Jennifer Lopez uses her child Emme’s they/them pronouns during a concert

Jennifer Lopez’s twins, Emme and Max, are fourteen years old and they’re growing up before our eyes and yet… Jennifer doesn’t actually shove them in the spotlight all that much. They get pap’d with J.Lo sometimes but mostly they seem like lowkey, normal kids living their own lives, not spoiled Hollywood kids waiting to launch their nepotism careers. Now it turns out that Emme is using they/them pronouns and J.Lo respects those pronouns enough to use them in concert:

Jennifer Lopez has performed a touching duet with her child, introducing them onto the stage using they/them pronouns. Last week, the 52-year-old singer appeared at the LA Dodgers Blue Diamond Gala and welcomed Emme Maribel Muñiz, 14, to the stage to sing alongside her.

Lopez described Emme as “my favourite duet partner”, telling the crowd: “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. 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 favourite duet partner of all time. So if you will indulge me.”

Emme, who has a twin Max, who Lopez shares with ex husband Marc Anthony, walked onto the stage carrying a microphone emblazoned with a rainbow, before singing Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years with their mother.

[From Yahoo]

That’s cool that J.Lo is so accepting and trying so hard to publicly acknowledge Emme’s nonbinary pronouns. I think that’s really awesome and an example of great parenting.

In addition to that, J.Lo made a video for Ben Affleck for Father’s Day. Um…I get that Jennifer is head over heels for Ben, but maybe acknowledge Marc Anthony? You know, Emme and Max’s father?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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57 Responses to “Jennifer Lopez uses her child Emme’s they/them pronouns during a concert”

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  1. Merricat says:

    She’s always trying to write that story, but Ben is not the man she should be honoring for fatherhood.

    • vs says:

      I saw that video online and I was like what the heck? for a min, I thought she was going after Ben being a great father to his kids and stepdad to hers…….then I was like, shouldn’t she be acknowledging Marc or say nothing at all? anyway, her business ….

  2. GoldenMom says:

    She really does try to rewrite….I wonder what Jennifer Garner has to say about that?

  3. Carolnr says:

    Girl got it bad for Ben!!!
    Not only did she not acknowledge the father of her own children but she did not even acknowledge her own father!!!
    I think JL is gradually putting her daughter in the spotlight now…

    • ME says:

      Well do we know what her children’s relationship is like with their father? Is he even in their lives? We don’t know. We also don’t know what kind of relationship J.Lo has with her own father. I see her with her mom a lot, but not her dad…so who knows?

    • Amanda says:

      She did a separate post for her own father. Don’t know if there was anything for Marc though. She usually has acknowledged him in the past.

    • A says:

      She has sole custody, Marc tours constantly and doesn’t seem to be a very present father to any of his kids. He’s a summer vacation dad rather than even a weekend dad. And yet JLo still gets shit for her parenting when she’s doing it solo

    • Joey says:

      Marc Anthony is not involved in the kids lives. He is constantly traveling, on tour, partying, doing drugs and has a different girlfriend every couple of months. He is engaged AGAIN, to a 22 year old girl. He also has 4 other kids he doesn’t take care of. So why should she give him a shout out?

      • Ramona says:

        @Joey,Yup,Amen to everything you said…Jlo has been a single mom since she divorced Marc…Emme being confortable in who they are is completely on Jen ,and now on Ben(since a year) and she is just acknowledging that…,

  4. Amy Bee says:

    I’m not fussed about her excluding Marc Anthony. We don’t know what their true relationship is like.

    • Jess says:

      That was my thought. I encourage my kids to do things with their dad and reminded them to get him something for Father’s Day, but there is no way I’d give him a shout out when I’m doing 90% of the parenting and he’s just doing fishing outings, coffee shop runs, and whining that I don’t pay him enough in child support even though I’m literally the only one supporting the kids – and paying his mortgage. I have a very civil relationship w my ex but it really irritates me when I see people expecting an ex to shout out the other parent on these holidays when we have no idea if they actually deserve it.

      • Anna says:

        I was just thinking this. Is Marc Anthony a good father? I have no evidence that he is or isn’t. Maybe he does some shady shit to JLo and she’s honoring the man who isn’t (this time)doing shady shit to her.

