Jennifer Lynn Lopez Affleck[1] (née Lopez; born July 24, 1969),[2] known by her maiden name and also shortened to J.Lo, is an American singer and actress. Often considered a pop culture icon,[3] Lopez is one of the most influential entertainers in the world, credited for helping propel the Latin pop movement in American music. Her most successful singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 include the number one singles "If You Had My Love", "I'm Real", "Ain't It Funny" and "All I Have".[4]
In 1991, Lopez began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series In Living Color, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an acting career in 1993. For her first leading role in Selena (1997), she became the first Hispanic actress to earn over US$1 million for a film. She went on to star in Anaconda (1997) and Out of Sight (1998), and established herself as the highest-paid Hispanic actress in Hollywood.[5] Lopez ventured into the music industry with her debut studio album On the 6 (1999) and later starred in the psychological horror The Cell (2000). With the simultaneous release of her second studio album J.Lo and her romantic comedy The Wedding Planner in 2001, she became the first woman to have a number-one album and film in the same week. Her 2002 release, J to tha L–O! The Remixes, became the first remix album in history to debut atop the US Billboard 200. Later that year, she released her third studio album, This Is Me... Then and starred in the film Maid in Manhattan.
After starring in Gigli (2003), a critical and commercial failure, Lopez starred in the successful romantic comedies Shall We Dance? (2004) and Monster-in-Law (2005). Her fifth studio album, Como Ama una Mujer (2007), had the highest first week sales for a debut Spanish album in the United States. Following a relatively unsuccessful period, she returned to prominence in 2011 with her appearance as a judge on American Idol and released her seventh studio album, Love?, spawning the international hit "On the Floor". From 2016 to 2018, she starred in the police drama series Shades of Blue and performed a residency show, Jennifer Lopez: All I Have, at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. She also produced and served as a judge on World of Dance (2017–2020). In 2019, she garnered critical acclaim for her performance as a stripper in the crime drama Hustlers.
For her contributions to the recording industry, Lopez has a landmark star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has received the Billboard Icon Award and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, among other honors. In 2012, Forbes ranked her the world's most powerful celebrity, and the 38th most powerful woman in the world.[6] Time listed her among their 100 most influential people in the world in 2018. Her other ventures include beauty and clothing lines, fragrances, a production company and a charitable foundation.[7]
She appeared on Saturday Night Live as both the host and musical guest at the same episode twice. She made her musical guest debut only on February 5, 2000, the eleventh episode of Season 25, hosted by actor Alan Cumming, where she performed "Feelin So Good" and "Waiting for Tonight". She also made a cameo on February 8, 2001, a Primetime Extra special, during the "Backstage" sketch. She returned to Saturday Night Live to hosting for the first time and made her 2nd musical guest appearance on February 10, 2001, the eleventh episode of Season 26. She performed "Play" and "Love Don't Cost a Thing".
She returned to Saturday Night Live to hosting for the 2nd time and made her 3rd musical guest appearance on February 27, 2010, the fifteenth episode of Season 35, where she performed "Until it Beats No More" and "Starting Over", becoming the first Hispanic celebrity to become host and musical guest more than once.
She returned to Saturday Night Live to hosting the 3rd time and her 4th appearance, as well as her first appearance in 9 years and 17 days, on December 7, 2019, the eighth episode of Season 45, with rapper DaBaby serving as the musical guest.
She returned to Saturday Night Live for her 4th musical guest appearance, as well as her 5th appearance, thus marking her fifth appearance on SNL, three times as host and four times as musical guest on February 3, 2024, the eleventh episode of Season 49, hosted by actress Ayo Edebiri, star of FX on Hulu's comedy-drama series The Bear and voiced of Melissa "Missy" Foreman-Greenwald in the Netflix's adult animated coming-of-age sitcom Big Mouth. She performed "Can't Get Enough" with Latto and Redman and "This Is Me... Now".
She was also impersonated by Lucy Lawless in the October 17, 1998, episode, during the "Biography" sketch, by Cheri Oteri in the January 8, 2000 episode during the "Couples Counseling" sketch and by Maya Rudolph in the January 17, 2004, episode during the "American Idol" sketch and in the February 19, 2005 episode during the "After the Grammys" sketch.