Jennifer Lopez appears at American Music Awards to celebrate the show's 50 years, unfazed by Ben Affleck fiasco

Jennifer Lopez celebrated the 50th anniversary of the American Music Awards, reflecting on her first appearance in 2001.

Jennifer Lopez recently appeared at the American Music Awards (AMAs) in honour of the ceremony’s 50th anniversary. During the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, which aired on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Jennifer Lopez attends the Road to the Golden Globes Party during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto on September 07, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Emma McIntyre / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)

“It's pretty incredible, right? Fifty years of the American Music Awards. I remember watching them at home when I was a little girl,” she shared in the AMAs' taped interview. Her nostalgia continued as she looked back on her very first appearance at the AMAs in 2001.

Lopez’s appearance on the special comes amid her ongoing separation from actor Ben Affleck. The pair were recently seen having lunch together with their children at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sept. 14. Despite the friendly outing, sources close to Lopez and Affleck confirm that they are “still moving forward with the divorce” and remain focused on co-parenting their children.

JLo recalls her first appearance on American Music Awards

Moving ahead in the video, laughing as footage of her performance from that year appeared on the screen, Lopez exclaimed, “What? It was so long ago — but the energy in the room was very electric.” Dressed in a pink pussy-bow silk blouse for the segment, Lopez talked about how the excitement of being part of the AMAs had stayed with her over the years.

“Winning a fan-voted award is incredibly special because it's directly from the people that you make the music for. It's just a humbling experience,” she expressed while remembering 2011 when she won the award for Favorite Latin Artist.

Lopez also took time to look back at the year she hosted the AMAs in 2015, calling the role “a huge honor.”

“I decided that I was gonna change for every time I came out there [onstage],” she explained. “We did this dance medley to all of these amazing songs from that year, and I wanted everyone to feel that love and energy.”

“Maybe I'll do it again one day. Who knows?” she expressed, and added, “Music really does have the power to heal and uplift and to connect us, and the AMAs have been showcasing that for half a century now.”

“And I'm excited for the next 50 years of music — and magic,” she concluded.