J. Lo's Shadiest Comments About Other Stars

Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got — she'll always be Jennifer Lopez from a block in New York. The Bronx native gained stardom first as a dancer on "In Living Color" before debuting as an actress and singer. With her undeniable success, the star often tries to present herself as an average, relatable New Yorker — but is constantly called out for being the exact opposite In one video clip from the Lopez's 2024 film, "This Is Me ...Now: A Love Story," she ruffles her hair while reminiscing about her childhood days. "It reminds me like, when I was 16 in The Bronx running up and down the block," she said in the clip (via New York Post.) Social media users responded by noting how unrelatable Lopez truly was.  

One possible reason people give J. Lo such a hard time about portraying herself as relatable could be because of her reputation. Many reports have acknowledged that she's a difficult person to be around, some noting extensive work hours for her at-home staff, others claiming the star is rude to servers, a poor tipper, and holds her drivers under ridiculously strict rules. It should come as no surprise then that J. Lo's tongue can be just as swift as her feet on the dancefloor, landing her in the bad graces of many celebrities due to purely shady comments. Here are some of the worst of these moments throughout her career. 

If you're at all familiar with anything pop culture, then you're aware that Jennifer Lopez and "All I Want For Christmas Is You" singer Mariah Carey have had a very rocky relationship for over a decade. According to In Touch Weekly, the drama between the two began when Lopez began working with Carey's ex-husband — record executive and producer Tommy Mottola in 1998. In 1999, Carey said she disliked comparisons between her and Lopez as artists following Lopez's role as Mexican American singer Selena, noting that she lip synced the songs. Years later, in the early 2000s, Carey said "I don't know her" when asked about her thoughts on Lopez on a German television program called "Taff."

J. Lo publicly responded to Carey's comments on an episode of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" (WWHL) in 2014 with kindness, saying she wanted to be friends. But a year later, at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, J. Lo appeared to completely ignore Carey's performance while scrolling on her phone, as seen in a video published by TMZ. However, on another "WWHL" episode, Lopez claimed she watched most of the performance. Yet a year later, while on "The Wendy Williams Show," Williams referred to Carey's "I don't know her" moment, and Lopez took the opportunity to lightly return shade. "She's forgetful, I guess," she said. "We've met many times! I don't know, I don't know her that well."

Jennifer Lopez is known for many things, including tearing up a dance floor and finding herself in a relationship. One of her famous romantic partners was Alexander Rodriguez, an infamous American baseball player. The two began dating in 2017, and he asked Lopez to be his wife in 2019, but things fell apart for the couple in 2021.

In April 2021, the two shared a statement with NBC's "Today" announcing their breakup: "We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so. ...We wish the best for each other and one another's children." That same day, eagle-eyed fans noticed that J. Lo liked an Instagram post shared by New York Times best-selling author R.H. Sin that called out the behavior of men who treat women poorly in relationships.

"Don't make her think you care when you have never given a f*** about her," the posted image said, paired with a caption that read, "Don't let them manipulate you. How many times have you been told 'I love you' by someone who has continued to treat you like s***?" It was rumored that the couple's relationship ended because of A-Rod's alleged cheating, which led to Lopez's distrust. The timing of the like on the Instagram post was deemed as a shady confirmation by the singer.

By 1998, Jennifer Lopez had been in a few successful films, including "Anaconda," "Selena," and "U-Turn". Given her current thriving acting career, former magazine Movieline profiled the star, and she took the opportunity to discuss how great of an actress she was. Following comments of self-praise, the reporter asked Lopez for her opinion on other actresses, and she did not hold back.

She was first questioned about Salma Hayek, who was reportedly initially offered the lead role in Selena's biopic. "We're in two different realms," Lopez first said about Hayek. "She's a sexy bombshell and those are the kinds of roles she does. I do all kinds of different things. It makes me laugh when she says she got offered Selena, which was an outright lie. If that's what she does to get herself publicity, then that's her thing." 

In 2020, while on an episode of Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live", Hayek confirmed that she was offered the role but turned it down. The actress said the offer came just a week after the beloved singer passed, and she thought it was distasteful that a movie was already in the works. But what did she think of Lopez's performance in the film? "I think Jennifer did a great job," Hayek told "WWHL" host Andy Cohen, "and I really didn't think it was for me."

In the 1998 Movieline interview, Jennifer Lopez also heaped shade on actress Gwyneth Paltrow and "Like a Virgin" singer Madonna. The outlet's reporter asked Lopez's thoughts on fellow actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and she seemed to blank on what movies Paltrow had been in. "Tell me what she's been in? I swear to God, I don't remember anything she was in," Lopez said. "Some people get hot by association. I heard more about her and Brad Pitt than I ever heard about her work." Shortly thereafter, Lopez shaded Madonna's acting skills. "Do I think she's a great performer? Yeah. Do I think she's a great actress? No," she told the reporter. By the time of the interview, Madonna had been in a few films including, "Four Rooms" and "Evita."

Neither Paltrow nor Madonna publicly responded to Lopez's thoughts on their acting, but a source told In Touch Weekly in 2024 that the comments didn't land well with the "Vogue" singer. "She's got zero respect for J. Lo as a singer and has never forgiven her for trash talking her acting skills in an interview she gave 30 years ago," the source said. "Madonna actually considered J. Lo a friend before she showed her true colors with that interview." In a 2018 interview with NPR, Lopez said she understood that the interview "pissed off" a lot of folks in the industry, but said her intent was not to hurt anyone's feelings. "I didn't realize that my words could impact people that way," she said. "You know, I was a nobody at that time."

Yes, Jennifer Lopez has thrown lots of shade in her life, but in the case of Christina Aguilera, maybe there was no shade at all. Let's start with some context — at the 2003 Video Music Awards (VMAs), pop stars Madonna, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears gave viewers an iconic performance that included a lip-to-lip kiss between the singers. In 2023, Lopez revealed to E! News she was the one meant to be on that stage. "I was filming a movie in Canada, and we had met — me, [Madonna], and Britney — to do it at her home," J. Lo said. 

However, her filming schedule kept her from making the performance. She mentioned the addition to the iconic moment, saying, "I guess they got somebody — they got Christina Aguilera, I think." Given the popularity of the performance, social media users felt Lopez's use of "I think" was shade to Aguilera. "Jennifer could've just said 'They asked Christina to take over my place,'" one X user wrote. "The 'I think' part was unnecessary cuz it was a pop culture moment & the whole world got to witness it." 

Digital publications, like Billboard magazine, ran with the narrative that the actress intended to be shady, but she debunked the claims in their comment section of the outlet's Instagram post. "No shade at all ... you shady ... smdh #alwayswannastartsomemess #growup," J. Lo wrote. Several of her fans defended her words about Aguilera under Billboard's social media post, asserting her innocence. While Lopez has devoted fans who love and support everything she does, her frequent cattiness has led her to become one of those celebrities who many people have come to dislike.