Jennifer Lopez Says the ‘American Idol’ Finale Performance with Marc Anthony Was a Sacrifice
Jennifer Lopez joined American Idol as a judge in 2011. Here’s what J.Lo revealed about the season 10 finale performance with Marc Anthony and why it was a sacrifice for her.
Jennifer Lopez says she didn’t want to give up on her marriage
In her book True Love, Lopez says she and Anthony had been going through a rough patch. At one point, he told her he wasn’t happy. However, Lopez says she wanted to try and give the relationship another chance. She was determined to make it work.
“I was living with so many unanswered questions and conflicted emotions that we hadn’t addressed,” wrote Lopez. “Now that I look back, maybe we were both deliberately avoiding it, yet I could feel that there was a wedge growing between us. But I loved my husband, and I loved my family. I wasn’t ready to give up.”
A change of plans on ‘American Idol’
Around this time, Lopez says she was supposed to perform with American Idol co-hosts Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson for the season 10 finale. However, Tyler couldn’t agree on a song, so the performance fell apart. Lopez later spoke with American Idol creator and producer Simon Fuller, and they were able to come up with an alternative. Fuller suggested that she and Anthony sing a song together. The couple agreed, but Anthony later changed his mind. He wasn’t on board with a duet for the song Lopez suggested they sing together, titled “Aguanile.”
Anthony said it was “a guy’s song,” so he didn’t want Lopez to sing with him. However, he said she could dance on stage if she wanted. Lopez wanted to sing with her husband, but she didn’t want to create conflict, so she agreed to dance. “I wasn’t sure about it, but I reluctantly agreed,” wrote Lopez. “After all, I wanted this to be good for us. I was going to put all the love and all the power I had as an entertainer and a performer into doing it.”
Although the American Idol finale performance was supposed to be about Lopez, she agreed with Anthony’s wishes and stepped out of the spotlight. She allowed him to have the stage and to sing the song by himself. Lopez says she wanted to save the relationship, so she compromised.
Jennifer Lopez says she sacrificed what she really wanted
Lopez wanted to have a bigger role in the finale, but she also wanted to heal her relationship with Anthony. She was willing to give up what she wanted so things between them would return to normal. However, she didn’t feel at peace with her decision.
“Marc was amazing, and it turned out great,” wrote Lopez. “But later I realized that performance should have been the culmination of an amazing year in my life and my career and for some reason it just wasn’t.”
Lopez says allowing Anthony to take center stage was a sacrifice. The opportunity to perform during the finale was a big deal, but she stepped back for the sake of her marriage.
“It’s true that sometimes, when you’re trying hard to make a relationship work, you can sacrifice things that are important to you,” wrote Lopez. “And that’s exactly what I was doing. When I look back, the finale feels like the end of an era. Marc and I were magic onstage, but that was the last time we would perform together as husband and wife.”
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