    • SophieJara says:

      I agree @Amy Bee. I usually avoid posting anything for my husband for Father’s Day because I don’t want to hurt my Dad’s feelings by excluding him, but also I’m not including him. He stopped by to see me a couple times a year when he felt like it. So for me this is aspirational, I would like to not be someone who cares about hurting his feelings.

    • Malificent says:

      I just had to write an obituary for my aunt, whose husband was abusive. I just listed his name in the predeceased section. It would have been a lie to gush about what a loving partner he was to her. (Not implying that I have any idea of what kind of parent Marc Antony is to his kids — just noting that sometimes saying nothing is better.)

  5. Jais says:

    I’m really loving how JLo supports Emme. Love it. This is how a parent should be.

  6. Twin Falls says:

    Good thing Ben deleted his IG because he usually give JG a shout out on Mother’s Day and J-Lo wouldn’t want to share that spotlight.

    If you can’t find something nice to also say about the father of your children, maybe just honor all fathers in general and call it a day.

  7. LynnInTx says:

    JLo is a mess in a lot of ways, but at least respecting Emme’s pronouns isn’t one of them. Good on her for that! And I remember Bennifer 1.0, and then later when she was with Marc Anthony and the twins were born, so I’m feeling some kinds of old today to realize they are 14. As for the rest of the post, particularly her ‘Father’s Day’ post , I’ll just leave it with… JLo’s a mess in a lot of ways.

  8. Jo says:

    I have no particular admiration for JLo – I think all actors / singers work their butt off – we all do and it doesn’t impress me to see any celeb doing loads if different things considering they have a TEAM working for them. And it’s their choice.
    That said, I watched Halftime because I was sick and I have now an admiration for JLo for a very particular reason: she voices her needs and wants calmly but surely and she doesn’t try to be likeable. She knows it takes time for people to warm up to her because b*tâches get things done and says so to her dancers. She seems to have quit being a people pleaser and that’s awesome.
    I was also impressed with the way she dealt with her kid: not shoving them in our faces but not pretending they were not there either. And Emme seemed to have their space to be who they are – and JLo seems super proud of them while being so different.
    I just hope this is all true and not just the power of editing. For the kid.

  9. Enis says:

    Gender, sexuality, and all that isn’t always concrete and it’s healthy for teenagers to try on different identities so they can figure out who they are.

  10. Lens says:

    What people are saying on her IG is what about your OWN baby daddy? That and the fact she said the same thing about Alex in previous father’s days. All I can say is I’m glad my father is nothing like Ben. I would be constantly embarrassed He’s admitted to not being a present parent, JenniferG doing it all and being drunk on the couch when they were little. Jen garner has raised those kids as a single mother for the most part. He’s a Johnny come lately parent with them, wanting to reap the rewards after the “hard” parenting years are over.

    • A says:

      Ben’s always been an involved parent. He has 50/50 physical custody and Jennifer Garner has publicly praised his parenting before, during and after their divorce.

      It’s a bit low to throw his comment about drinking late at night around in this context. He is an addict, got help for it a couple of times, and publicly thanked Jennifer Garner in a statement for parenting alone when he was in rehab. She’s hardly a single parent although she does seem like an exceptional parent

      • N says:

        Yeah, what he said happened years ago, and was said in a rueful way. What we see now is he is caught often with his kids. It’s really shame he and Garner couldn’t work it out, cause their family image is very photogenic and very American family inspirational, but I guess there are devils in the details about one’s marriage and we don’t know anything, and only projecting.

  11. Noki says:

    I would be so exhausted with falling Head over Heels EVERY couple of years. Does she not feel silly when she watches or reads back how much she gushed about all of them. But she cant help herself,she can never pull a mysterious relationship,it has to be all out there.

    • N says:

      It’s actually very possible she really didn’t love A. Rod, and was only rebounding, and waiting for Affleck to show his hands.

      • Marietta2381 says:

        Then she probably shouldn’t have stayed for 4 years +! Besides, waiting for a man ALWAYS works LOL

      • N says:

        Marietta, well, it’s just my speculation. It’s possible that she did love A Rod for a time, but not near enough anyway.

  12. Carolnr says:

    JL post may explain why JG’s post did not give a shout-out to Ben on Father’s Day.
    Ben has been a STEPFATHER ( and not legally yet) to JL’s twins for a little over a year! That being said. …I hope that Ben is good to her twins. JL shouldn’t marry Ben if he’s not.

