Complete History of Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey’s Alleged Feud

It is easy for people to believe that most celebrities know each other, especially after seeing the one-of-a-kind friendship between, for instance, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross or Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson.

However, that is not always the case, and what has been happening between Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez is the perfect example.

The controversy surrounding both divas began in an early 2000s interview that Carey had with a German TV channel.

"There are rivalries, but I don't think she has anything to do with me."

Mariah Carey strikes first

In it, she complimented Beyoncé, saying that she was a great writer and singer, as well as a sweet person. The interviewer then asked her for Lopez, but Carey simply replied with, “I don’t know her.”

Soon after that clip hit the Internet, it went viral. Even though “I don’t know her” might suggest that they had not met each other, people took it as if Carey said Lopez was so irrelevant that she didn’t know who she was.

Feud over music decisions?

The true reason for their so-called feud might be more related to music rather than personalities, though. The “Dinero” singer was accused of lifting ideas from two songs of Carey’s “Glitter” soundtrack back in 2001.

Carey sampled Yellow Magic Orchestra’s “Firecracker” for her single “Loverboy.” However, before she could release her song, Lopez put out “I’m Real,” for which she sampled “Firecracker,” as well.

The music publisher for “Firecracker” admitted that Mariah Carey cleared the sample first and Jennifer Lopez did it about a month later.

Apart from that, Carey got rapper Ja Rule to sing with her on “If We.” Lopez, on the other hand, made her “I’m Real” remix with Ja Rule. This remix has a style very similar to “If We.”

Carey’s ex-husband might have added fuel to the divas’ alleged feud

Tommy Mottola, Carey’s ex-husband, might have been involved in the previous problem. At that point, he was the head of Sony Music, the label that skyrocketed Lopez and Carey’s career in the early 2000s.

According to producer Irv Gotti, Mottola contacted him to do the remix of “I’m Real” adding Ja Rule on it. The producer admitted that he knew what he was doing “because we just finished the Mariah record.”

Carey and her lawyer eventually went to Mottola and asked them to let her go. If he refused, they would have talked to the “higher-ups” at the record label to tell them what he had done to her.

The strategy worked, and Carey was released from her contract and signed with Virgin/EMI.

Carey’s thoughts on their supposed rivalry

In a 2002 interview with Larry King, he asked whether or not the reports of the alleged rivalry between both divas bothered Carey. She replied in a way that many considered “rude.”

"There are rivalries, but I don't think she has anything to do with me. I mean, my whole thing is singing, writing songs."

After King said that Lopez was an actress, too, Carey added that singing was “first and foremost” in her career, labeling her talent as “God-given.” As per Lopez’s, “her thing is something different.”

Jennifer Lopez’s diplomatic approach

Jennifer Lopez has been more diplomatic than Mariah Carey throughout the years, even denying the existence of a feud. In a 2014 interview that J.Lo had with Andy Cohen, she pointed out that she didn’t have any hard feelings against Carey.

Apart from that, Lopez confessed that they had not met each other at that point, adding that she had always been Carey’s fan. “'My All’ is one of my favorite songs of all time,” Lopez said.

However, some people consider that the “Shades of Blue” actress was lying as she was caught using her phone during Carey’s performance at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards.

A year later, while talking to Andy Cohen on his show, Lopez defended herself saying that it was a long performance, that she watched “a lot of it,” and that she might have looked down for “one second.”

In 2016, Lopez changed her version a bit during a conversation with Wendy Williams. She said that she and Carey met “many times” in the past, but Carey didn’t recall, even labeling her as “forgetful.”

The most recent “issues” between the divas

Carey heard about Lopez’s comment and, during an interview with Andy Cohen later that year, she said that they might have been briefly introduced but never interacted, adding that “apparently, I’m forgetful.”

Cohen asked her if Lopez seems like a cool person, but Carey repeated that she didn’t know her. "It wasn't like I don't know who she is — of course, I do,” pointed out the “One Sweet Day” singer.

In 2018, Carey tried to explain the reason she said “I don’t know her” in the first place saying that she tried to say something nice or nothing at all.

So far, their relationship has not got any better or worse. Fans can be sure about one thing, though: Mariah Carey will not be invited to Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez upcoming wedding.