Why Jennifer Lopez Was Cautioned Against Accepting Her American Idol Role

Known for her career as a singer and actor, Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to fame. Her career spans decades and she values her achievements in music and films as her fame took off. Her fans adore her and follow her relationships closely with her kids and her significant others, but could this adoration be put in jeopardy? This was put into question when Jennifer Lopez decided to move to reality television.

After the original judges stepped away from "American Idol," Lopez considered filling an empty seat. However, she was warned against joining the panel of judges. She sat down with Nikki Glaser for Interview Magazine in October 2024 in which she discussed this matter. She revealed that her advisors told her, "Don't do this, you're going to be reduced to just a reality star ... Don't do that or nobody will hire you for a movie ever again." 

During this interview with Nikki Glaser, Jennifer Lopez reflects on her decision to ignore her advisors and officially start working on "American Idol". "I don't do things because I like danger," she said. "I'll do things that could be risky because I believe they're going to turn out okay." She also mentioned that she had not worked for a couple of years to focus on being a mom, which further explained her thought process. "American Idol" was incredibly popular back in 2011 when she first joined the panel of judges, so that attracted her to the position. 

She explained that she loved music and mentoring others and saw it as a wonderful opportunity for her. Jennifer Lopez served as a judge for multiple seasons, but did not appear consistently because she had taken on additional work opportunities. She also considered not returning at one point during her divorce from Marc Anthony after a seven-year marriage. However, she did ultimately come back and served as judge for the singing show until 2016.