctance to go on a diet during the holiday season. The "Conga" singer also quipped, "Can you imagine what J.Lo would've said if I [were] the third [performer]?"
In hindsight, it seems Lopez had no chance of headlining Super Bowl 54 on her own. Despite this, as she attempted to bring her vision to the NFL stage, Lopez made a controversial comment perceived by many as a subtle dig at Shakira.
The Jenny from the Block singer was accused of trivializing belly dancing
Other than not being happy with sharing the stage with another artist, Jennifer Lopez appears to have shaded Shakira as their joint Super Bowl Halftime Show approached. Their performance included a poignant political statement during Lopez's six-minute segment, where she was surrounded by children in caged structures, addressing the issue of immigrant children detained in cages at U.S. border detention centers. According to Lopez's Netflix documentary, the NFL was hesitant about this idea. "I'm trying to give you something with substance, not just us out there shaking our f***ing asses and f***ing belly dancing," Lopez told NFL producer Ricky Kirshner as she tried convincing him to let her do her thing. She added, "I want something real. I want something that's gonna make a statement."
However, her comments were deemed derogatory by social media users. "To say that belly dancing, a Middle Eastern culture, has no "substance" is [so] ethnocentric and, perhaps, racist," one user shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, while another described Lopez as "bitter, loud, [and] wrong."
Other Shakira stans weren't happy with Lopez's overall behavior leading up to the halftime show, particularly when Lopez shared a promotional poster featuring only herself on her official Facebook page. Notably, Shakira shared the version with both of them pictured. A user on X, formerly known as Twitter, stated, "The energy was clear from the beginning." While Lopez did not directly insult Shakira, her word choices clearly created a less-than-positive atmosphere leading up to the iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show.