Jennifer Lopez's Parents Taught Her to Accept Herself - Facts about Them

There is a natural curiosity of Jennifer Lopez's parents, David Lopez and Guadalupe "Lupe" Rodríguez, the people who raised one of the world's biggest movie stars and musicians.

One of Jennifer Lopez's most famous songs, "Jenny from the Block," is about knowing where she comes from, the Bronx. Her parents infused the values of being proud of who she is and her background.

Her mom and dad are very proud of her but were "freaking out" with the rest of the world after the star wore the infamous green Versace scarf dress to the Grammys. Her father called her up in shock at the time, but he appreciates the cultural impact it had now.

Jennifer Lopez's Parents Separated after 33 Years of Marriage

The "Get on the Floor" hitmaker was nervous when she returned to her old neighborhood for a magazine profile in 2013. Her parents moved out of the house in 1998.

She did not want to knock on her old front door, as the last time she walked through it was when her father assembled the family to announce that he and Guadalupe were ending their marriage of 33 years.

Guadalupe and David are originally from Puerto Rico, and they came to the United States at a young age and did not speak Spanish.

Growing up in New York, Jennifer's only family members who spoke Spanish were her two grandmothers, who came from Ponce, Puerto Rico.

The former Fly Girl has been a high achiever since her elementary school days.

When she filmed her breakout role as the lead in the bio picture on Selena Quintanilla in the late '90s, the star actively worked to improve her grasp of the language so she would not be embarrassed during Spanish interviews.

Jennifer's father worked long hours as a computer technician for a Union Square insurance company. Her mother was a kindergarten teacher with a side hustle as a "Tupperware lady" to provide for their daughters. She has an older sister Lynda Lopez and a younger sibling Leslie Lopez.

The "Maid in Manhattan" actress told W magazine in 2013 that she thinks a lot about teaching her then-five-year-olds the value of hard work. She realized that children learn by watching and not listening, having watched her own parents as a child:

"My dad worked nights, and I was aware of how much he was doing for us. […] I always felt that I couldn't let them down. And I had a natural discipline from early on. I was always training for something."

Jennifer Lopez's Parents Instilled in Her That She Could Do Anything

The former Fly Girl has been a high achiever since her elementary school days, where she ran track, and her parents' support gave her the confidence and drive to do so. Jennifer said in a New York magazine profile in 1999:

"It was my parents who instilled in me that even though we were from where we were from and were who we were as far as nationality went, we were just as beautiful and smart and intelligent as anybody else in this country – that I could do anything."

She credits her parents and family for making her feel like she "was worth something." As one of the few Latinas in an industry that held very narrow Eurocentric beauty standards, she was taught that she did not have to be an "anyone other" than who she was.

Jennifer Lopez Is Close to Her Mom

At 18, Jennifer and her mom "butted heads" and "had a break" from each other when she moved out. The "I'm Real" singer was not interested in going to college and instead slept in a dance studio as she pursued a professional dance career.

In the aftermath of her rebellious teen years, Jennifer and Lupe are much closer. Mother and daughter did a holiday campaign for Coach in 2020 with Jennifer's twins. It was a great shoot for Lupe, who said that having always watched her daughter from the audience, working with her is "special."

Lupe has always been in 'Bennifer's' corner. She went with her daughter on "TODAY" in May 2023 and revealed that she knew her middle child would get back together with Ben Affleck because she "prayed for 20 years."

Jennifer Lopez's Father Is a Scientologist

Since Leah Remini left the Church of Scientology in 2013, the actress and a friend of Jennifer has set out to expose what she deems abuses by the organization. "The Cell" actress' father has an association of over three decades with Scientology. Remini called out the church's hypocrisy in 2017:

"The [practice] of Scientology says [Jennifer Lopez's] father should be disconnecting from her because she's connected to me. And that hasn't happened."

Remini insisted that she did not want Jennifer's family to experience a break from David. However, it is common practice for Scientologists not to have contact with family members not part of the church.

The Church of Scientology refuted the allegations of "The King of Queens" actress that their members are encouraged to disconnect from people outside the organization, labeling it a "typical Leah Remini stunt."

Jennifer did not comment on the article, but she has shared in the past how proud David has always been of her. The retired computer technician has an innate understanding of his daughter's celebrity.

Jennifer Lopez recalled in an interview the reassurance he once gave her, "He said to me one time, he goes, 'I just want you to know of all the people in the world, there's one person who just loves you and doesn't want anything from you. You have that in your life.'"

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