Jennifer Lopez reveals what she would've done in her canceled MTV VMAs performance with Madonna, Britney Spears
Jennifer Lopez reveals what she would've done in her canceled MTV VMAs performance with Madonna, Britney Spears
Joey NolfiTue, June 9, 2026 at 12:54 PM UTC
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Jennifer Lopez on 'Watch What Happens Live'; Britney Spears kissing Madonna at 2003 MTV VMAsCredit: Bravo; Chris Polk/FilmMagicKey Points -
Jennifer Lopez confirmed that she was originally meant to join Madonna and Britney Spears on stage at the 2003 MTV VMAs.
Madonna, Spears, and Christina Aguilera courted controversy for kissing on stage during the wedding-themed set.
"We rehearsed and everything," Lopez revealed on Watch What Happens Live, explaining why she didn't end up in the set.
Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera's iconic — and, at the time, infamous — performance at the 2003 MTV VMAs was almost a three-way affair of a different kind: Jennifer Lopez has confirmed that she was originally asked to appear on stage during the set.
Lopez recalled the details Monday night in an interview on Watch What Happens Live (below), explaining why she wasn't part of what became one of the most highly publicized awards show musical performances in history after the wedding-themed set saw Madonna kiss Spears and Aguilera on the lips in front of a live audience.
"I was working on a movie, Shall We Dance, at the same time, and they just wouldn't let me out of the movie," the Office Romance star told host Andy Cohen, after a fan submitted a question about the long-standing rumors that she was meant to join Madonna and Spears for the set.
Lopez said that the trio "rehearsed and everything" before the ceremony, which, at the time, saw Madonna, Spears, and Aguilera receive shocked criticism from conservative viewers.
"I went to Madonna's house! It was me, her and Britney. She was playing her guitar, and we were singing," Lopez said.
Cohen then asked if "the kiss" that shocked the world was in the rehearsal.
"No, but [Madonna] said that that's what she wanted to do. It was a thing, like, 'We're going to get married, I'm going to be the groom, you guys are going to sing,'" Lopez added. "I was the one who was going to come out first and sing 'Like a Virgin.' I can't even really remember what it was, but it was something like that."
The August 2003 ceremony conflicted with her shooting schedule for the 2004 movie Shall We Dance, a remake of Japanese filmmaker Masayuki Suo's 1996 film of the same name that also starred Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon.
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"Then they wouldn't let me out of the movie to do the actual show," explained Lopez. "I remember I left on the weekend to go meet with her."
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for Madonna's for comment.
Britney Spears, Madonna, and Christina Aguilera at 2003 MTV VMAsCredit: Dave Hogan/Getty
The VMAs ceremony remains one of the most widely discussed in pop culture history, primarily due to the opening performance by Madonna, Spears, and Aguilera.
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The trio kicked off the entire telecast with a medley, as Spears and Aguilera walked out on stage singing "Like a Virgin," and were later joined by Madonna to sing her American Life album single "Hollywood."
Rapper Missy Elliott then appeared to perform her hit "Work It," after the camera famously cut to a shot of Spears' ex, Justin Timberlake, looking shocked over the kiss.
Watch Lopez discuss why she wasn't in Madonna and Spears' MTV VMAs performance above.
on Entertainment Weekly
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