Do we like Jennifer Lopez?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A long record of backing LGBTQ+ people and Puerto Rico relief, marked down for taking big paycheques in Turkmenistan and Dubai.
Jennifer Lopez broke through playing Selena and has been everywhere since. This year she was back in rom-com mode with Netflix's Office Romance, directed by Ol Parker and co-starring Brett Goldstein and Betty Gilpin. At the New York premiere she talked about Latino representation, saying “we need to see ourselves.” Nothing scandalous has landed on her lately.
The oldest stain is 2013, when she sang Happy Birthday to Turkmenistan's president at a concert paid for by China's state oil company. The Human Rights Foundation criticised the appearance because of the leader's record. Her representatives said it wasn't a government-sponsored or political event, and that she wouldn't have gone had she known about any human rights issues.
Then there's Dubai in 2024, where she reportedly took about $5 million to play a luxury hotel opening in a country where homosexuality is illegal. LGBTQ+ activist Peter Tatchell told The Sun it was sad that a long-time ally would put money before human rights. PinkNews carried no response from her. Where you land depends on whether you see a pay cheque or a signal.
On the harm check, we found no anti-LGBTQ+, anti-migrant or conspiracy talk from her own mouth. She told one interviewer “I just believe in love” on same-sex marriage, and GLAAD announced it would give her its Vanguard Award. After the Pulse shooting she released a song with Lin-Manuel Miranda that raised money for the victims. We found nothing on her climate record either way, and that's the honest gap.
In October 2025 she went on the Today show and defended Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime gig. She said he was “about to blow everybody’s minds” and that his music transcends language. She seemed genuinely unaware of the backlash when asked. It's a small thing, but it's a big name backing a fellow Latino artist when it was awkward.
The real good stuff is Puerto Rico. After the 2017 hurricanes she pledged $1 million to relief efforts, saying the island needed our help. That's a tangible act, not just a hashtag.