Jennifer Lopez's Twins, Max And Emme, Are Growing Up Fast

Whenever a celebrity becomes pregnant, it's a big deal in pop culture. The world could barely handle the anticipation when it was revealed that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were expecting their first child together. Everyone was chomping at the bit to see a picture of North West after Kanye West and Kim Kardashian welcomed her into the world. More recently, fans were absolutely thrilled to learn that Justin and Hailey Bieber were preparing for their first baby. Famous pregnancies are a unique and exciting aspect of celebrity.
Once those famous people give birth, however, their children's relationship to the spotlight differs from celebrity to celebrity. Celebs like Kardashian share seemingly all milestones and more of their children's lives on social media, while others, like Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, keep their kids totally private. Some, like Jennifer Lopez, land somewhere in the middle, sharing details about their kids without plastering them all over the internet, making it all the more surprising to see how much they've grown every time there's an update. But celebrity kids do, indeed, age, and Jennifer Lopez's kids, Max and Emme Muñiz, are growing up fast.

Max and Emme Muñiz were born in February of 2008 to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, with Emme coming first and Max coming second. The public had already been highly anticipating the birth of the twins as Lopez had announced her pregnancy months prior while performing in Miami. Friends of the couple were excited to watch them become parents, too. "With our daughter, she's so great. I mean, [Jennifer] lets her go in her closet and play with her coats or her jewelry. She's just so giving and loving," Leah Remini told People of her close friend.

Max and Emme's birth was a major event for JLo fans, and tabloids knew it. Popular magazines were reportedly in a bidding war for the first exclusive photos of the twins. Ultimately, the honor went to People, with the publication apparently paying the parents $6 million for the feature. However, as Lopez noted at the time, spending time with her babies was most important to her. "She describes it as the most magical time in her life. She said you can win an Oscar, you can win a Golden Globe ... but when you have a kid, all of that is irrelevant," an interviewer for People said of Lopez.

When Max and Emme Muñiz were just four years old, their parents, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, filed for divorce, with Anthony formally initiating the process. The couple had separated nearly a year prior after about seven years of marriage, and the divorce was Anthony's second and Lopez's third. Anthony and Lopez's divorce took years to finalize, as many do for celebrity couples, and it ended in Lopez having primary custody of Max and Emme. The parents also agreed that neither party would pay the other child or spousal support.

As noted, Lopez had been divorced before, but she didn't have kids with those men, making the splits a little less complicated. With Max and Emme involved, Lopez was sure to keep things civil with her ex. "When my marriage ended, it was not easy to find forgiveness. It wasn't the dream that I had hoped for, and it would have been easier to fan the flames of resentment, disappointment, and anger," Lopez said to W Magazine a few years after her divorce was finalized. "But Marc is the father of my children, and that's never going away. So, I have to work to make things right. And that is, by far, the hardest work I do."

Jennifer Lopez is popular on social media — she has over 250 million followers on Instagram, over 44 million on X, formerly Twitter, and over 16 million subscribers on YouTube. When Max and Emme Muñiz hit a certain age, they started joining their famous mother in her social media ventures. The three of them filmed a video for YouTube called "Twin Talk: AMA with Emme and Max," where the twins asked Lopez any questions they wanted. Max and Emme discussed a variety of topics with Lopez, including her interests as a kid, her first crush, how their grandmother was as a mother to Lopez, and her reaction to finding out she was having twins.

The twins also found out what Lopez loved most about each of them at that age. "My favorite thing about Max is his sense of humor and his incredible vocabulary. Also, your big heart. You have an enormous heart," Lopez said. "My favorite thing about Emme is her joyful demeanor — she's always happy — and her artistic qualities. I love to hear Emme sing," she added. Fans loved getting to know Max and Emme and seeing a different side of Lopez. "I love Jennifer Lopez's relationship with her kids.. its doesnt [sic] feel fake. She seems very hands on," one user commented.

