Jennifer Lopez says Ayo Edebiri apologized for podcast comments “with tears in her eyes”
Edebiri previously called out her fellow SNL musical guest for "not singing" on most of her songs
Aux News Ayo Edebiri
It sounds like Ayo Edebiri learned from her own mistakes that “podcasts are forever” and “authenticity is dangerous and expensive,” even before Tina Fey gave Bowen Yang the same advice on his own podcast last week. After negative comments that the Bottoms actor had made about Jennifer Lopez re-emerged ahead of their shared Saturday Night Live slot earlier this month, Jennifer Lopez says that Edebiri was genuinely sorry for her behavior.
“She was mortified and very sweet,” Lopez said in a recent interview with Variety. “She came to my dressing room and apologized with tears in her eyes, saying how terrible it was that she had said those things. She felt really badly and loved my performance because we had just done my soundcheck and she actually got to hear me perform. She was just like, ‘I’m so fucking sorry, it was so awful of me.’”
In 2020, Edebiri appeared in an episode of the Scam Goddess podcast, in which host Laci Mosley claimed that Lopez’s “whole career” was “one long scam.” “I think she thinks that she’s still good, even though she’s not singing for most of these songs,” Edebiri responded. “A lot of the write-ups of the songs will be like, ‘J.Lo didn’t have time to make it to the studio.’ Like, ‘J.Lo was busy.’ Doing what? Not singing, obviously.”
There’s a lot to process here. First of all, did Edebiri really have to apologize for this? It wasn’t really all that awful of her to say in the first place. It’s not like nobody shares her opinion. She even said Lopez’s music is still good! Also, it’s unclear whether the alleged apology really went down the way Lopez said it did. Later in the Variety interview, Lopez added that she’d “heard similar things said about me throughout my career, so it really didn’t affect me.” Then why expose the moment at all? The whole thing—especially the apology with tears bit—reads a little like a fake Reddit post where everyone stood up and clapped.
Neither Edebiri nor her team have addressed the apology publicly, save for her cheeky “learn from me” comment on the aforementioned Las Culturistas clip and a meta sketch on SNL in which she claimed that “from now on, we’re going to be a lot more thoughtful about what we post online.” (The A.V. Club also reached out to Edebiri’s reps for comment on this story.) We may never really know what happened in that hallowed Studio 8H dressing room, but hopefully this whole incident doesn’t dissuade Edebiri from being funny and honest about her own industry in the future. Her Letterboxd reviews are too precious to lose.
65 Comments
Sounds very Trump-like. “He came up to me, and with tears in his eyes he said…”
Ok it wasn’t just me.
100% I bet this one wasn’t bullshit, tho.
“Big actress, strong actress…”
I was about to make this comment: “She came to me and with tears in her eyes, said, ‘Ma’am! I’m so sorry for how I treated you, Ma’am! You’re the greatest singer of our age Ma’am and you’re work in Monster-In-Law was much better than in Out of Sight, which you were also terrific in, Ma’am…”
“It was beautiful, it was perfect…”
“came up to me like a dog”
I enjoy Ayo a lot and have absolutely no problems with her myself but the internet seems to want to hold her up as being above it all. People don’t want to believe that the apology was real, or that it happened at all, because we want to believe Ayo isn’t just a continuation of Hollywood as we know it, but… she was actively excited to host SNL. She didn’t ruffle any feathers, and she even popped up in the cold open with Nikki Haley. Yeah, her role was to call her out for her Civil War gaffe, but it’s not like the skit actually took her to task.
Edebiri didn’t say Lopez’s music is still good. She said Lopez still seems to THINK her own music is good. Also what do you mean what Edebiri said wasn’t that bad? She was making claims that J-Lo straight up is not performing on her own tracks, unless I’m reading this wrong. That seems like a strong accusation.Is this some general knowledge I’m supposed to know about? The tweet you linked to is just an account saying “WE WON” about J-Lo possibly retiring from music. There’s no other context.Looking into it further, it seems like there is info out there about at least some of Lopez’s music being predominantly sung by other artists, at least the choruses and ad-libs on some songs. Would have been nice if the article mentioned that at all and explained the background behind Edebiri’s initial claims, instead of just acting like it’s already established knowledge.
