Jennifer Lopez has long been a figure of both admiration and playful teasing, with the internet often laughing with — and at — her for over 15 years. At the Los Angeles premiere of her new Netflix film Office Romance, the 56-year-old singer and actress was asked about one of her most memorable moments: her now-famous “Mi gente Latino” comment. This grammatically incorrect phrase was shouted while she accepted the Female Latin Artist award at the 2011 American Music Awards.
The correct phrase should have been “Mi gente Latina,” but the slip has become a lasting part of pop culture. It has been immortalized through TikTok clips, memes, and fan jokes that continue to circulate online. When asked about it, Lopez told a Mitú reporter who presented her with a candle featuring a screenshot of the moment, “You guys have never let me forget it.” She then playfully questioned, “Do you love me, or are you making fun of me?”
After the reporter assured Lopez that the moment is now considered iconic, she embraced the joke wholeheartedly. “Well, I know I love you guys. I know that for sure,” she said. Lopez explained that she had been emotional during the 2011 speech and was trying to thank the audience that mattered most to her.
“I was like, here’s the most important… Here’s who I have to thank more than anybody,” she said. “And then I got, like, oh s—, I said it wrong. OK, no problem.”
She also laughed when told the moment was nearing an anniversary. “I didn’t know we were counting,” Lopez said. “OK, great. And it has an anniversary… It’s iconic.”
Why the Response Worked
One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming a celebrity’s response should be based on the moment itself, said brand and communications consultant Sam Gauchier. “In reality, it should be based on how the audience is experiencing that moment.”
Gauchier said Lopez recognized that fans were not looking for an apology. “They were inviting her into a joke that had taken on a life of its own. By acknowledging it, she’s showing self-awareness rather than trying to regain control of a narrative that was never really hers to control in the first place,” she added.
Aaron Evans, president of strategic communications firm Story Group, said Lopez has shown a strong instinct for when to respond and when to stay quiet. “This is what many teams get wrong — they think the decision is whether to respond. It’s not. The decision is whether the celebrity has something better to say than the internet does,” Evans said. “J.Lo is one of the only ones right now who actually knows the difference.”
From Meme to Personality Moment
“J.Lo has been navigating public opinion for 30 years. She understands something that younger celebrities are still learning: the audience does not want perfection. They want personality,” said Amore Philip, founder of Apples and Oranges Public Relations.
“When you respond to a viral moment with genuine wit and zero defensiveness, you do not just survive the story,” she added. “You become the story. And on your own terms.”
Office Romance hits Netflix on June 5.
