Jennifer Lopez is known for her fair share of pop culture moments that will go down in history. Who could forget the green dress?
But as it turns out, she could have another one of those moments under her belt if she played her cards right.
In a recent interview with E! News to promote her new movie “Shotgun Wedding,” Lopez revealed that she was originally asked to be a part of Madonna and Britney Spears’ iconic moment at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.
Madonna originally approached Jennifer Lopez about being a part of her VMAs kiss with Britney Spears.
Lopez claimed that he had to turn down the opportunity to join acting due to other professional obligations.
Fans will remember the infamous moment in pop culture history when Madonna kissed both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during a performance of “Like a Virgin.”
In a tribute to Madonna’s 1980s style, Britney and Christina wore mini wedding dresses, pearl necklaces and lace fingerless gloves during the duet.
Madonna was dressed in a tuxedo and stepped out of a giant wedding cake to sing her single “Hollywood.”
According to Lopez, he was actually the first choice to join Britney and Madonna’s VMA kiss.
“She was shooting a movie in Canada and we had met, her, Britney and I, to do it at her house,” Lopez told E! News. “And then, I just couldn’t get out of the movie, so we couldn’t do it.”
“We had talked about it,” Lopez continued, regarding her role in the kiss. “I love Madonna. I’m a huge fan. Always have been.”
When Lopez refused, her acting spot was filled by Christina Aguilera, whom Madonna also kissed.
More media attention was paid to the kiss between Britney and Madonna than to the kiss between Christina and Madonna.
When Madonna kissed Britney, the camera panned to Justin Timberlake, which meant Christina’s kiss was cut out for viewers at home.
Christina told Andy Cohen in a 2018 interview that “it was weird. They cut to get Justin’s reaction.”
Speaking of that moment, Christina said: “It was a cheap shot…I definitely saw the paper the next day, and I was like ‘Oh, well, I guess I just left out of that one.'”
The early years were a particularly difficult time for queer representation in the mainstream media.
Not surprisingly, a kiss between the three famous women generated huge waves of publicity.
But looking back on the kiss 20 years later, it’s clear that the stunt was just that: a staged stunt to pique viewers’ interest.
Even the focus on Timberlake’s reaction to the kiss is a sign of the misogyny and homophobia inherent in the situation, as if the kiss itself isn’t as important as the man’s response.
This message reinforced the supposed importance of the male gaze, rather than the value of the kiss between the three female superstars.
If the kiss happened now, the stars would likely be accused of queerbaiting and queering for the sake of publicity.
While there is always more work to be done around inclusion and representation, it’s nice to know that we’ve come a long way since straight people appropriate queer for their own gain.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer for the YourTango news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis, and all things entertainment industry related.