Jennifer Lopez told her daughter, Emme Muñiz, how much she loves to hear them sing, and mere months after that, they joined Lopez and Shakira on stage at the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show. Muñiz began their performance with a slower version of Lopez's hit "Let's Get Loud," then added bits of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" while Lopez took over. "The Super Bowl was scary at first," Muñiz said on "Access Hollywood" after the performance. "But while it was happening, it was all really nice. I got to perform with my mom, and one of my friends actually was dancing there with me," they added. Muñiz noted then, too, that while they didn't see themself singing professionally one day, they hoped it could be a hobby.

As for Lopez, having Muñiz join her on stage was incredibly meaningful. The singer shared with Extra TV that she didn't have Muñiz perform to jumpstart a music career — the two simply connect through music. "There was just a message there that we could put out into the world about women being empowered, and raising their voices, and getting loud, and speaking up for themselves. That's what I want to pass on to my daughter, and that was a perfect way to put that message out," Lopez added.

Max Muñiz knows the power his mother has, and he wants her to use her platform to stand up for what he believes in. In 2020, after the death of Minneapolis citizen George Floyd at the hands of a city police officer, people around the country began protesting for Black Lives Matter, particularly seeking change within the American justice system, and many celebrities joined the cause. Two such celebrities were Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, who were in a relationship at the time. The two attended a Black Lives Matter protest, and Lopez shared in a since-deleted post on Instagram of a sign her children had helped her make for the protest and that Muñiz had expressed to her that she should use her platform to spread the message.

Lopez opened up about the interaction in a later interview. "[Max] wanted me to make sure I realized that I had power and that I should use it, and I thought that was very insightful. It was one of those parenting moments when you're like, 'Oh, maybe I'm raising a conscientious, kind, loving kid here,'" she said to Elle.

Emme Muñiz may not have any intention of becoming a professional singer, but perhaps they have writing on the horizon. In 2020, Jennifer Lopez's child became a published author when they released their book of prayers, "Lord Help Me: Inspiring Prayers for Every Day." As Muñiz has shared, prayer is a major part of their life, and it has been since they were just five years old. The idea for their book came about after Muñiz and their nanny bought a book-making kit, and the first draft of the prayer book was handmade. "I really hope children are able to learn to pray, share the book, and spread the power of prayer after reading it," Muñiz told People of their book. Muñiz also revealed that Lopez supported them throughout the entire process, particularly by attending publishing meetings, and that their dad, Marc Anthony, was there when they recorded the audiobook. "They are all really proud of me," Muñiz said of their entire family.

Another one of Muñiz's passions is animals, something the young author mentioned in their book. Muñiz is especially taken with sloths, and they hope to be part of taking care of the animals. "I want to donate to organizations that build sloth sanctuaries," Muñiz said.

Max and Emme Muñiz have many siblings, and they always have. Although they are each the only full sibling the other has, Max and Emme share multiple half- and step-siblings. When the twins were born, their father, Marc Anthony, already had four other children from previous relationships: Arianna Muñiz, Chase Muñiz, Cristian Muñiz, and Ryan Muñiz. In 2023, Max and Emme gained another half-sibling, Anthony's seventh child, Marco Muñiz.

In 2022, Max and Emme gained a trio of step-siblings when their mother, Jennifer Lopez, married Ben Affleck. Ben has three children from his marriage to Jennifer Garner — Violet Affleck, Seraphina Affleck, and Samuel Affleck. Lopez's and Ben's kids are all near the same ages, which makes for some difficulties at home. "The teenage years are tough. It's challenging. You have this baby for a while, and then it's like, your best little friend who loves being with you all the time, and then all of a sudden it's like, 'Get out of my room,'" Lopez said on "Live with Kelly and Mark." "I feel like it's surfing. I'm riding the waves, and then it's like, 'Oops, I just got knocked over!' Now, I'm back, I'm back!" she added.

