Jennifer Lopez Takes Stage With Special Guest for First Time Since Super Bowl Halftime

Jennifer Lopez performed with one of her Super Bowl LIV halftime show co-stars last week, but it was not Shakira. During her performance at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala at Dodgers Stadium, Lopez brought out her 14-year-old, Emme, to sing Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” with her. Emme joined Lopez and Shakira during the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show to sing “Let’s Get Loud” and “Born In the U.S.A.”

Lopez and Emme’s performance was filmed by a fan who published the video on TikTok. Lopez, 52, refers to Emme with they/them pronouns in her speech. Lopez joked that Emme was too busy to join their mom since the Super Bowl.

@christinathesupermom

Jennifer Lopez JLO surprises audience at at the Blue Diamond Gala by the Dodgers foundation. Excuse shaky camera at end I was in shock myself.#jlo #jenniferlopez #jloandemme #dodgersfoundation #bluediamondball #jlosurpriseguest #tmz #jloperformance

♬ original sound – ChristinaTheSupermom

“The last time we performed together was in a big stadium like this and I ask them to sing with me all the time, and they won’t,” Lopez said, notes Entertainment Tonight. “So this is a very special occasion. They are very, very busy. Booked. And pricey. They cost me when they come out. But they’re worth every single penny because they’re my favorite duet partner of all time. So, if you will indulge me.”

Lopez‘s February 2020 halftime show performance returned to the spotlight after the premiere of her new Netflix documentary Halftime at the Tribeca Film Festival. In one scene from the film, Lopez and music director Kim Burse struggle with the time constraints of the 14-minute show. Lopez was not thrilled about needing to split that short block with another star because it meant she only had about six minutes.

“We have six f—ing minutes. We have 30 seconds of a song, and if we take a minute, that’s it, we’ve got five left. But, there’s got to be certain songs that we sing, though. We have to have our singing moments. It’s not going to be a dance f—ing revue. We have to sing our message,” Lopez told Burse. “This is the worst idea in the world to have two people do the Super Bowl. It was the worst idea in the world.”

Halftime also includes a conversation between Shakira and Lopez. The two music icons agree that they have to evenly split the time they have. “If it was going to be a double-headliner, they should have given us 20 minutes,” a frustrated Lopez told Shakira. “That’s what they should’ve f—ing done.”

Elsewhere in the documentary, Lopez claims the NFL wanted her to change the segment with Emme. During the performance, Emme began singing “Let’s Get Loud” from inside a cage, which many believed was a critique of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. When the NFL heard about this plan, they allegedly asked Lopez to cut that just before the game started.

“We left rehearsal and I noticed everybody was freaking out, but I don’t know why,” Lopez said, notes Entertainment Weekly. “I get a call from Benny and he’s like, ‘They want to pull the cages.’ That night, the higher-ups at the NFL saw it for the first time and they’re like, ‘Hey, you can’t do that.”

Lopez and Shakira did their best within the time constraints, performing over a dozen songs in 14 minutes. It was one of the most acclaimed halftime show performances of the past decade, earning four Emmy nominations. The lighting team won Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special. Halftime is now available on Netflix.