Jennifer Lopez left fans cringing when she locked lips with a female dancer during her opening performance at the 2025 American Music Awards in Las Vegas on Monday evening.
But according to an inside source, the 55-year-old pop star’s stunt was just the latest in a series of strategic moves for the Let’s Get Loud singer, as she signals to the world she doesn’t care what critics might think.
‘JLo followed the direction of her PR and she did exactly what she was told to do for her post-Ben [Affleck] comeback,’ the source revealed exclusively to the Daily Mail.
‘She is living her best life and has zero f***s to give right now,’ they continued.
‘She dealt with so much uncertainty, but she was brave. She did not allow the negative commentary to bring her down. Instead, she kept going and living her life.’
On Monday, the Bronx-born actress hosted the CBS live event at the Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas, and kicked off the night by singing and dancing to a six-minute medley of 23 hits by the evening’s nominees.
At the 2025 American Music Awards on Monday, host Jennifer Lopez passionately locked lips with a female dancer sporting burgundy-colored hair and latex gloves
The unexpected moment left fans floored, as some viewers dubbed it a ‘desperate’ attempt to make her ex-husband Ben Affleck jealous
While most A-list celebrities, including Taylor Swift, skipped the event, JLo did her best to singlehandedly bring the star power by performing hits including Billie Eilish‘s Birds of a Feather, Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso, and Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em.
But she shocked viewers when she kissed both male and female dancers on stage, with some branding it a ‘desperate’ attempt to make her ex-husband Affleck jealous after their finalized dissolution of their two-year marriage four months ago.
Others blasted her for going ‘too far’ with her girl-on-girl kiss, with one X user declaring: ‘Jennifer Lopez has lost the plot.’
However, the insider maintained that the Hustlers actress hasn’t lost the plot at all. Rather, she’s ‘actually in the best place she has been in for years’ and is even set to launch a huge comeback.
Lopez recently revealed her plans for her first ‘free and happy’ summer after filing for divorce from the Oscar-winning actor in August 2024.
When she was announced as the headliner for WorldPride in Washington, DC earlier this month, Lopez expressed that she can’t wait to ‘make people sing and dance’.
‘It seems like a perfect summer to celebrate being free and being happy,’ she said in an interview with People.
‘Just everything in my life right now just feels really healthy and good, and I’m ready to get out there and make people sing and dance and have a good time. That’s always my goal.’
The 55-year-old singer hosted this year’s ceremony, which was held a decade after she first hosted the awards show in 2015
She kicked off the night by singing and dancing to a six-minute medley of 23 hits by this year’s nominees
It was previously revealed to the Daily Mail that part of Lopez’s comeback plan includes recording a new album with an A-list team of songwriters, including Amy Allen, Amy Wadge, David Guetta, and Ed Sheeran.
But fans shouldn’t expect to hear songs about her messy and highly publicized divorce from Affleck on her next album, as sources shared that Lopez might inadvertently exact the ultimate ‘revenge’ on her ex-husband by wiping him from the album altogether.
Lopez also has plans to tour the album, and will be taking the stage again for her new 12-date Up All Night Live in Las Vegas residency in December, after she was forced to cancel her 30-date This is Me… Live: The Greatest Hits tour last year.
The Atlas star has a slate of film projects in the pipeline too.
She is set to appear on the big screen in her new romantic comedy, Office Romance, with Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame, and recently signed on to Robert Zemeckis’ big-screen adaptation of Liv Constantine’s 2018 novel The Last Mrs Parrish, which will stream on Netflix.
The Maid in Manhattan star has managed to stay relevant throughout her nearly 30-year career, even if that means facing some criticism for her bold stunts, including the kiss at the AMAs.
‘Fame is Jennifer’s true love and when she has this, and she has a positive image and her star is shining bright, she is unstoppable,’ the source said.
‘She knows that her actions may not be age appropriate, but she doesn’t care. It keeps people talking about her and that is all she truly cares about.’
Despite the backlash to her kiss, an inside source exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail that Lopez ‘did not allow the negative commentary to bring her down’
The insider revealed the stunt was just the latest in a series of strategic moves to launch Lopez’s ‘post-Ben comeback’
Indeed, Lopez had people talking when she displayed her bottom cleavage in a very racy jumpsuit while hosting the AMAs on Monday.
The singer ensured all eyes were on her as she slipped into the midnight blue ensemble that showed off her famous derriere. The backless garment came with a sequin embellishment and a cut out detail along the waist.
Her hosting gig comes nearly one year after Lopez explained via her On the JLo newsletter that she was ‘taking time off to be with her children, family, and close friends.’
At the time, Lopez was facing backlash stemming from burnout over her self-funded, This Is Me… Now vanity projects including an album, movie, and documentary that showcased her short-lived marriage to Affleck.
Lopez also said she wanted to stay close to her 17-year-old fraternal twins, Maximilian Muñiz and Emme Muñiz, from her seven-year marriage to ex-husband number three Marc Anthony, which ended in 2011.
Her ill-fated union with Affleck came to an end last August when she filed for divorce from the Argo director two years after tying the knot.
The couple, nicknamed Bennifer in the early aughts, reunited nearly two decades after calling off their first engagement.
Lopez and Affleck exchanged vows at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas in July 2022 and celebrated their marriage in front of friends and family at Affleck’s sprawling Georgia estate one month later.
Affleck and Lopez tied the knot during an intimate Las Vegas ceremony in July 2022, nearly two decades after calling off their first engagement
In the wake of her divorce, Lopez has been prioritizing her 17-year-old twins Maximilian and Emme, who she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony
But hopes of their relationship lasting a second time crumbled when the frequently papped pair went 47 days without being spotted together in early 2024.
Affleck then moved out of the $68 million Beverly Hills home they bought together, which has struggled to find a new owner and the price of which was recently slashed by $8 million.
The actor moved into a $100,000-a-month Brentwood rental, while Lopez resides at her $21 million home in LA’s exclusive Hidden Hills neighborhood.
The pair swiftly settled their divorce in January this year, with each party walking away with what they individually acquired during their brief union.
What Lopez did lose, however, was her married surname, as the settlement revealed she had changed her name from Jennifer Lynn Affleck back to Jennifer Lynn Lopez.
The Daily Mail has contacted Lopez’s representatives for comment.
