Jennifer Lopez Was Supposed To Be Part Of The Most Iconic Kiss In History

Jennifer Lopez was supposed to be part of the iconic 2003 MTV Music Awards kiss between Madonna and Britney Spears, but a schedule conflict kept her away.

By Sean Thiessen | Published

jennifer lopez

Few celebrities reach the iconic status Jennifer Lopez has, and far fewer sustain it. Lopez is an accomplished musician, dancer, actress, and all around stone cold beauty. In an interview with E! News about her upcoming Amazon film, Shotgun Wedding, Lopez revealed that she almost shared in another iconic celebrity moment: the kiss between Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Music Awards.

As Jennifer Lopez recalls, she met with Britney Spears and Madonna at the latter’s home to talk about the performance. Lopez was filming a movie in Canada at the time, and when it came down to schedules, Lopez was not able to get off the film to participate in the show. She was substituted with Christina Aguilera for the legendary performance.

The bold kiss was swarmed with media attention, but after Madonna kissed Spears, the telecast cut away to a reaction shot from Justin Timberlake (who had recently split with Spears), and viewers at home missed Madonna’s lip lock with Christina Aguilera. Had Jennifer Lopez been in Aguilera’s place, she may have experienced the same sidelining by the gossip-fueled telecast edit.

Jennifer Lopez told the story with a tinge of regret. “I love Madonna,” she said. “I’m a huge fan. I always have been.” Lopez is such a big Madonna fan that “Like a Virgin” is her go-to karaoke song. While she may have missed out on one iconic pop culture moment, Lopez has still sustained a successful and prolific career.

Before Jennifer Lopez drops her upcoming album, This Is Me… Now, later in 2023, Shotgun Wedding hits Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. on January 27. Lopez and Josh Duhamel star in the film as a bride and groom whose destination wedding is interrupted when criminals take their guests hostage. Lopez and Duhamel team up in the fight to save their wedding and reignite the spark that drew them together.

Britney Spears and Madonna at the 2003 MTV Music Awards

The wedding-themed action rom-com comes less than a year after the 2022 weddings of both Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. Lopez married Batman himself, Ben Affleck, and Duhamel married American model Audra Mari. Lopez’s nuptials aren’t slowing her down, though, as the actress has multiple films on the way, along with a potential tour of her next album.

When asked for details about the tour, Jennifer Lopez was vague, but optimistic. She hopes to do either a tour, a Las Vegas residency, or both, noting that social media buzz has her hopeful that fans are eager to hear what Lopez has been cooking up. Her last album, A.K.A., dropped in 2014.

On the film front, Jennifer Lopez has the assassin thriller The Mother on the way, along with the sci-fi action ride Atlas. The futuristic film from San Andreas director Brad Peyton will chronicle the fight against an AI soldier bent on annihilating the human race. With an array of projects in the pipeline, Lopez is looking at a solid showing in 2023.

Jennifer Lopez is a household name. If you don’t know her for one thing, you know her for another. She was almost known for kissing Madonna, but as history had other plans, she will have to settle for a lifetime of entertainment achievement in other categories.