Say what you will, but when she gets on a stage, all the hype around Jennifer Lopez starts to make sense in the most dramatic, glitter-drenched way possible.
At the recently concluded American Music Awards, the All My Love songstress kicked things off with a six-minute, uninterrupted opening act. Lopez, in a rhinestone jumpsuit that could probably deflect minor bullets, danced through all the biggest hits of the past year — including Birds of a Feather and the legally entangled Not Like Us. But the night’s most memorable moment came when she turned to the man dancing next to her for a kiss… and then did the same to the woman on the other side. A clear homage to legendary agent provocateur Madonna, and also possibly an homage to the chaos of Lopez’s own romantic timeline.
Social media promptly combusted. On one side, fans were celebrating her like she’d just landed on the moon. Even Nikki Glaser, who was at the show, jokingly said her dream is to play the icon’s mother in a movie — which might be the first time someone’s pitched a biopic out loud during an awards show. One user rightfully called her one of the greatest performers of all time, boldly claiming there are people half her age who couldn’t pull off what she just did. (They’re not wrong — most of us get winded just watching the Savage Fenty show.)
Jennifer Lopez is literally one of the greatest performers of all time.
— ERIC LAMONT (@EricUnedited) May 27, 2025
This lady is almost 56 years old and performing better than people half her age.
Damn. Damn. DAMN.#AMAs #AmericanMusicAwards pic.twitter.com/AqLbWQxvc9
Nikki Glaser to Jennifer Lopez at the #AMAs: “JLo, my dream is to play your mom in a movie one day” pic.twitter.com/6JsVueyHQT
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) May 27, 2025
On the other hand, there were people who saw the whole thing as a musical cry for help. Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren called the performance “embarrasing.” For that crowd, Lopez’s kiss-and-kick number was just further proof that award shows are trying to stay relevant by any means necessary — even if that means resurrecting mid-2000s tabloid drama. Some commenters clearly haven’t forgotten her ties with Diddy, and others felt the same-sex kiss was a calculated distraction from… well, everything else, like the low-flying wreckage of her Ben Affleck marriage.
Isn’t it pathetic that every award show has to devolve into this weird crap?
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) May 27, 2025
Jennifer Lopez is 55 fricken years old. This is an embarrassing cry for attention. Sad. #AMAs pic.twitter.com/3kt5F4VvcL
55 year old Jennifer Lopez branded ‘desperate’ for making out with her dancers and including a lesbian kiss on stage at the AMA’s.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 27, 2025
pic.twitter.com/xX4Gtf9mXF
The AMA performance was announced in early April and hyped as J-Lo’s big return to the spotlight. And as The Substance starring Demi Moore so brilliantly illustrated — sometimes, when stars age, their worth (and self-worth) are questioned in stereo surround sound. Page Six reports Lopez even posted an Instagram Story thanking her plastic surgeon for “stitching her up” after she hurt herself during rehearsals. On stage, however, she looked fully recovered — not just physically, but spiritually. She’s reportedly feeling better than ever post-Affleck and is even looking to sell her house and start fresh. New era, incoming.
Whether you loved or hated the performance, it’s safe to say Jennifer Lopez didn’t walk off stage disappointed. She set out to be provocative, to grab attention — and that, she most definitely achieved.
Was the spectacle justified? That’s up to you. But in the last three years, Lopez has released a flop album, cancelled a tour due to poor sales, endured a high-profile breakup, and starred exclusively in Netflix originals that people watch on mute while scrolling TikTok. She needed to make a statement. And make one, she did.
