Madonna Once Froze Jennifer Lopez Out After She Dissed Her in an Interview: ‘We’re Not Talking to Her’

Pop superstar Madonna has been in the game since the ’80s and established plenty of enduring relationships with other entertainers who’ve come before and after her.

But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t had moments where she’s thrown someone the cold shoulder. According to her brother, Madge once gave J.Lo the icy treatment at an event.

J.Lo sparked ill will with interview comments

Jennifer Lopez’s star began to rise in the early ’90s when she appeared on In Living Color as a dancer, and after she landed her first few movie roles. Money Train, Anaconda, and Selena were among the films that showcased that increased her star power.

By 1998, she was cast in Out of Sight alongside George Clooney and during the movie’s promo period, she did a now-infamous interview.

Lopez spoke to Movieline in 1998 about her burgeoning career, Out of Sight, and her peers that she deemed “the bottom of the A-list of actresses,” of which she included herself.

Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, Winona Ryder, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s names all came up when the interviewer asked Lopez her thoughts on their acting talents.

Of Madonna, J.Lo allegedly said, “Do I think she’s a great performer? Yeah. Do I think she’s a great actress? No. Acting is what I do, so I’m harder on people when they say, ‘Oh, I can do that–I can act.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, don’t spit on my craft.’”

She referred to Diaz as a “lucky model who’s been given a lot of opportunities I just wish she would have done more with. She’s beautiful and has a great presence, though…”

Lopez also had biting commentary on Paltrow. “Tell me what she’s been in? I swear to God, I don’t remember anything she was in. Some people get hot by association. I heard more about her and Brad Pitt than I ever heard about her work,” she remarked.

These comments eventually found their way back to the women themselves and did not go over well.

Madonna’s brother dished on incident with Lopez

Lopez’s comments must have struck the wrong note with Madonna and some of her pals, and the “Material Girl” singer let it be known in her own way. Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone recalled the episode in his memoir, Life with My Sister Madonna.

He, his sister, Paltrow, Lopez, Guy Ritchie, Rupert Everett, Guy Oseary, and Madonna’s close friend, Ingrid Casares attended Donatella Versace’s New Year’s Eve party. Ciccone explained Casares dashed into the courtyard shortly before midnight to make an announcement.

“J.Lo is here,” she said. “And we’re not talking to her.”

Ciccone wrote, “I flash back to a recent newspaper article and remember that Gwyneth and Madonna are feuding with J.Lo because J.Lo was quoted by a journalist as saying that Madonna couldn’t sing and Gwyneth couldn’t act. Most unwise.”

He added, “Everyone, with the exception of Donatella and me, gives J.Lo the cold shoulder.” Fortunately, no confrontations ensued.

Lopez later expressed remorse over the interview

In 2001, Lopez spoke to Vanity Fair about the notorious article and said she was taken out of context. She said the repercussions were still affecting her.

“I was so misquoted and so taken out of context, and it’s a sore subject for me,” Lopez told the outlet. “I don’t like to hurt anybody. I don’t like to hurt their feelings. I like to joke, so I do that sometimes. What they wrote in that article hurt people. [After reading it] I just sat down and cried for hours,” she said.

In recent years, Lopez has attended several of Madonna’s events, including her Rebel Heart Tour and a charity event for her Raise Malawi initiative in partnership with UNICEF. 20 years later, it seems like they’re all on better terms.