I’m sure J-Lo does ‘perform’ on her own tracks. Just as I’m sure an army of producers, engineers, song-doctors and record company people write all the songs, play all the music, scratch all the records, mix all the tracks and autotune her performance. And I’m sure J-Lo thinks it’s all wonderful.
Can’t wait for my tearful meeting with Her Royal J-Lo-ness.
You sure got some weird sad little beef with Lopez
You sure got some weird hilariously sad little beef with The Caffeine Spider. Like, seriously, cool, is someone paying you to do this?
I think we all realize on some level that jennifer lopez is a fraud
First of all, did Edebiri really have to apologize for this?Has Lopez ever apologized for the countless underlings and “nobodies” that she’s treated like complete shit her entire career? No? Then, no, Edebiri didn’t need to apologize. I wish she would would’ve doubled down instead.
Not seeing where those two issues connect in any meaningful way.
“I think she thinks that she’s still good,” [Edebiri is quoted as saying.] First of all, did Edebiri really have to apologize for this? […] She even said Lopez’s music is still good!Actually, that is not even close to what she said. I know there are no more editors on this site but do y’all even read what you wrote back again before you publish?
um…uh…I wanna say…”No”.
i mean, what are the odds that you randomly make fun of someone on a podcast and then, when you’re hosting snl, they’re the musical guest. it’s just too funny. i can’t imagine jlo gave 1% of 1 shit and i bet the tears were completely fake. all that for a 6/10 episode, too.
#EdibiriSaidNothingWrong
Probably, but let’s keep in mind that just because something is true doesn’t mean it needs to be said.
Kind of feel like this needed to be said though. Lopez has consistently tried to sell us a lie about both her talent and her authenticity. Why should we just accept that in the name of civility?
Because it is Jennifer fucking Lopez we are talking about. If you were ever confused about this, that is on you.
Because why should we give a shit? If she feels like she’s talented (and she is in some ways) and if she feels like she’s being authentic to who she is, why do you care whether it meets your personal definition of “talent” or “authenticity” (especially given the fact that you don’t know who she is enough to determine whether she’s being authentic or not)? “Accept” what? Someone feeling good about themselves? Yeah we should accept that.And at the end of the day, if you feel it needs to be said and you wouldn’t feel bad saying it to her face, then by all means you are free to say it to her face. Edebiri is a mature grown up who realized that maybe every thought in your head doesn’t need a public home, and she felt like apologizing. Good for her.
Jennifer Lopez’s career is being hot, a good actress, and an exceptional dancer who can sing on key.That’s it. That’s why she’s rich. It’s not a scam, it’s called having a job.
#EdibiriWantsToBeInMoreMoviesAndGainsLessFromTalkingShitAboutFamousActorsThanSheDoesFromPlayingNice
Regardless of whether the story is embellished or not, it’s a good move for J.Lo to let Ayo off the hook. We all know fans can be really vicious about stuff like this and I’m sure Lopez has plenty.
yeah, ultimately ‘the story’ is that their PR departments came to an agreement and clearly it’s a non-issue.
I don’t know that Ayo Edebiri is big enough to have a whole department, but yeah, wouldn’t surprise me if there were talks between representatives rather than or before a director conversation.
HUZZAH for the PR departments!
Yeah, I think Laci Mosley, who hosts the podcast Ayo Edebri made her comments on, got a lot of hate online that weekend too. And apparently someone got into her old apartment or the building looking for her?
Yipes.
“First of all, did Edebiri really have to apologize for this?”I mean yeah? Which is to say I don’t think what she said is the most horrible thing in the world, and I also would guess that it’s probably true, but also, did it need to be said? No. Was it unkind? Yes. And if you were in the same room with someone you had been publicly and unnecessarily unkind to/about, wouldn’t you feel a little bit bad that you said it, and question whether hurting someone’s feelings was worth getting that opinion off your chest?Obviously no one ever “has” to apologize, but it was the mature and kind thing to do. I wouldn’t have held it against her either way, but I respect the move. I hadn’t been exposed to her before SNL, and on the show I thought she was talented and funny and I hope she has a nice long career ahead of her.“Then why expose the moment at all”Because she was trying to make sure her fans didn’t hate on Ayo about it.
