Super Bowl 2020: Jennifer Lopez Speaks out About Kids in Cages Moment During Halftime Show

Jennifer Lopez is speaking out about the powerful statement she made during her and Shakira‘s Super Bowl 2020 performance when dozens of children appeared in abstract cages on the field, a nod to the current border crisis. The moment came as Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter Emme joined her on stage, crawling out of a cage herself before belting out Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and her mother’s hit tune “Let’s Get Loud,” with Lopez explaining in a post-performance Instagram post that “all of us together are what makes this beautiful country truly great.”

“These moments were captured just minutes before we hit the stage last night,” Lopez wrote in the post, which included a video of herself and Emme getting ready before they hit the stage.

“All I want my girls, the little girls on stage with me and all over the world to know is how to use their voices and be proud of everything they are,” she continued. “Other people can try to build walls, keep us out or put us in cages. We are proud to recognize that all of us together are what makes this beautiful country truly great.”

The moment was praised by many people tuning in to Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

“J-Lo gave us such a big political statement during the [Super Bowl] putting latin kids inside a cage singing ‘Born in The USA,’” wrote one person. “Congrats JLo and Shaki for the AMAZING [Halftime Show].”

“Powerful commentary on the border crisis by J-Lo having kids in cages,” added another.

“This was the defining moment of the Super Bowl,” tweeted another. “The statement JLo and Shakira made by having the kids singing from these cages was immense.”

Speaking with Buzzfeed News, creative director Tabitha Dumo explained that the poignant moment wasn’t meant to be “heavy-handed” and that it “was a natural evolution” during the planning process.

“I think it started, from a musical standpoint, having ‘Born in the USA’ in there for a little moment and it just was a natural evolution,” she said. “We had a great partnership with Versace and Rob [Zangardi], her stylist, saying, ‘Let’s just do this in a way that everyone feels that American pride.’”

“I don’t think we were trying to be heavy-handed with anything,” she added. “I think we were just celebrating all that is beautiful about this country — Puerto Rico being part of this country.”