It may only be four months into 2024 – but for Jennifer Lopez, this year is already shaping up to be one she’d readily forget. While the singer might be putting on a brave face in public, behind the scenes, she’s reportedly crumbling and leaning heavily on her husband, Ben Affleck.
So, what’s got the “Papi” hitmaker feeling so low? First and foremost, Jennifer is said to be devastated by the lackluster reception for her latest album, “This Is Me...Now,” and its accompanying film. Her recently released documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” also failed to impress.
Jennifer reportedly poured $30 million of her own money into the three projects inspired by her romance with Ben. Despite the “Let’s Get Loud” songstress working incredibly hard on the ambitious artistic endeavors, they were heavily criticized, particularly on TikTok, for being “inauthentic, self-absorbed and not relatable.”
The album, Jennifer’s first in a decade, debuted at a disappointing number 38 on the Billboard chart. The songstress canceled seven shows from the forthcoming US tour due to slow ticket sales. Last week, Jennifer also quietly rebranded the tour to be called “This Is Me...Live – The Greatest Hits.” Some have taken the name change as an attempt to broaden the tour’s appeal.
Jennifer admitted that a reluctant Ben had tried to dissuade her from pouring money into the multimedia project, released in February. “I was like, ‘Is this weird?’” she stated at a screening of “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.” He’s like, ‘Yes, you’re crazy.’”
Ben also has not hidden discomfort about their marriage being the inspiration for his wife’s recent work. “Things that are private I always felt are sacred and special because, in part, they’re private,” Ben admitted in the documentary. “This has been something of an adjustment for me.”
Jennifer admitted to Variety that she created and self-financed the musical, which cost $20 million, despite warnings from everyone in her creative circle, including coproducer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and castmate Jane Fonda, about the risk of further overexposure of her relationship with Affleck.
However, the "On The Floor" hitmaker persisted, and the result is a roundly uncanny production that's distressingly reminiscent of Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All by Myself," but also James Cameron's "Avatar" and Paul Hunter's music video for "Wild Wild West." Fat Joe plays Jennifer's therapist, and Jane Fonda plays Sagittarius, in the most cringeworthy release involving either Lopez or Affleck since—too fittingly, really—"Gigli."
Jennifer has long been more divisive than appears. This was the crux of the drama on "Saturday Night Live" a few months ago, involving host Ayo Edebiri, co-star of The Bear, and musical guest Lopez, who was promoting her aforementioned projects a few weeks before their release dates. A day before the taping in New York, TMZ resurfaced some old footage of Edebiri as a guest on Laci Mosley's podcast, Scam Goddess, claiming Lopez "can't sing" and describing her musical career as "one long scam."
These criticisms are common enough that Jennifer, commenting on the footage of Edebiri, told Variety that she's indeed "heard similar things said about me throughout my career." While Lopez would publicly insist that Edebiri's comments were water under the bridge, Edebiri began her SNL appearance with a sketch referencing her criticism of Lopez, in a half-joking ritual self-humiliation.
This was Lorne Michaels making the most of an awkward situation, to be sure, but it also felt like Jennifer putting Edebiri in her place, even though she wasn't directly responsible for the sketch's development. Lopez also informed Variety that Edebiri apologized to her "with tears in her eyes."
On top of all this, insiders suggested Jennifer is “horrified” her past romance with Sean “Diddy” Combs is being dredged up amid his latest scandal. For starters, Diddy is fighting a string of civil lawsuits, which include claims he used his association with celebrities to attract victims to sex-trafficking parties.
Federal agents from Homeland Security raided two of the music mogul’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles on March 25. Jennifer dated Diddy for two years, dating back to 1999. While there is no suggestion she’s implicated at all in the current allegation against Diddy, she was briefly arrested with him after he was involved in a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub the year they started dating.
“Jen’s horrified all this is coming back to haunt her. She still has nightmares about the shooting,” an unnamed source told New Idea.
For now, Jennifer is focusing on the future – which means getting to work on a big-screen adaptation of the 1993 musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in New Jersey.
“She’s trying her hardest not to worry. She’s had a few hard knocks lately...in private, she’s on edge,” the informant went on.
Business Times has reached out to Jennifer Lopez for comments.
