Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About Reading Negative Comments
During the discussion, both Lopez, 56, and Paltrow, 53, agreed that stepping away from social media from time to time is essential for their mental health. That then led the Hustlers star to open up about reading what people say about her online – something the Sliding Doors actress said she actively avoids...
"I try to never read anything about myself. Full stop. Ever. Period," Paltrow declared. The Kiss of the Spider Woman actress appeared surprised by that approach, admitting she'll sometimes read things about herself if they're positive.
"Wait, not anything about yourself? Ever? Period?" she asked, in disbelief, adding: "Because I don't read reviews of my films either, but people will bring it to you when it's good and you're like, 'Oh, nice.' But there's other things they'll bring you...."
This then led to the ladies talking about the negative comments, with the Contagion actress saying: "Sometimes I'll come upon it," prompting Lopez to jump in with a blunt response: "And you want to die."
"Want to die!" Paltrow exclaimed, in agreement, before continuing: "Like when someone forwards you a link to something really horrible about yourself, and they're like, 'Oh, this is [expletive]' I do try to avoid [that kind of stuff.] I deleted Instagram."
Blunt agreed about the benefits of stepping away from social media every now and again for the sake of your mental health, chiming in with a simple: "Me too." The "Love Don't Cost a Thing" singer concluded: "You need to cleanse every once in a while."
Jennifer Lopez Says She Feels Misunderstood By The Public
The "On the Floor" hitmaker also spoke about feeling misunderstood by the public – particularly when it comes to her career choices – explaining that she has experienced criticism from the very beginning of her career.
She reflected: "Even when I started acting and I had done my early films, Out of Sight and Selena, and then decided I wanted to record music, and it was such a big deal. People were like, 'They're never going take you seriously as an actor ever again.'"
"But that's the thing," Lopez continued. "Everybody's always trying to tell you: 'You can only do this,' or 'You can only do that.' I had my perfume line. I had my clothing lines. I have my JLo Beauty now. You have to just do what feels good for you. It doesn't mean it's for everybody."
She went on to talk about what she has planned for her professional future, adding: "I still want to direct. I still want to write more books. And I don't ever feel like there's somebody who can say to me, 'No, you can't.'"
Jennifer Lopez On Blocking Out The Noise
The Shotgun Wedding actress described herself as "a lightning rod for nice things and a lot of negativity," admitting that the seemingly endless cycle of public approval and criticism can be exhausting.
"It's hard because you say to yourself, 'These people don't get me. They don't see me. They don't understand me.' Then all of a sudden they do. And then they don't again," she admitted, before going on to reflect on her early career.
"Even from when I was very young, I would always say, 'I know who I am. I'm a good person. I know what I'm doing.' People wouldn't hire me if I wasn't good at what I do," she noted, adding that having a strong support system helped ground her throughout her career.
"I was always affirming myself and keeping my feet on the ground. Luckily, I had a great mom and dad who really instilled in me a sense of self," she said, before concluding: "I'd have to block out the noise so I can put my head on the pillow at night and go, 'I did good today. I was a good person. I was kind to people. I worked really hard. I'm a good mom.' That has always helped me through."