Jennifer Lopez has had a challenging 2024, to say the least. The actress and singer is on the verge of separating from Ben Affleck, the celebrity power couple set to divorce following two years of marriage. Lopez also chose to cancel her “This Is Me… Live” tour, a decision made on May 31 as speculation over her marriage to Affleck intensified.
The tour cancellation — which meant the removal of 36 concert dates from the calendar — prompted a wave of backlash for Lopez, as well as a spicy response from longtime rival Mariah Carey, whose enmity toward JLo dates back decades.
Karma catching up to JLo?
A report from In Touch claims that five-time Grammy Award winner Carey is taking quite a bit of pleasure from Lopez’s professional failures, as her tour was cancelled and the Netflix movie she starred in, “Atlas“, was met with lukewarm reviews from critics.
“(Carey) believes it’s karma biting (Lopez) in the butt because she’s not as talented as she thinks and way too arrogant,” an insider told In Touch. “For JLo, it’s a huge big kick in the teeth to Mariah making all these huge concert plans, especially because she knows how much she’s been trash talking her and laughing about her divorce to boot.”
Carey, 55, has “a lot of pals in common” with Lopez, also 55. As such, the “Heartbreaker” singer has been made keenly aware of Lopez’s personal and professional problems — and is looking to profit handsomely from them.
“Mariah is really excited to be getting back to Vegas and looking forward to proving she’s still at the top of the game when it comes to putting on a show and bringing in ticket sales,” the insider told In Touch. “She’s extra excited to show that she’s still got it after JLo had to go and cancel her concert tour.”
The feud between Carey and Lopez escalated in the early 2000s over an alleged unauthorized use of Carey’s music as a sample in Lopez’s song “I’m Real”. Despite their many mutual friends, the two singers have had a frosty relationship ever since, with Carey’s viral “I don’t know her” soundbite about Lopez from 2003 becoming a prominent part of online meme culture.
However, once Lopez sorts out her divorce, her music could once more become a priority, setting the stage for a rivarly renewed.
“She’s hoping to pick herself up and get the tour back on track once all this mess dies down,” the insider said about Lopez. “And a big motivation will be going head-to-head with Mariah and competing for her holiday fan base. It’s hard to believe she’d be thinking that far ahead, but that’s JLo for you, she always has a game plan.”