Last night, the 2020 People’s Choice Icon Award was presented to none other than “Jenny from the Block,” Jennifer Lopez.
The Hustlers star wore a stunning red Christian Siriano gown, was emotional as she listened to friends (and JLo fans), Renee Zellweger and Nicole Kidman give touching speeches about their friend and a brief shout out from her “coco-nuts,” her children Max and Emme.
After acknowledging how 2020 tested her, just as it tested all of us, Lopez told her fans, “I have seen and I have learned a lot and I am still learning, and I want to thank you and tell you how much I appreciate you for letting me do that in front of you all of these years.”
“As a Latina and as a woman, we have to sometimes work twice as hard to get the opportunity,” she shared. “Sometimes my big dreams and my ambitions made the people around me nervous. People would say you’re a dancer, you can’t be an actress. The more they said I couldn’t, the more I knew that I had to.”
She offered words of motivation to girl of color when continuing to say, “The true measure is inspiring girls of all ages and of all colors, from all around the world, to know you can be anything you want and do as many things as you want and to be proud of who you are no matter where you come from. I want them to know their dreams are only limited by their imagination, determination, and willingness to never give up.”
The Bronx native has definitely put some serious work in since her debut as a dancer in In Living Color almost thirty years ago. Most recently, after her two year critically acclaimed Las Vegas residency ended, the boricua was in heavy awards consideration for her starring role in Hustlers. Most recently, she teamed up with Colombiana, Shakira, to headline the Super Bowl half-time show and received some of the best ratings the show has had in years.
Before stepping off the stage last night, Lopez took a moment to directly address her Latino fans by thanking them in Spanish.
“Y a mi gente Latina, a donde quiera que yo este, a donde quiera que yo vaya, siempre los tengo presente. Y es para mi, un orgullo representar Latinos de todas partes, con todo mi corazón, con todo mi amor. Gracias, mi gente, los quiero mucho. Y recuerden, la vida es un tango y aunque seguir bailando. Siempre.”
Translating to, “And for my Latinos. Wherever I may be, Wherever I may go, I always carry you with me. I am extremely proud to represent Latinos from all over, with all of my heart, and all over my love. Thank you, my people, I love you very much. And remember, life is a tango and we must keep dancing. Always.”