Jennifer Lopez Had Mixed Feelings About Her ‘American Idol’ Run Ending
Jennifer Lopez showed audiences another side of herself when she became one of the judges for American Idol. But she wasn’t planning on being a part of the show for too long.
What Jennifer Lopez said about leaving ‘American Idol’
American Idol was more than a side gig for Lopez, who became a judge for the reality show competition in 2011. She stayed on the show until 2016, where audiences got to watch Lopez guide a new generation of singers. In an interview on People’s The Jess Cagle Show, Lopez revealed one of the reasons she did the show was because of her own insecurities. She began to feel like she wasn’t the beloved artist she used to be in her earlier years.
“Also for my self-esteem … I had realized I wasn’t feeling great about myself, and then when I was on Idol and people were seeing me and they were like, ‘We like her,’ honestly … That’s nice,” she said.
American Idol turned out to be exactly what Lopez needed at the time, giving audiences a chance to know her authentic self.
“They saw, ‘Oh, she’s a person, she loves music, she’s super emotional, she cares,’ [and] it made me more human to them,” she remembered.
However, Lopez would leave the series after giving it a five-year commitment. She admittedly wasn’t sure how to deal with her departure given how much she bonded with the show. But she needed to leave to pursue other creative endeavors she’d been putting on hold to do Idol.
“I have mixed feelings to it ending – it’s a big celebration, but it’s melancholy at the same time.” She once said according to Irish Independent. “But something else will come up.”
Why Jennifer Lopez did ‘American Idol’ even when she was warned not to
Not everyone was on board with Lopez’s decision to join the reality TV series. In the Wedding Planner star’s own camp, there seemed to be far more people against the idea than for it. But Lopez had a little bit more time on her hands back then, and was interested in exploring new career opportunities.
“I’ve had kids and I haven’t worked for a couple of years. 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,’” Lopez remembered when talking to Nikki Glaser on Interview.
Lopez’s team was concerned she wouldn’t be able to book movies after doing the show, seeing Idol as a demotion in regards to her career. But the Hustlers actor wouldn’t let that sway her.
“And I was just like, ‘No. I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen. I think I have something to contribute,'” she remembered. “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.”
Jennifer Lopez recently opened up about possibly returning to ‘American Idol’
It was recently announced that Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will be judging the 23rd season of American Idol. At one point, however, Lopez was asked if she might be interested in joining the show again in 2025. Although she couldn’t because of her busy schedule, she didn’t rule out ever returning to the series. At the same time, Lopez seemed proud of how her original American Idol run ended.
“Not this year. Maybe next year,” she told Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I don’t know … I really feel like I did it, and it was a great time in my life.”