It is amazing that decency and gracious are incomprehensible to so many people nowadays. Why not say sorry if you can? Why not tell people that an apology was offered in sincerity and accepted with grace? No one is shamed by this, everyone is a better person for doing it, and here you are needing to explain it like’s it’s the grammar of a foreign language.
Exactly. There’s way too much “I’m just being honest” and not enough “that’s a real person you’re talking about.”
Sure, apologize, that’s fine. But this with tears in her eyes, mortified, assuring J-Lo that she’s great and her music is still great. . .nah, this is some Oprah-level hubris.
I get tears in my eyes watching Lilo and Stitch, so I don’t know why so many people seem to doubt the possibility of someone doing so during an apology, especially if they were sincere. It’s like everyone is mistaking this for “full on bawling” instead of a slight glisten.
? ? ?
If someone literally came to me with tears in their eyes, I’d mention it just because it feels really sincere.
Why link her letterboxd account? It’s like you are encouraging people to dig up more shit on her.
Because Emma Keates is aggressively online that she can’t fathom why someone would be political about not ruffling feathers at their job.
First of all, did Edebiri really have to apologize for this?no.But this is 2024 and the internet decreed it so.
So let it be commented…so let it be.
I’m sure she was legit shitting her pants at the thought of running into J Lo in the halls and knowing that J Lo knows what she said… combined with the spine chilling realization that if J Lo wanted to, she could pretty much end your fucking career. Those were not tears of remorse they were tears of fear.
Ayo will win her second EMMY next year, for her apology to JLo.
Honestly, if the “lesson” here was to not take gratuitous shots at someone who wasn’t there to defend herself, I’d respect that. But it feels like the takeaway will be, “don’t take gratuitous shots at someone who’s still famous and well-liked enough that it could come back to hurt me.” I’m not saying she wasn’t genuinely sorry, necessarily, or that it’s the worst thing in the world to begin with, but what are the chances we don’t hear her saying something even meaner about someone else with a lower q rating in the near future?
“what are the chances we don’t hear her saying something even meaner about someone else with a lower q rating in the near future?”
Hopefully pretty good. Concluding that there’s nothing to be gained from public shit talking seems like a reasonable takeaway for a professional adult.
Jennifer Lopez can pay people to defend her. Lots of boot-licky comments on this article. Eat the rich. Especially the whiny, thin skinned ones.
Jennifer Lopez can suck it up and dry her crocodile tears with 100 dollar bills.
Low effort leftists like you are the fucking worst.
I think the lesson here is more “be very careful about sharing negative opinions of people/media in the entertainment industry.” Or at least that was the semi-serious joke Tina Fey was making when she said, “learn from Ayo, podcasts are forever” to Bowen Yang for sharing his thoughts on stuff on his podcast. Which makes for less interesting media discussion but I get that they need to err on the side of caution for the sake of their careers. I don’t know Ayo Edebri personally, but she doesn’t come off as a particularly mean spirited person. She was just a nobody comedian (at the time) joking about someone a million times more famous than her on a podcast that her friend had just started. She’s allowed to think someone kinda sucks, the issue is airing it publicly on the internet. Now, I think she knows she’s high profile enough that her opinions matter in the public sphere and she needs to keep some things to herself.
Exactly. We all talk shit about famous people, mainly on the assumption that they won’t ever really see it because why would they be paying attention to what we’re saying. I don’t think it’s just me when I say I would actually want to hurt someone’s feelings (unless they’re truly shitty), and she didn’t really want to hurt Lopez’s feelings either. She was just gossiping and having a good time. Now she knows people actually hear what she says and she’s going to keep that in mind. That’s normal. That’s normal decent human behavior and it shocks me that that’s up for debate in these comments.
“but what are the chances we don’t hear her saying something even meaner about someone else with a lower q rating in the near future”I feel like the chances are pretty high? I think she realizes that she was “young and stupid” (to quote her from SNL) and she has since matured to realize that you don’t have to say everything you’re thinking. Also I don’t feel like Jennifer Lopez is popular enough that saying something mean would come back to hurt her? I mean…she said it and she still won an Emmy and got asked to host SNL, so it doesn’t look like she suffered any consequences. Now, if she said something about Beyonce or Taylor Swift I could see it, but J. Lo is not at that level.
