Jennifer Lopez’s Team Begged Her Not to Join ‘Idol’ as Judge if Wanted to Be Taken Seriously in Hollywood
Jennifer Lopez was warned she'd never make another movie if she joined American Idol as a judge.
The 55-year-old singer was a judge on the reality competition series in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, but she defied the advice she'd received to accept the job because she wanted to help aspiring singers.
"I’ll do things that could be risky because I believe that they’re going to turn out okay. 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," she told Nikki Glaser in a chat for Interview Magazine.
"American Idol was a big show at the time. 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.' It was looked down upon. 'Don’t do that or nobody will ever hire you for a movie ever again,'" the Maid in Manhattan star said.
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Lopez insisted on joining the show as she believed in her ability to inspire young hopefuls.
"I love music and I love mentoring people, and I wanted to share the things that I knew about the business. So it became more about, 'What do I think I can do with this?' 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," the superstar continued.
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The Hustlers star, who shares 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, admitted she has also turned down jobs that her team have encouraged her to take because she didn't think they were the right things to do.
"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.' They’re like, 'Please do it! We all want the commission!' And I’m like, 'I can’t do that," Lopez added.
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll