Lopez began her career as a dancer, making her television debut as a Fly Girl on the sketch comedy series ''In Living Color'' in 1991. She later rose to prominence as an actress, with leading roles in the films ''Selena'' (1997), ''Anaconda'' (1997) and ''Out of Sight'' (1998) establishing her as the highest-paid Latin actress. She successfully ventured into the music industry with her debut album ''On the 6'' (1999). In 2001, she became the first woman to simultaneously have the number one album and film in the United States with her second album ''J.Lo'' and romantic comedy ''The Wedding Planner''. She has since become known for starring in romantic comedies, including ''Maid in Manhattan'' (2002), ''Shall We Dance?'' (2004), and ''Monster-in-Law'' (2005). Lopez released two albums in 2002: ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'' and ''This Is Me... Then'', the former becoming the first remix album to top the US ''Billboard'' 200.
Media scrutiny and the failure of her film ''Gigli'' (2003) preceded a career downturn. Her subsequent albums included ''Rebirth'' (2005) and ''Como Ama una Mujer'' (2007); the latter broke first-week sales records for a debut Spanish album. In 2011, Lopez returned to prominence as a judge on ''American Idol'' and released the album ''Love?''. In the latter 2010s, she performed a concert residency, starred in the police drama series ''Shades of Blue'' (2016–2018), served as a judge on ''World of Dance'' (2017–2020), and garnered critical praise for her performance in the crime drama ''Hustlers'' (2019). She has since starred in the films ''Marry Me'' (2022), ''The Mother'' (2023) and ''This Is Me... Now: A Love Story'' (2024).