Jennifer Lopez made a pointed remark about raising her twins, Max and Emme, suggesting she did it with “very little help” as the pair prepare to start college. The comment lands against a backdrop of Marc Anthony not appearing to attend Emme’s graduation (Emme
Jennifer Lopez looked back on the long road to her twins’ graduation the way parents do when the noise fades and the milestones finally land.
At 56. she recently watched Max and Emme—now 18-year-olds—walk out of high school and prepare to move toward college in the fall. Speaking on the SmartLess podcast. Lopez said the experience has been “emotional. ” and that the moment helped her “appreciate it for what it is and what I’ve created for myself and be really happy.”.
She then described juggling motherhood with her career, framing it as something she carried largely alone. “It’s crazy,” she told hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. “And now I can really look at my life… And be really happy.”
When the conversation shifted to what it took to get her kids to the next stage. Lopez made the dig that has since moved through fan circles. “And both my kids got into all their colleges and they both got scholarships and they’re going where they want to go. ” she said. Then she added a blunt line about the support she received—or didn’t.
“It’s just … I was like, ‘You did that [expletive] all by yourself.’ That’s great. Like, ‘You had very little help,’ you know?”
For Lopez, the line isn’t just about logistics. It’s a statement about credit, effort, and who was there during the years it took to reach this point.
Her twins’ path to this moment sits inside a complicated family picture. Lopez was married to Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2011, with their divorce finalized in 2014. They agreed to joint legal and physical custody of Max and Emme.
And even before college planning turned into celebration, questions have followed Marc’s presence around these specific graduations.
Lopez’s comment comes as Marc Anthony appeared to skip Emme’s graduation last month. Emme now goes by Oskar. He also wasn’t spotted at Max’s high school graduation earlier this month.
When the couple split, Lopez and Anthony issued a joint statement that read: “This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”
In the years since, the public record has offered different versions of what fatherhood looked like for Anthony—especially as his career moved fast.
When he spoke about fatherhood in 2016, Anthony admitted he wasn’t around as much as he wanted to be. “The one regret would be that what I chose to do took so much of my time… What I would have done to have been a stay-at-home dad. and you know. witnessed every second of everything. I would have loved that. Didn’t work out that way,” he told CBS’ Sunday Morning.
He added: “It’s the one thing that just tugs at me going and — that’s the biggest sacrifice. And you start to wonder was it all worth it. Was it worth it? You know, on that level.”
At the same time, Anthony’s life outside the Lopez marriage has expanded. When he married Jennifer, he already had children Arianna, 31, Chase, 35, Cristian, 25, and Ryan, 22, from previous relationships. He is now married to Nadia Ferreira, and they have a son, Marco, born in 2023. He and Ferreira are also expected to soon welcome their second child, a daughter.
Lopez’s own story with Anthony stretches back beyond their marriage. According to her memoir True Love. she first met the musician while he was performing in Paul Simon’s 1998 Broadway musical The Capeman. At the time. Anthony reportedly told her: “One day you’re going to be my wife.” They both pursued other relationships in the years that followed. yet they stayed close as friends and collaborators. often working together on music projects.
In the end. the scene that matters most right now is the one playing out behind Lopez’s words: two kids stepping into adulthood. armed with college admissions and scholarships. while a family dispute over whose hands carried them here keeps resurfacing—through what was said. and through what wasn’t seen.
Jennifer Lopez Marc Anthony Max Emme Oskar SmartLess podcast twins graduation joint custody scholarships