Jennifer Lopez covers the May 2021 issue of InStyle and I really like what they’ve done with this feature – “in her own words (and everyone else’s)” so we’re getting JLo on JLo but we’re also getting dozens of other celebrities and dignitaries, like Michelle Obama, Matthew McConaughey and Leah Remini and Fat Joe and Marc Anthony and, yes, Ben Affleck, to talk about JLo. And because of that there are some surprising revelations and reminders.
Here’s an example of a reminder: this year marks the 20th anniversary of “JLo”. As she remembers it:
“The name J.Lo came from [the late rapper] Heavy D. He used to come by the studio for my first album [On the 6, 1999] and would call me Jenny-Lo, Jennifer-Lo, or JLo.When I was doing my second album, I decided to call it JLo [2001], and I believe that's when it really stuck!”
For all the people who contributed though, and there are two exes represented here in Ben and Marc, you’ll note, her fiancé isn’t mentioned. Like not only does he not get to offer a quote, he doesn’t even come up. That is… notable, non? He’s been disappeared from her social media. And, well, in a magazine article where dozens of people are asked to contribute, ARod has been silenced? Is this an ending, or a punishment?
While ARod is MIA from the article, Ben’s comments about JLo are making headlines. He is very complimentary, shouting out her work ethic, adding to what everyone else says here about how hard she works (this comes up a lot, how prepared she is, how precise she is, how efficient she is), how talented she is, and how happy he is that she’s getting the credit for all her gifts. Then he talks about how good she looks:
“Where are you keeping the fountain of youth? Why do you look the same as you did in 2003 and it kind of looks like I'm in my 40s…at best?”
I mean, he’s not lying. She is RIDICULOUS.
Look at this video. Like…howwwwwwww????
Anyway, back to Ben… who is single right now. And JLo is… almost single? On her way to single? It’s been a while since they’ve both been single at the same time. Is it worth our Gossip Genie wish that he’s throwing up a bat signal here?
To tell you the truth, I care less about Ben Affleck’s quotes about JLo than I do about Charlize Theron. This is the one who surprised me, when I saw her name among all the celebrities who participated in this profile. Charlize is listed here as “actor and friend”. Did we know this? Did we know that JLo and Charlize Theron are friends?
A couple of months ago, Charlize posted this on IG stories:
I do remember seeing that, but I also remember thinking that JLo was probably sending products to everyone, the way celebrities are always sending each other sh-t to promote their beauty and clothing lines. In hindsight, though, it’s not like Charlize does this often. She’s not as active as others are on social media either. So, yes, this was remarkable. But how tight are they really?
They were on an LA Times roundtable in late 2019 but other than that, I can’t remember when I’ve ever heard of them hanging out. But now that we know this could be a thing, I want to know more. Is there a group chat? Or is it just the two of them? How often do they message each other? What does Charlize think of ARod’s shenanigans? Because, well, if there’s anyone who has no time for that kind of mess, it would be Charlize – and she’d tell you to your face.
Can we spend our Gossip Genie wish on a JLo + Charlize collaboration instead? I would watch the f-ck out of these two together.
And finally… incoming…
Apparently on top of all the other things she does, JLo cookies are a gamechanger:
“One day I'm going to let everyone in on my secret cookie recipe. It came from a secret couple, and these cookies are my favorite. Someday I'll give you the J-dough! And, actually, I think that's what I'll call it!”
The J-dough is already a great brand name. It’s only a matter of time. I would definitely bake the J-dough.
For more on JLo in InStyle, click here.