Show business is in Max Muñiz's blood. His father, Marc Anthony, is one of the most successful Latin music artists of all time. His mother, Jennifer Lopez, has sold millions of records and made millions at the box office through her acting work. Though not a blood relation, Muñiz's stepfather, Ben Affleck, is an Oscar-winning filmmaker, likely having an influence on his stepson (movies are one topic Affleck and Muñiz reportedly connected on when Affleck and Lopez began dating again).

In 2022, Muñiz got to dip his own toes into the family business by joining his mother on the set of her film "Marry Me." "He had a great time, and he wants to do it more. He wants to be an actor," Lopez said of Muñiz on "El Gordo y la Flaca," as reported by Hola! But the budding actor might take a different path than his mother or his stepfather, as he's apparently not entirely comfortable in front of the camera. "It's not that he's shy, but I think he wants to be more of a voice actor because he has a very different voice, and he can do very different voices. But he will do what he wants," Lopez added.

Emme Muñiz previously stated that they only saw singing in the future as a hobby, but it seems that it could turn into more than that for the young performer. A couple of years after showing the world their vocal chops during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, Muñiz joined their mother on another stage. Though the performance wasn't broadcast for millions to see, it was still an epic venue. Muñiz and Lopez sang at Dodger Stadium during the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation's Blue Diamond Gala. The two sang the two songs Muñiz performed at the Super Bowl — "Let's Get Loud" and "Born in the USA" — as well as a duet version of Christina Perri's ballad "A Thousand Years."

As Lopez shared with Entertainment Tonight, Muñiz has always been able to sing well. "When she was in the crib when she was a baby, she used to be humming, like, really humming to herself. And Marc would say, 'She's singing; it feels good to her, it feels good to her soul and to her body,' because he was like that. I was like, 'You think she's singing?' And he was like, 'Yeah, yeah.' And he was right," Lopez shared, adding that she'll support Muñiz if they want to commit to a career in entertainment.

Emme and Max Muñiz are getting older and marking their exit from adolescence with major milestones. For example, in 2024, Emme attended the premiere of their mother, Jennifer Lopez's, film "This is Me... Now" with a date — which was the first time either of the twins had brought a romantic interest to a public event. Emme's date didn't speak with reporters, nor was the date's name reported, but the young couple seemed very happy to be at the event together.

In addition to their date, Emme seems to have close relationships with their siblings. Emme has been spotted out and about in Los Angeles with their step-sibling, Fin Affleck. The step-siblings have been known to hold hands when they're out, and they were reportedly close friends before their parents started dating again. Emme is also close to their twin, Max, although they have typical sibling dynamics. "He's crazy sometimes; he's very loud in a good way, of course, sometimes. Yeah, so he's a challenge to get along with 'cause he's my brother," Emme said to Entertainment Tonight. But the duo have had a strong bond for years. As Emme told People back in 2020, "Max and I have a special relationship. Since we were very little, I could always understand him when no one else could."

Emme Muñiz bringing a date to their mother's movie premiere wasn't the only major thing that happened for them in 2024. They and their brother Max Muñiz turned 16. To celebrate, their mother, Jennifer Lopez, took the duo to Japan. Lopez shared footage of their trip on Instagram afterward, showcasing some of their meals and the scenery they saw. "I've never seen Max so excited," Lopez said of her son ahead of their trip. "I've never seen myself so excited," Emme said to Lopez. A few months afterward, Lopez talked about the big birthday trip on "Live with Kelly and Mark." "It's really nice, and there's, like, great museums and things to do for the kids, and especially their age, kind of, like, cool, surreal things that they can do. So, we had a good time. It was a lot of fun," she said to hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

Lopez also discussed what it's like to have teenage twins and how she survives parenthood. The singer noted that while she's the only one of her very close friends who has children, she feels like her twins are past the toughest teenage years. "I love my kids, and they are so brilliant and lovely and beautiful ... I feel like we're coming out a little bit of what we talked about last time," Lopez said. "They're kind of very emotionally mature," she added.