Jennifer Lopez Recalls Being Treated Like a ‘Punchline’ in Her Early Career: ‘It Was Hard’

While she once felt like “a punchline,” Jennifer Lopez says in her new documentary Halftime, “I wound up affecting things in a way that I never intended”

Jennifer Lopez. PHOTO: NOAM GALAI/GETTY

The joke’s not on Jennifer Lopez anymore.

In her new Netflix documentary Halftime, the multi-hyphenate artist touches on how she was often mocked for her figure — in particular, her behind — in the media and otherwise.

“I grew up around women with curves, so it was nothing ever I was ashamed of,” Lopez, 52, says in the documentary.

But when she started out in the entertainment industry, “the beauty ideal was very thin, blonde, tall, not a lot of curves,” she explained.

“It was hard when you think people think you’re a joke — like, you’re a punchline,” Lopez said. “But I wound up affecting things in a way that I never intended to affect them.”

Jennifer Lopez. RICH POLK/GETTY Jennifer Lopez Recalls Struggling with Self-Doubt Early in Her Career: “I Just Kept Going”

The actress and singer also recalled feeling like the media’s desire to “cover my personal life overshadowed everything that was happening in my career.”

“I just had a really low self-esteem,” Lopez said. “I really believed a lot of what they said, which is I wasn’t any good — that I wasn’t a good singer, I wasn’t a good actress, I wasn’t a good dancer. I wasn’t good at anything. I just didn’t even belong here. Why wouldn’t I just go away?”

In an interview for the documentary, the star’s fiancé Ben Affleck recalled, “I said to [Jennifer] once, ‘Doesn’t this bother you?’ And she said, ‘I’m Latina, I’m a woman; I expected this. You just don’t expect it. You expect to be treated fairly.’ ”

“There were many times where I was like, ‘I think I’m just gonna quit,’ ” Lopez said. “I had to really figure out who I was and believe in that and not believe anything else.”

Halftime premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival days after Lopez accepted the Generation Award during the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

Taking the stage at Los Angeles’ Barker Hangar to accept her golden popcorn trophy, the Marry Me actress said in her emotional speech, “I want to thank all the people who gave me this life. I want to thank the people who gave me joy, and the ones who broke my heart.”

“The ones who were true, and the ones who lied to me,” Lopez continued. “I want to thank true love, and I want to thank the way that I lied to myself, because that’s how I knew that I had to grow.”

The star went on to thank “disappointment and failure for teaching me to be strong,” and her children, 14-year-old twins Max and Emme, “for teaching me to love,” as she teared up and cheers rang throughout the crowd.

“I want to thank all the people who told me, to my face — or, when I wasn’t in the room — that I couldn’t do this,” Lopez added in part, through tears. “I really don’t think I could’ve done it without you.”

Halftime is streaming now on Netflix.