Although she’s a multi-talented beauty who always seems to make a comeback, Jennifer Lopez has no shortage of awkward and embarrassing moments. She started off as a musician before moving on to acting and marrying Hollywood hottie Ben Affleck. Despite this journey, she hasn’t had it easy. In fact, she’s been at the center of many controversies that would have ruined the careers of others, such as allegations of being dishonest in a documentary, stealing music, and misleading her loyal fans. And that’s not even mentioning the deterioration of her fairytale-like marriage to Ben Affleck. Here are all the mistakes she’s made over the years.

An ad campaign that backfired and made her look inauthentic

J.Lo has never been one to shy away from unconventional marketing techniques, including one ad that we’ll never forget. In this commercial, Jennifer Lopez got into her vehicle (a Fiat 500) and took a drive through the South Bronx, where she grew up. According to the ad, the singer stays inspired by going back to her old neighborhood. While she got skewered by the public for sounding pretentious for saying this, what happened next is even worse. 

A press release sent out for J.Lo’s album “On the 6” states that Lopez would drive from Manhattan to the Bronx to visit her old hood and prove that she is still closely connected to her roots. However, it turns out that Jenny from the block isn’t as connected as she would like to be. It was later revealed that Lopez didn’t go to the Bronx to shoot the commercial. Instead, she hired a stand-in body double, making her look like a cringe-worthy poser.

Did J.Lo really lie in her documentary?

J.Lo starred in a documentary about herself titled “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” which chronicles the star’s preparation for an album. It also acted as a platform to share her life story with and gain sympathy from an audience who already adored her. However, she did exaggerate about an aspect of her early life in the Bronx and got outed for it. 

Lopez has always loved to remind people about her early years growing up in the Bronx, and she always talks about how she feels deeply connected to this area of NYC, gushing about how it creatively inspired her. While she technically did grow up in the Bronx, she didn’t grow up working-class and exaggerated to look more human.

A rocky marriage to Ben Affleck

On paper, J.Lo and Ben Affleck have a tortured love story that’s a total emotional rollercoaster. The couple got engaged in 2002, broke up, and then got back together two decades later in an epic reunion. They eventually married each other in 2022, but Lopez filed for divorce in 2024. While their issues began in private, their fight became increasingly public and toxic, ultimately leading to a bitter breakup.

One example was vital footage captured of them arguing over whether Affleck was drinking an alcoholic beverage or not. It shows Lopez tasting her hubby’s drink and looking at him with an expression of disapproval. In response, Affleck looks desperate and starts shouting her name repeatedly. The incident was never confirmed, but it’s suspected that the singer was inspecting his drink to see if it contained alcohol or not, since Affleck is a known addict who has been in and out of rehab for alcohol addiction multiple times. 

Jennifer Lopez steals music

Most people have heard the gossip that J.Lo steals (or borrows) music without getting permission from other artists to use it as her background music. One famous R&B artist went public with a public accusation that made J.Lo feel uncomfortable and has haunted her ever since.

Usher, the artist in question, claimed that Lopez’s famous song “Get Right” is a re-recorded take on his track “Ride.” Another time, rumors were going around that Lopez sang a song originally intended for Ashanti. Later, Lopez actually released a track featuring Ashanti’s vocals, which only furthered the accusations that she steals music from other artists.