Jennifer Lopez could not help but become emotional as she accepted the Equity in Entertainment Award at The Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment gala breakfast on Wednesday.
This comes after Lopez had an incredibly difficult year in both her personal and professional life. Indeed, she finalized her divorce from Ben Affleck in January after just two years of marriage. She then struggled to sell tickets to her concerts before seeing her movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman flop miserably at the box office.
It all seemed to catch up with her on Wednesday, when she accepted the Equity in Entertainment Award from the former Scandal star Kerry Washington. Lopez, 56, teared up immediately as she admitted that she was “so humbled” to receive this award.
Lopez Accepts Equity Award
“Thank you to The Hollywood Reporter for this Equity in Entertainment Award. I really am honored,” she began. “When we talk about equity in entertainment, I, like so many others in this room, speak from experience.”
Lopez went on to talk about the start of her career. She admitted that she felt like an “underdog.” Lopez also “saw how stereotypes tr[ied] to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do.”
“In the early days of my career, I often felt like that underdog. You know, that Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx who was kind of wasn’t supposed to be in the room. Let alone the center of it,” she remembered. “I was told in 100 different ways what roles people like me were expected to play. And I played some of those roles. I saw how stereotypes try to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do. And then Selena came along.”
This was a reference to Lopez’s 1997 movie Selena, in which she played the late singer Selena Quintanilla. Lopez was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her work in the film. She ended up losing the award to Helen Hunt for her movie As Good As It Gets. Hunt went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress for that movie.
Selena ‘Changed The Course Of My Career’
Lopez said that Selena was a “film that changed the course of my career.” She then thanked “trailblazers like Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Dolores Del Rio, Katie Jurado. Latina women who opened doors long before I ever dreamed of this career.”
“Yet, decades later, there was still resistance to a Latina leading a studio movie and having to work so incredibly hard to prove that we can carry romantic comedies and thrillers and command stage,” Lopez continued. “Hoping that with each role, the myth of it can’t be done, evaporated just a little bit more, that representation rearranges the boundaries of imagination for a new generation.”
Check out a portion of Lopez’s speech for yourself in the video below.
Lopez’s Difficult Year
It’s no secret that 2025 hasn’t been an easy year for Lopez.
It started off on a somber note for Lopez as her divorce from her Hollywood star ex-husband Ben Affleck was finalized back in January after just two years of marriage.
The former couple had split months before in August of 2024. At the time, a source close to Lopez told Fox News that she was “devastated” by the breakup.
“The marriage is completely over, and Jennifer is heartbroken,” the insider added. “She loves love and wanted this to work so badly.”
Lopez was hoping to bounce back this year with her movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. Before the film’s October release, it was garnering Oscar buzz for Lopez. While she’s received many accolades in the past, Lopez has never even been nominated for an Academy Award, so she quickly started getting her hopes up about finally taking home a coveted Oscar statuette.
Unfortunately for Lopez, however, the movie became one of the biggest box office bombs of the year when it hit theaters. Insiders said afterwards that Lopez sees this as “one of the toughest blows of her career.”
“She poured her soul into this,” one insider told #ShutterScoop. “She thought it would be her A Star Is Born moment.”
Lopez ‘Can’t Catch A Break’
“Jennifer feels like she can’t catch a break,” the source continued. “Between the movie, her tour struggles, and the Ben drama, it’s been one hit after another — and not the kind she wants.”
Lopez is currently preparing for her upcoming Las Vegas residency. It’s titled Up All Night Live, and it’s set to take place at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. She has two shows scheduled for December 30 and 31, 2025. Lopez will then be performing select dates at The Colosseum in January and March of 2026.
Judging by how emotional Lopez was while accepting her equity award, it’s clear that this year has taken a toll on her. Please join us in saying a prayer for Lopez as she heads into 2026!