    • Joey says:

      I also respect that Jlo didn’t post photos of Affleck and his own kids. It shows she respects Jennifer Garner’s boundaries with her children on social media. So I give her props for that.

      • Lens says:

        It was odd because it seemed less like a Father’s Day post and more like a Valentine’s Day post with all the couple pictures with no kids but I know Ben and jennifer have an agreement not to post their shared kids on social media so that’s why she didn’t.

    • N says:

      It seems Emme is particularly close to him. I suspect she worships Ben,

      • Serena says:

        Worship? That’s definetely going to far.

      • Lens says:

        Emme Muniz seems like a very sweet, shy child who can roll with anyone and jl and any mother with kids like that are blessed because they make our job easier, no? She seemed to be very close to Alex as well. I remember her crying on that FaceTime post, and I remember a similar Father’s Day post JL did for Alex. I’m sure it rankles her to have Marc as the kids’ father when both Alex and Ben have shown to best him.

  13. Annaloo. says:

    Harpers Bazaar deserves a DRAGGING today for how they covered this story! They are purposely NOT using Emme’s correct pronouns and chopping up Jlos quotes so they don’t use the word “they”….it’s really tone deaf and like they are purposefully not seeing this. They deserve dragging today

  14. Amyc says:

    I love JLo. I think she’s the ultimate entertainer and a real star. I just get weird vibes from Ben in this. Like he seems less into her? Maybe not. Really wish the best for her. Major props for how she seems to be raising her kids.

  15. jferber says:

    I watched her doc and she seemed only to portray her daughter and not her son. Yes, really good for her to use the pronouns her daughter wants. I honestly don’t get her and Ben. He just seems so used up. Her work ethic and energy are just through the roof.

    • DiegoInSF says:

      Are you not using Emme’s pronouns on purpose???

    • N says:

      Well, anyone who experienced what he experienced since 2016/17 probably would have looked like him, or more likely worse. I read trades , where actually a lot of celebrity drama happens there. Affleck’s divorce only played a minor role for his drinking, but the major role was actually because of internal politics at Warner Bros, as well as Brad Pitt. Just a few months ago he survived a career assassination, only at the last min his adversaries suffered a backlash from the new WB boss, and one of them took a fall.

  16. Ariel says:

    I just spent a weekend with college girlfriends, one of which has a 13 yo daughter who has a friend who is playing with their pronouns. I am not sure if the child is nonbinary or trans or just figuring it out. But my friend was concerned about how to use the pronouns because she wants to be respectful of the child, but also the parents, and does not know how the parents are accepting of this or not. And while i jumped immediately to- respect the child- i see her point of view in having a relationship with the parents, and wanting to respect their view.

    I am full- use the pronouns that work for you.

    And i have a good understanding of trans- but not a great understanding of nonbinary, as this is a somewhat new set of terminology.

    Were there always kids who were nonbinary, feeling neither fully male of female, or is this generation just the first to be allowed to experiment, play, see what works for them without being burned at the stake.
    When i was a teen, late 1980s, i had gay friends, but they were closeted, to survive high school for the most part.

    • liz says:

      I’m the parent of a non-binary 18 year old. Some of their friends have parents who are accepting of using the pronouns their child uses, others are not. My teen will happily remind me of what pronouns any of their friends use and that’s what I will use when the kids are in my home, regardless of how the parents may feel. I may have a relationship with the parents (not always, these are older teens – my child has friends whose parents I’ve never met), but I need to respect the gender identity of the child first.

      If the kids are with their parents, I will check in beforehand, if I can and find out if the parents know that their child is trans/non-binary/gender fluid . . . . and accepting of that. If I don’t know or if the child is not out to their parents or if the parents are not supportive, I will use the pronouns the parents are using. This way I’m not outing a child to a parent who might not be accepting/understanding.

      There have always been trans and non-binary people, but until very recently, they were mostly in the closet. Some cultures were more accepting than Puritanical America, but here the gender binary has been strictly enforced and in many places it still it (and it’s getting worse).

  17. Niki says:

    What kind of acknowledgement should Marc Anthony get? JLo has full custody and the twins spend only a few weeks in a year with their father. He is definitely not an involved parent. And where was his post on Mother’s Day?

