Jennifer Lopez Says She Was Advised Not to Join ‘American Idol’
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Reading Time: 3 minutes
In a new interview, Jennifer Lopez opened up about her time as a judge on American Idol, sharing that her team advised her not to do the show. The star shared why she decided to join the judging panel against their advice.
Jennifer Lopez Was Advised Not to Do American Idol
Lopez was interviewed by comedian Nikki Glaser for the new issue of Interview magazine. During their conversation, Lopez talked about her decision to join American Idol, which she judged for five seasons.
“I’d done all these big movies and made these albums and now they’re asking me to do reality TV. I’ve had kids and I haven’t worked for a couple of years,” Lopez recalled. “It really comes down to, what do I think I can bring to something? When all of my advisors were like, ‘Don’t do this, you’re going to be reduced to just a reality star.'”
Lopez said the idea of her judging a reality show was “looked down upon,” as people told her, “Don’t do that or nobody will ever hire you for a movie ever again.” But Lopez said she thought she had “something to contribute” on the show.
“I love music and I love mentoring people, and I wanted to share the things that I knew about the business,” Lopez explained. “When I’m choosing things, even if they seem like not the best idea to everybody else, if I feel it in my gut that it’s the right thing to do, nobody can talk me out of it.”
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Lopez Took a Risk with Las Vegas Residency
Lopez told Glaser that she was also advised not to perform in Las Vegas, as people told her, “That’s where entertainers go to die.” She chose not to take the advice, which “launched me into a whole new part of my life.”
The singer performed her All I Have residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood from 2016 to 2018. Lopez explained that she knew “what I could do” with the show, and that “people who would have never bought a ticket to one of my tours” would show up.
On the other hand, Lopez said there have been some opportunities she has passed on despite people telling her she should take them. Even if it’s “the biggest thing in the world,” if she believes she doesn’t have something to offer, she’ll turn it down.
“There’s been movies like that. Sometimes they’ll offer you tons of money to do a commercial or a private show, and you’re just like, ‘No,'” Lopez shared. “They’re like, ‘Please do it! We all want the commission!’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t do that.'”
This was a really interesting read, I’ll definitely be back.