So Ayo is mentally ill?
“authenticity is dangerous and expensive,”
If unprovoked public shit talking is your authentic self, maybe prioritize working on that. Like this is just about being a professional. Most people don’t publically call out annoying people in their industries. They complain about it in private because they have more control over who hears it whether or not it might be held against them in the future. “ It wasn’t really all that awful of her to say in the first place. It’s not like nobody shares her opinion.”Are you seven years old? Did your parents never explain why “other people also did bad” isn’t a valid excuse?
Is this like when David Spade had a riff about Eddie Murphy on that Hollywood Minute bit?
Get laid or something jesus
Well, I’m not jesus, but I do. Try it sometime, might give you something to occupy your whatever passes for your mind.
Gee, it’s a real shame such a supposedly successful, empowered, talented, BIPOC Woman has such pathetically thin skin.
Get a job
why?
“She even said Lopez’s music is still good!”No, she didn’t? At least not from what you wrote/quoted. You quoted her as saying:““I think she thinks that she’s still good, even though she’s not singing for most of these songs,” Edebiri responded.”
Nobody ever needs to apologize for questioning or denigrating Lopez’s lack of talent in music, acting, or grasp on reality.
Sidenote, as its vaugely relevant but years ago Charlie Brooker (The Black Mirror creator) had a fantastic TV review column in the Gaurdian , where he’d absolutely rip into TV shows/silly presenters, preening movie stars etc. He got away with it as he is a geunuinely funny writer. But as he started to move up in the world (he was producing comedy shows as well as actually having gotten married to a TV presenter ) he found that he was meeting a lot of the people he’d slagged off , and mostly they were lovely , polite people , and he felt massively guillty about what he’d written .Actually heres what he said, as he’s a way better writer than me: The moment anyone appeared on screen, I struggled to find a nice way to describe their physical appearance. David Dickinson was “an ageing Thundercat”; Alan Titchmarsh resembled “something looming unexpectedly at a porthole in a Captain Nemo movie”; Nigel Lythgoe was “Eric Idle watching a dog drown”. I called Alan Sugar “Mrs Tiggywinkle” and said he reminded me of “a water buffalo straining to shit in a lake”. What a bastard. And I’m no oil painting myself, unless the painting in question depicts a heartbroken carnival mask hurriedly moulded from surgically extracted stomach fat and stretched across a damaged, despondent hubcap. I think that constitutes some form of justification.I’d like to say that I wasn’t nasty about women but I’d be lying. I wrote that Ann Widdecombe had a face like a haunted cave in Poland’……As soon as I started appearing on television myself, I began receiving invites to various industry functions and found myself too curious and big-headed not to attend. Suddenly you’re standing in a room full of people you’ve slagged off in print, and they’re not 2D screen-wraiths any more, but living, breathing, fallible humanoids, many of whom are clutching wine glasses which – should the mood turn sour – would make for fearsome improvised weapons. Once or twice I found myself in conversation with someone I’d been awful about in print, and discovered to my horror that the ruder I’d been, the warmer and more pleasant they appeared to be in the flesh. A black eel of guilt writhed in my skull. Why was I so nasty? These were TV presenters, not war criminals. Well, most of them.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/16/charlie-brooker-leaving-screen-burnSo being able to compartmentalise between the ‘celebrity’ you make fun of , and the actual person you end up chatting to at a party/opening/lift malfunction , is a tricky thing . Some comedians and writers can do it , and a lot of celebrities know the difference between mocking the ‘public’ persona , and their private one (otherwise you get things like oscar slapped), but otherwise its a tricky thing to navigate , and its the reson some writers and comics can seem a bit more reined in when they get big
No. That didn’t happen. I have a story though! I was at a small Super Bowl party 3 nights ago, and someone identified themselves as an experienced music mixer/engineer. The Dunkin ad came on. They told me that they worked on J Lo’s early albums, like her breakthrough On The 6. They confirmed ghost singers were used, and for Lopez herself, they had her sing one word at a time so they could get a clean autotune and painstakingly edit those words together into verses and choruses. This is an open secret all over the world. Do I need be killed now for being told this top secret intel?
Jesus Christ. Just say you both resolved it. No need to include details like tears in the eyes. She sounds kind of petty.