Jennifer Lopez Writes Powerful Statement About Her Super Bowl Performance
“Other people can try to build walls, keep us out or put us in cages," Lopez wrote. "We are proud to recognize that all of us together are what makes this beautiful country truly great.”
By Samantha Kubota | TODAY ••
Jennifer Lopez and daughter Emme Maribel Muniz perform during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
“All I want my girls, the little girls on stage with me and all over the world to know is how to use their voices and be proud of everything they are,” Lopez said in the caption. “Other people can try to build walls, keep us out or put us in cages. We are proud to recognize that all of us together are what makes this beautiful country truly great.”
The video shows Lopez getting ready for the show and leading her team in a prayer before taking the stage. The edited clip ends as Lopez makes her entrance at the beginning of her set.
Both Lopez and Shakira said before the show that they planned to use the Super Bowl stage to spread a message of unity.
“It’s very important for us to convey a message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the Latin community is in this country,” Shakira added.
Lopez’s post on Monday night and her comments about walls and cages seemed to confirm speculation that she was sending a political message with her set.
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Shakira and Jennifer Lopez perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
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Shakira and Jennifer Lopez perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
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Shakira and Jennifer Lopez perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
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Shakira and Jennifer Lopez perform during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
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Jennifer Lopez performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
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Shakira and Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
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Jennifer Lopez and Emme Maribel Muñiz, left, performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
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Emme Maribel Muñiz and Jennifer Lopez perform onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
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Jennifer Lopez performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
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Jennifer Lopez performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
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Jennifer Lopez performs a pole dance during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
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Jennifer Lopez performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
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Jennifer Lopez performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
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Shakira performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Shakira performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
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Shakira performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Shakira performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Feb. 2, 2020.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Shakira performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show at Hard Rock Stadium on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida.
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Fireworks erupt overHard Rock Stadium during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show on Feb. 2, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
At one point, there were child performers in glowing spheres that many interpreted as a reference to the immigrant children and youth being held at U.S. detention centers.
Lopez’s daughter, Emme, 11, was one of the kids in the spheres, and she sang a slowed-down version of her mom’s 1999 hit, “Let’s Get Loud.”
Emme then joined her mother and sang a few bars of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” as Lopez unfurled a feathery flag that featured the American and Puerto Rican flags on it.
