Jennifer Lopez's Absence from the Infamous MTV VMAs Kiss: Movie Over Madness

Jennifer Lopez was nowhere to be found during the explosive 2003 MTV VMAs kiss between Britney Spears and Madonna because she was tied up filming a movie.

Lopez revealed, “I was working on a movie, ‘Shall We Dance,’ at the same time, and they just wouldn’t let me out of the movie,” during an episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”

The 56-year-old star was originally slated to join the two pop icons in a sultry medley of “Like a Virgin,” a role that ultimately fell to Christina Aguilera.

Lopez recounted rehearsals, stating, “We rehearsed and everything,” and mentioned visiting Madonna’s house to prepare for the performance.

“It was me, her and Britney,” Lopez recalled, describing a scene where Madonna played guitar while they sang together.

Despite the unforgettable kiss that defined the performance, Lopez confirmed she did not practice any onstage smooch. “But [Madonna] said that that’s what she wanted to do,” Lopez explained. “It was a thing, like, ‘We’re going to get married, I’m going to be the groom, you guys are going to sing.’ I was the one who was going to come out first and sing ‘Like a Virgin.'”

Lopez admitted, “I couldn’t really remember what it was, but it was something like that.”

While the crew of “Shall We Dance” allowed her “on the weekend to go meet with” Madonna, they ultimately denied her permission to leave for the actual show.

The performance that went down in history featured Spears, Madonna, and Aguilera dressed in wedding-themed outfits, delivering renditions of “Like a Virgin” and “Hollywood,” culminating in a three-way kiss that stunned viewers.

Missy Elliott later joined the trio for her hit “Work It.”

In January 2022, Madonna expressed her desire to recreate the kiss with Spears during an Instagram Live session, exclaiming, “Hell yeah! Stadium, baby! Me and Britney, what about that?”

Months later, in June 2022, Spears locked lips with Madonna again while celebrating her marriage to Sam Asghari.