Jennifer Lopez is setting the record straight on her 2020 Super Bowl performance.
It’s hard to believe that only a week ago she and Shakira shut it down in Miami with an epic halftime performance, which featured glitzy outfit changes, major surprises guests (like Bad Bunny and J Balvin), powerful political statements and so much more.
Despite the iconic show, which also marked the first time two Latinas led a halftime performance at the Super Bowl, some people weren’t thrilled with it. Many claimed the show wasn’t kid-friendly and it was over-sexualized.
However, J.Lo is making it clear that the message behind her performance was meant to be empowering.
“It was an amazing moment for us,” she told E! News at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, which aired on IFC. “The message was really about women and Latinos raising their voices and stepping up. And not being afraid to stand up for yourselves.”
The Hustlers actress explained that she wanted her halftime performance to also be significant and special for her 11-year-old daughter, Emme Maribel Muñiz, who joined her and Shakira on stage that Sunday.
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“Everything I want to pass onto my not just my daughter, but to all the little girls on that stage… [is] to be proud of who you are, to speak up for yourself, to know your worth and your value,” Lopez said. “That was the message. I think for women everywhere, that was the message.”
She added that performing alongside her 11-year-old daughter was a dream come true. “It’s real love, it’s what it is,” she shared.
Adding, “And I think that translated that night. That, that’s what we were about—about spreading a message about love and unity. It was a celebration.”
On Friday night, the 50-year-old singer opened up to Jimmy Fallon about her baby girl and how much of a natural she was during her performance.
“She doesn’t let it in her mind how big [the performance] is or how it scares you. That’s what you have to do when you’re up there, you know—you kind of have to [have] control,” J.Lo told the host on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
“She has that gene, that gene of ‘I’m comfortable up here…’ I wish I felt more like her,” she continued. “She has a good time with it and I would never make her do it if it ever made her uncomfortable in any way.”
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