Jennifer Lopez Almost Quit The Industry Over Constant Scrutiny About Her Personal Life

BY Erika Marie 2.6K Views
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Jennifer Lopez
She says the fixation on her relationships and jokes about her butt "overshadowed" the successes of her career so much that she wanted to quit.

More moments from Jennifer Lopez are coming to light thanks to her Netflix special Halftime. Previously, we highlighted Lopez's views on her Super Bowl halftime performance alongside Shakira back in 2020, as she expressed in her documentary that she believed it was foolish or the NFL to book two artists for only 12 minutes. The show went on without a hitch, but the behind-the-scenes drama clearly showed that Lopez believed she deserved more time on stage.

It wasn't just her gripes with the NFL that were a Halftime standout; Lopez also spoke about her body shape, mentioning that the jokes about her backside became antagonizing. "I grew up around women with curves, so it was nothing ever I was ashamed of," she reportedly stated. "It was hard when you think people think you're a joke, like you're a punchline, but I wound up affecting things in a way that I never intended to affect them."

Rich Polk / Stringer / Getty Images

It was also the constant coverage of her personal life that took a toll: she was married to Ojani Noa for less than a year, then dated Diddy for two years, then she was married to her backup dancer Cris Judd for less than a year, then she dated Ben Affleck for two years and the couple was engaged, then she was married to Marc Anthony for 10 years, then she dated her backup dancer Casper Smart for five years, then she dated and was engaged to Alex Rodriguez which was a four-year relationship, and now she's engaged to Ben Affleck once again 20 years after their first engagement.

"No matter what I achieved, their appetite to cover my personal life overshadowed everything that was happening in my career. I just had a very low self esteem," Lopez said in the doc. "I really believed a lot of what they said, which was that I wasn't any good — I wasn't a good singer, I wasn't a good actress, I wasn't a good dancer, I wasn't good at anything. I just didn't even belong here why wouldn't I just go away."

She also admitted that there were "many times" she wanted to quit the business. Check out the trailer for Halftime below.

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About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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