Jennifer Lopez Reflects on ‘Selena’s’ Impact and Vows to Keep “Pushing for Inclusivity” While Accepting Equity in Entertainment Award at THR Women in Entertainment Gala

Jennifer Lopez teared up as she was honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award at The Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment gala breakfast on Wednesday, presented by Lifetime.

The Kiss of the Spider Woman star choked up as she took the stage to accept the award, noting that she was “so humbled” and didn’t know how she would “follow that, what [Kerry Washington] just said” in her introductory speech. Kerry Washington presented Lopez with the honor, having received the Equity in Entertainment Award two years prior in 2023.

“Thank you to The Hollywood Reporter for this Equity in Entertainment Award. I really am honored,” she began. “When we talk about equity in entertainment, I, like so many others in this room, speak from experience.

Lopez recounted the beginnings of her career, noting that she often felt like the “underdog” and “saw how stereotypes tr[ied] to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do.”

“In the early days of my career, I often felt like that underdog. You know, that Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx who was kind of wasn’t supposed to be in the room, let alone the center of it,” she recalled. “I was told in 100 different ways what roles people like me were expected to play, and I played some of those roles. I saw how stereotypes try to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do. And then Selena came along.”

Lopez noted that Selena was a “film that changed the course of my career,” while thanking “trailblazers like Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Dolores Del Rio, Katie Huvado — Latina women who opened doors long before I ever dreamed of this career.”

“Yet, decades later, there was still resistance to a Latina leading a studio movie and having to work so incredibly hard to prove that we can carry romantic comedies and thrillers and command stage,” she said. “Hoping that with each role, the myth of it can’t be done, evaporated just a little bit more, that representation rearranges the boundaries of imagination for a new generation.”

The Equity in Entertainment Award honors those who amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry. The award was established in 2016, with past honorees including Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, Ryan Murphy, Amy Pascal, Nina Jacobson and Selma Blair.

The “Let’s Get Loud” singer noted that West Side Story was one of many “films that shaped me,” continuing on to explain why she is “so proud to be part of the Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

“Manuel Puig wrote that groundbreaking novel in the 1970s: A story about two prisoners, one queer and one political, sharing a cell and discovering connection in the darkest of times and the smallest of spaces. It is about imagination as survival, empathy as rebellion and humanity as liberation,” Lopez noted. “At its core, it’s about loving each other, remembering that love was the thing. Manuel did this at a time when portraying the queer protagonist as complex, flawed, brave and quite simply human was nothing short of revolutionary.

She continued: “There’s a reason, I think, that the story keeps getting adapted, keeps getting told. It is more relevant than ever in 2025. Unfortunately, repression doesn’t stay in the past. It morphs, it shifts, it shows up in new forms and reminds us that identity, sexuality, power and humanity are not simple boxes to check. They are lived experiences that demand compassion and nuance.”

The singer-actress additionally spoke about the significance of the name of the award in her speech: “Equity in entertainment is a relay, I think. You know, someone hands you a story, a role, an opportunity, and you pass it forward hopefully farther, and in my very flawed and human in a human way, I have tried to be intentional and honor.”

“Benny Medina did that for me with Selena. He took a huge risk and changed my life,” Lopez continued. “And I remember that when I’m advocating for stories that reflect our multifaceted realities, pushing for inclusivity that goes beyond tokenism and fostering authentic connection and understanding, trying hard to ensure our screens reflect the kaleidoscope of human experience where no one is relegated to the program. We did that boldly decades before we had phrases like representation matters.”

The two-time Grammy nominee noted the importance of platforming stories of those “whose experiences have too often been labeled niche, when they are anything but.”

She added, “I have tried to choose stories that show the fullness of who we are. Latinos, yes, but also Black and brown talent, indigenous artists, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrants, women, non-binary, people with disabilities.”

“All I have ever wanted is to help people get the visibility, resources and respect they deserve,” Lopez said. “This award is not just a reminder of how far we’ve come, it’s a reminder of the work still ahead and it requires all of us, the storytellers, the executives, the dreamers, the disruptors and every person in this room who is brave enough to keep going.”

To conclude her speech, Lopez thanked THR and vowed to continue to “keep pushing, keep imagining, keep insisting on a world where everyone gets to take up space. Let’s keep telling stories like Kiss of the Spider Woman that liberate people long before the world realizes how desperately it needs them.”

Before she took the stage, Washington gave a touching introductory speech where she noted that she and Lopez were both from the Bronx and attended the same Girls & Boys Club in their youth. The Scandal star, too, noted how much Lopez has inspired her throughout her career.

“I honestly didn’t think I had what it took. I mean, Jennifer was different. She was always gorgeous, always a phenom. When her star started to rise, nobody in the neighborhood was surprised. She was always a supernova,” Washington said. “When Jennifer left the Bronx to move out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment, she taught me what creative courage looks like. And when she started to appear every Sunday night on our TV screens as a fly girl during In Living Color, she taught me the value of chasing my own unique dreams. When she blew audiences away in Selena and then in movie after movie after movie, she taught me to make room in my heart and in my imagination for what to anyone else might seem impossible.”

“I couldn’t imagine myself on the cover of magazines, or doing beauty campaigns or at fancy awards breakfasts, so when my star started to rise, I struggled a lot. Inevitably I would do some photoshoot or an interview and when it came out, the visibility would send me into a panic,” she added. “But sometimes, on a lucky day or maybe on a day when my therapy was working, I would remember to think of Jennifer and I would say, ‘Jen does this. She was doing! And I knew her!’ She was one of us. She was out there taking risks and being bold and breaking records and making history, and if she could do all that, maybe I could get out of bed and go to another audition despite my feelings that I wasn’t enough.”

Washington added: “It might sound like hyperbole but I am telling you: Without Jennifer Lopez, there is no Kerry Washington. But here’s the crazier reality — I am one of millions of people who feel that way.  This award is so fitting for Jennifer, the Equity in Entertainment award, because it is for someone who promotes and amplifies the voices of underrepresented communities in this industry. Jennifer has always used her platform to represent the beauty and humanity of her community and to create endless opportunities for others to do the same.”

Rachel Sennott served as the host of Wednesday’s breakfast alongside additional speakers of Dakota Johnson, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, Sarah Paulson, Goldie Hawn, Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney. While Lopez received the Equity in Entertainment Award, Gwyneth Paltrow was honored with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, presented by Robert Downey Jr.

In attendance on Wednesday were roughly 30 high school juniors and seniors who are participants in THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program, which matches young women from underserved schools in L.A. with trailblazing female executives in film and TV.

The breakfast gala was sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Medicube, Reyka Vodka, Seven Bucks Productions and in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Gersh, Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University.