    • Joey says:

      Exactly! He doesn’t pay child support or alimony. Doesn’t spend time with her 2 kids nor the other 4 he has. And he’s engaged to a 22 year old traveling the world not visiting his kids

  18. tealily says:

    Good for her. My older sibling recently came out as trans and I gotta tell ya, even as someone who considers myself supportive of the trans community, someone with a number of nonbinary and trans friends who I have no issue remember the pronoun shifts, etc., it’s been a HARD adjustment!! They’ve been really nice about “grandfathering” our immediate family in on pronouns and names for now, and they say they’re cool with us continuing to use our (not gendered) childhood nickname for them instead of the new name, but it is so, so hard for me to remember the pronouns. I’m doing my best to be supportive, but this is way harder than I expected with someone I’m so close to. So props to JLo!!

    We’re only a couple months in, so I’m hoping this will get easier. If anyone who’s gone through this process with a sibling has advice, I’ll take it! I’m focusing on making sure they know they are loved and supported, and never articulating the difficulties I’m having to them. Honestly, I’m just so happy to see them happy after struggling for so long, that’s the main thing!

    • liz says:

      It takes time. It took almost a year for me to get a solid rhythm with the correct pronouns with my non-binary child (now 18, came out to us as non-binary at 14). But they knew I was working on it. Don’t be afraid of correcting yourself in front of them – let them see the effort – it lets them see that you care and are trying your best. Apologize, move on and continue to make the effort. Kudos to you for making the effort and for making sure you sibling knows they are loved and supported! I wish your family all the best and Happy Pride!

  19. Lens says:

    Well it looks like Gwen Stefani did the same thing. Shout out to her own dad and Blake Shelton with nothing to Gavin Rossdale. It is a pretty pointed slight.

  20. Karisma says:

    Marc doesn’t deserve any acknowledgement. Jlo is raising those kids by herself, she has the sole custody and he’s always touring, marrying barely legal girls and being a deadbeat father to the I don’t know how many children he has with multiple women

    • DiegoInSF says:

      Amen, JLO si an amazing mother! Love her so much, as a Latino, I just admire her so much!

  21. Oye says:

    I think As they get older she start becoming lke this with the kids …
    She wasnot like this until later. She was different from JG and the JPs…etc
    Rarely grociery park etc etc in early times not?

  22. jferber says:

    DiegoInSF, Relax. I’m using “her” pronouns for JLO, not Emme. If I were referring to Emme, I’d use their preferred pronouns. Of course.

    • DiegoInSF says:

      Lol sorry was having a couple drinks early! I reread your comment and duh, sorry for coming off so extra and being wrong!

  23. Julia K says:

    This child is only 14 and is deserving of privacy while going through the process of self discovery. Jlo should not be exposing her child in this way. She even mentioned that they were reluctant to sing with her onstage. This is a gossip site; is it appropriate to be discussing a 14 year old child’s pronouns?

    • A says:

      Look at the kid’s face, they feel affirmed to be acknowledged in this way. They performed with JLo before. If she stopped asking now because they’re non-binary and it should be private, how would that make a 14 year old feel? By 14, you know, and judging by their presentation, this realisation happened a couple years ago.

  24. Serena says:

    It’s ironic saying J.Lo isn’t throwing her daughter into a nepotism career while she lets them perform with her at such big events. She’s preparing them, you’ll see in a couple or more years.

    As for the father’s day post..that’s all kinds of wrong. It’s not like I expect her to make one for Marc Antony, he seems like a douche, and she doesn’t have to. But to make one for Ben Affleck, who’s certainly not a parent figure for her kids seems a bit of strech to me.

    • Ramona says:

      She knows him better than us so she is just saying that Ben is a great dad but that also he is being a great stepdad(in the video above,you can see him embrace Emme and be super proud of her,and there is a video of him and Emme lobbying Jen to have a cat,Hendrix they finally had..)

  25. Ramona says:

    She just want to say that over the last year they’ve been together,Ben is a member of the club « I’m not the stepdad I’m the Dad who stepped up » (Emme and Ben seems to have a close relationship)

  26. Sundaygal says:

    Let them all be happy. Enough with the nit-picking. Parenting is hard enough, let alone single parenting and juggling careers, etc. Being a teen is also difficult in this day and age.