Why Jennifer Lopez Skipped the 2026 Critics Choice Awards

THE RUNDOWN

Jennifer Lopez wasn’t at this evening’s Critics Choice Awards.
Her project, Kiss of the Spider Woman, had just one nomination in a non-acting category.
Lopez has been busy this week, performing the first four shows of her Las Vegas residency.

Jennifer Lopez’s film Kiss of the Spider Woman has just one nomination at tonight’s Critics Choice Awards for Best Costume Design. Understandably, that wasn’t enough to bring Lopez out to the Santa Monica, California ceremony, especially considering she just wrapped up the first weekend of her Las Vegas residency. The star did four nights of shows on December 30, 31, and January 2 and 3.

Kiss of the Spider Woman doesn’t have any nominations at next weekend’s Golden Globes, either, giving Lopez the chance to take a break before she continues her residency in early March. (You can buy tickets here.)

In October, Lopez spoke to NPR about how her role in Kiss of the Spider Woman marked a milestone for her: her first musical. “It’s wild because you have a long career if you’re lucky enough,” she said. “But these roles like this, for me, and for people like me, don’t come around every day. You know, the last time I had a big role like this, filled with music and just an epic story, was [1997’s] Selena.”

She detailed how they shot the musical numbers in one take, noting that director Bill Condon “was very, very adamant that we shoot this musical in the style of a ’50s musical—and what they would do is they would create these long shots. So he was like, ‘One of the reasons that I wanted you so badly for this role was because I know you can perform a number from beginning to end. Like, you could do it from top to bottom perfect.’”

Lopez said she “wanted to do [the role] so badly,” adding, “When you get a role like this, it’s like, you can leave no crumbs on the floor. Like, you have to dig so deep into it. So I guess it showed me we could do it quickly, you know, and that you don’t have to have all the time to make something a really great piece of art. But it would have been nice to have a little more time [since the film was shot in just weeks].”

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