Oh, J.Lo. All she wanted was to spread joy to the world with her love of LOVE in her triple project extravaganza: This Is Me… Now the album, the musical film, and the making of documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told. Well, spread joy and make back the $20 million she personally funded. And what have we given her in return? A fairly “meh” reaction, along with the lowest Billboard 200 debut of her career (38). But hey, we’re talking about scrappy Jennifer Lopez here. So she moved full steam ahead into announcing her tour… only to cancel several city stops (which haven’t been rescheduled) after a month of lackluster ticket sales. Now “sources” have spoken to Us Weekly to say that yeah, of course Jen is disappointed, but really she doesn’t care what other people think.
“Jennifer’s very focused on her latest project and doesn’t want bad press to get in her head,” the insider says, referring to Lopez’s recent rough patch involving her This Is Me… Now Tour and record of the same name.
The source explains that Lopez, 54, has been through “plenty of problems like this before and has gotten over them,” adding, “She moves on when things like this happen.”
Last month, Lopez raised eyebrows when she canceled several shows for her upcoming This Is Me… Now Tour after weak ticket sales. The stops included Nashville, Raleigh, Atlanta, Tampa and New Orleans and were supposed to take place between August 22-30.
The musician didn’t give any explanation at the time, and according to Ticketmaster dates in the southern part of the U.S. were not rescheduled.
Days later, Lopez posted an updated tour schedule with a revised lineup of dates. The shows will begin in June in Orlando and conclude in August with two New York City performances. None of the canceled shows are listed on the schedule.
Lopez’s This Is Me… Now album dropped in February and didn’t live up to the singer’s standards when it came to the charts. The record debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard 200, which is the lowest any of Lopez’s albums have ranked. (This Is Me… Now is the follow-up to Lopez’s 2002 LP, This Is Me… Then. The new record is her ninth studio album.)
While a second source tells Us that Lopez is “disappointed” over the underwhelming response to her tour and album, a third insider says she’s not letting it derail her next ventures.
“Jennifer is extremely proud of all the hard work she puts into her projects, and Ben [Affleck] has been a huge support through it all,” the third source shares.
Lopez and Affleck, 51, are currently house hunting for a fresh New York City pad, sources tell Us. Plus, Lopez has decided to focus on her next movie, Kiss of the Spider Women, which she’s already filming in New Jersey.
“She really doesn’t care what others think,” the third insider says of Lopez’s reaction to her recent criticism, adding that Affleck, whom she wed in 2022, has been keeping “Jen grounded” through all the highs and lows.
Lopez, meanwhile, is already on to the next big thing. “She’s looking for a fresh start,” the first source tells Us.
In J.Lo’s defense regarding poor ticket sales: what Machiavellian tour planner scheduled five concerts over eight days across the American South in AUGUST?? I love New Orleans, but I still wouldn’t be caught dead there in the summer. Or actually I would — because the humidity had killed me! But humidity + dancing in the audience? I’d rather watch Gigli. As for these sources, I don’t know. Is professing that “she really doesn’t care what others think” the most effective strategy? Personally I would’ve advised staying quiet and out of sight (see what I did there!) in New Jersey working on Kiss of the Spider Woman (she’s playing the role originated by the late great Chita Rivera, those are some big jazz shoes to fill). And then BAM! Emerge on May 6 to make a stunning entrance as Met Gala co-chair. But yet again, no one consulted me. At least one concern seems to have been lifted for Lopez: she just sold her Manhattan penthouse, last listed at $25 million. This Is Me… Recouped!
Photos credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com, Diamond/Backgrid and via Instagram
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