The Oscars Robbed Us of a Historic J.Lo Moment—and I Can't Forgive Them

From Oprah Magazine

• For her work as Ramona in Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez was rumored to be a major awards show contender this year.

• Though J. Lo was nominated for a Golden Globe and other prestigious awards, she was shut out from the 2020 Oscars.

• Will she still attend the ceremony? That's to be seen. But one thing's for sure: we won't be getting a glowing acceptance speech.

Despite all the hype and all of our hopes, Jennifer Lopez was not nominated for an Academy Award for Hustlers.

"It's their loss!" I stomped upon hearing the news, with the tone of someone enraged on the behalf of a recently dumped best friend. "It's their loss because they couldn't appreciate you for who you are, Jen!" It's hard to understand the fact that when offered to climb into J. Lo's fur, the Academy declined.

But it's our loss, too. Because now, the three-hour-long, occasionally interminable Oscars ceremony won't thrum with the electric possibility of Lopez's name being called for Best Supporting Actress.

And this wouldn't have been an underdog story. For her performance as Ramona, a woman who arms herself with cynicism and crime to make it in an unjust world, Lopez absolutely deserved to be among the five women nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Who else morphed into a professional pole dancer for a part and refused a body double with more firmness than Tom Cruise? Who else could toggle between vulnerability and swagger in a blink—and sometimes blend both?

No one. And yet, Lopez was not recognized by the Academy, and neither was the predominantly women-led movie, Hustlers.

So will Lopez, after attending the rest of the awards show circuit, show up at the Academy Awards anyway? That's one of the night's big mysteries, right up there with who will win Best Picture.

Since Hustlers did not receive nominations, director Lorene Scafaria and Lopez's co-stars are unlikely to attend. But Lopez, being a member of the A-List's highest strata, doesn't require a nomination to attend the most prestigious night in U.S. cinema. Often attending as a presenter, in 2019 Lopez wore futuristic silver to the 2019 Oscars. In 2015, she wowed in a nude Cinderella-style dress, and in 2012 she channeled classic Hollywood in a form-fitted white gown. The list goes on.

Still, there's a good chance Lopez will snub the awards show that snubbed her and choose not to attend. (Currently, she's not listed as a presenter.) Certainly, it would be an understandable decision—and one with precedent. After Emily Blunt was overlooked for her performance in A Quiet Place, she skipped the 2019 ceremony.

If Lopez decided to stay home with A-Rod to tally up their Grammys and World Series rings (or re-enact her Super Bowl halftime show performance) I'd understand—but I'd be bummed. Just as Hustlers was a movie highlight of the year, Lopez has been the best part of awards season. In my alternate universe, J.Lo and Little Women's Greta Gerwig are crowned the covens' joint Supremes, and we all drive to Haagen Dazs after the ceremony to celebrate.

Had I known that the Golden Globes would probably be Lopez's last official awards show red carpet of 2020, I might not have made this expression (🤔) at seeing her gold-and-green Valentino dress adorned with supersized bows—and I definitely would've held off on gleefully retweeting memes.

Instead, I would have congratulated Lopez for summoning the Christmas spirit to California. I would have commended her for upstaging every Macy's holiday display since A Miracle on 34th Street. I would have said, "Thank you for gracing us plebeians with your presence."

Lopez's dress sent a clear message: She is the prize. The Academy's snub sent a message, too: They're missing out.

During her performance at last Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, Lopez reminded the Academy precisely what they were missing out on. The 14-minute segment was, in a word, a triumph—one witnessed by 104 million people, compared to the Oscars' 29.6 million viewers in 2019.

By masterfully incorporating the pole-dancing she flaunted in Hustlers into her halftime routine, Lopez was winking at the Academy. She can do that: be a bronzed goddess at the top of her game, rewriting what 50-years-old looks like—and she could've won that Oscar. In the wise words of Lizzo, patron saint of bounce-backs, "You coulda had a bad b****," Academy.

Oscars aside, this has been a victorious 365 days in the life of Jennifer Lopez. She performed at the Super Bowl. She received widespread critical acclaim for her work in Hustlers. She went on tour. She got engaged. She wore a dress that upstaged every elf in the North Pole. In her words, it's been a "blessed" year.

Apparently, however, it just wasn't her Oscars year. But let's resist thinking her chances at one day clutching a little gold man are officially over. Ramona—along with her past performances (I'm a Maid in Manhattan stan, to this day) are proof that Lopez certainly has the acting chops.

Now, all Lopez needs is another character as powerful as Ramona. But that requires Hollywood to throw the full force of their money and marketing campaigns behind movies that showcase real, complicated women—and that is another essay entirely.

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