The award caps off a banner year for the 'Hustlers' star.
Jennifer Lopez is ending 2020 on a high note. At this year’s E! People’s Choice Awards, she was honored with the People’s Icon Award (here's the complete People's Choice Awards winners list) and was left teary-eyed by some sweet, surprise messages from her kids and a few famous friends.
After a heartfelt introduction from Armie Hammer -- and a montage of career highlights showcasing why she was such a deserving recipient for the celebrated honor -- Lopez took the stage at Barker Hangar in a stunning, red ensemble.
However, before she could accept the honor, she was surprised with some messages from a few important people in her life -- including Renee Zellweger and Nicole Kidman, who both shared heartfelt memories.
However, it was a special remote video message from her 12-year-old twins -- Emme and Max -- that got Lopez to tear up. He adorable children told her how much they loved her, and she couldn't hold back her emotions.
"2020 was no joke, right?" Lopez said, as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I mean before 2020, we were obsessing about winning this award, getting nominated for that award. We were caught up on who sold the most records or who had the biggest box office opening."
"But this year was the great leveler. It showed us what mattered, what didn't, and for me, reinforced what matters most: people. All of us," Lopez continued.
The celebrated entertainer also reflected on the challenges she's faced throughout her career, which have made this Icon Award even more special.
"Sometimes my big dreams and my ambitions made the people around me nervous," Lopez shared. "People would say, 'You're a dancer, you can't be an actress. You're an actress, what, you want to sing? You're an artist, you won't be taken seriously as a businesswoman.'"
"The more they said I couldn't, the more I knew that I had to," she added. "So now, here I stand, so very grateful, knowing that the true measure of my success is not in box office numbers or records sold but from the love that I feel from all of you."
After Lopez thanked her fans, she exited the stage as video recordings played on the screens, featuring messages of love and appreciation from celebs including Kim Kardashian, Kerry Washington, Jane Fonda, Matthew McConaughey and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The Hustlers star began the year with a buzzy awards season run and an even buzzier Super Bowl performance, but she’s shown no signs of slowing down -- even amid the COVID-19 pandemic that derailed her dream 2020 wedding plans.
Over the past few months, she’s released not one but two singles alongside her Marry Me co-star, Maluma, launched a new DSW shoe line, and starred in a new Coach campaign with her kids. All while using her platform to urge fans to stay safe, vote, get politically engaged and yes, even partake in a TikTok challenge or two.
“I can do anything,” the ‘Pa Ti’ singer recently shared. “Let me play the president of the United States! You should let me play, you know, whatever. I should be able to do that and that's always been my goal with my career, is to show diversity in the different things and characters that I could play.”
That speaks precisely to what earned the superstar this latest award. "Jennifer Lopez has an unmatched global appeal and for more than two decades, has given us some of the most iconic, unforgettable performances of all time," Jen Neal, General Manager of E! News, Live Events & Lifestyle Digital, said.
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