Jennifer Lopez Was Almost Part Of This Historic VMAs Performance But Was Forced To Turn It Down

Madonna's kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, during her 2003 MTV Video Music Awards performance, still has fans talking today, but things almost unfolded differently. According to singer/actor Jennifer Lopez, she was supposed to take Aguilera's spot before a previous filming obligation forced a change of plans. "I was working on a movie, 'Shall We Dance,' at the same time, and they just wouldn't let me out of the movie," she revealed during a June 2026 episode of "Watch What Happens Live." However, she still tried really hard to make things work, even meeting with Madonna and Spears to rehearse on the weekends. Ugh, can you imagine?

This new VMAs lore supports previous accounts of the controversial performance. For example, MTV Music Group President Van Toffler once admitted that neither Aguilera nor Spears was Madonna's first choice to kiss for her VMAs performance. "J. Lo was in the mix," he shared with Entertainment Weekly in September 2012. "That didn't happen." But convincing Spears and Aguilera, who'd been feuding for years, was no walk in the park. "They had history, so it was not easy to get them together on the stage." Fortunately, everything worked out in the end — thanks to Madonna's influence. "Both Britney and Christina obviously respected Madonna, so only she could pull that off," he continued, adding, "You have to have that kind of pull."

Jennifer Lopez's schedule may have prevented her from making history with Madonna at the 2003 VMAs, but it's not like she hasn't had plenty of her own iconic moments at award shows over the years. For example, Lopez made fashion history in the green Versace dress she flaunted at the 2000 Grammy Awards. The controversial awards show outfit, which left little to the imagination, still remains a divisive topic to this day (though most agree it was absolutely fab). And she's not quite done with it yet. "I'm gonna make a promise right now. I'm gonna wear it in 20 years," she told fans during an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in May 2026. "And it's gonna look good. You're not gonna hate it." We have no doubt!

Lopez also got her stage kiss, too. In 2025, the multi-hyphenate, who served as the host of the American Music Awards, kissed two of her backup dancers — one man and one woman — while performing a 23-song medley. Unsurprisingly, the spicy showcase went viral online, and in true J. Lo fashion, sparked a bit of backlash. One user on X wrote, "She'll do anything to make headlines and stay relevant. She's like Madonna in that way."

But Lopez wasn't moved by any of the negativity. "I hear the kisses are going viral," she cheekily told Extra after the performance. "I thought it went really, really well." Ever the perfectionist, however, she did admit that she noticed things about the performance she wanted to change. "I always feel like, 'I could've gotten this little piece, or that little piece.'"