Fans have labelled Jennifer Lopez ‘petty’ in the wake of her ‘revenge divorce’ from Ben Affleck on the couple’s second wedding anniversary.
But my unexpected run-in with JLo is to this day is one of my most cherished celebrity encounters – even after she scolded me over the way I approached her.
I was on holiday in New York City back in August 2016 when I decided to try and meet Lopez – one of my all-time favourite singers.
She was in town filming Shades of Blue with Ray Liotta.
If you know anything about JLo, you’ll know she’s pretty routine. Every morning before 6am she’s either at the boxing gym or training, then it’s off to set.
And with her gym just a stone’s throw from her apartment, she often walks -which gave me an idea.
I’ll admit it—some might find it a little creepy, but I thought, why not try and ‘bump into her’ on her way to the gym?
After all, what’s the harm in a little serendipitous fan moment? I mean, it’s not like I was going to fork out $2,000 for a meet-and-greet—though I’ve done that for Britney Spears, no shame there!
Fans have labelled Jennifer Lopez ‘petty’ in the wake of her ‘revenge divorce’ from Ben Affleck on the couple’s second wedding anniversary. The couple pictured in March
But my unexpected run-in with JLo is to this day one of my most cherished celebrity encounters – even after she scolded me over the way I approached her. Pictured: Ali Daher and Jennifer Lopez in 2016
My friend and I couldn’t quite figure out which gym she was heading to that morning, so we played it safe and waited near her apartment.
Little did we know, her chauffeur had been watching us for hours and had already given her the heads-up that some fans were lurking nearby.
An hour or so passed, and then I spotted her.
There was JLo, walking straight towards me with a friend in tow. I was just a few metres from her front door when she called me and my friend over for ‘a little chat.’
Now, I won’t lie – she was not happy.
I was on holiday in New York City back in August 2016 when I decided to try and meet Lopez – one of my all-time favourite singers. She was in town filming Shades of Blue with Ray Liotta
My friend and I couldn’t quite figure out which gym she was heading to that morning, so we played it safe and waited near her apartment. Little did we know, her chauffeur had been watching us for hours and had already given her the heads-up
She asked us what we wanted, and when I explained that I was just a huge fan from Australia and wanted to meet her, she didn’t hesitate to let us know that her home was off-limits for fan encounters.
And honestly, I get it. She told us: ‘I’d be happy to meet you guys anywhere in the city and take photos and sign whatever you have on any other occasion, but this isn’t the time and place.’
Totally understandable, right? But here’s the thing—most celebrities would have sent out a personal assistant or security guard to deliver this message. Not JLo.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get anywhere near her dressing room. She was busy filming an outdoor scene with Ray Liotta, and though I made eye contact with her a few times, she kept putting a finger up to signal ‘just a minute.’ Pictured with Ray Liotta
She handled it herself, and that’s something I deeply respect. She even suggested we try meeting her on set, which was a far better option.
Her assistant mentioned that if we waited around, we might be invited to her trailer to say ‘Hi’ while she was filming. So, we Ubered across town, hoping to catch her on set.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get anywhere near her dressing room.
She was busy filming an outdoor scene with Liotta, and though I made eye contact with her a few times, she kept putting a finger up to signal ‘just a minute’.
This happened two or three times, and each time, I waited eagerly, but internally was starting to give up on getting a selfie with her.
As the crowd around the set grew, security started moving people along. But then, something unexpected happened.
One of the security guards pointed to us and walked us over to her dressing room. Moments later, JLo herself popped her head out and told us she’d be with us in a minute
One of the security guards pointed to us and walked us over to her dressing room.
Moments later, JLo herself popped her head out and told us she’d be with us in a minute.
She was dressed casually in a pair of sequinned tracksuit pants, a crop sweater, and sunglasses—still looking every bit the superstar.
When she came over, she gave us another gentle lecture about how this on set was the right place to meet her, not outside her home – before taking a photo with me
She even signed a photograph and two of my DVDs. Pictured
When she came over, she gave us another gentle lecture about how on set was the right place to meet her, not outside her home.
But then she took photos with us, signed everything we had, and even sent her love back to Australia.
It was an incredible moment, and honestly, being told off by JLo was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.
I will always love J. Lo – even as fans call her ‘petty’ in the wake of her ‘revenge divorce’ from Ben Affleck
