Fans Greatly 'Disappointed' in Jennifer Lopez After She Launches Controversial Product: 'Hollywood Pushing a Narrative'
If you didn’t drink, and your spouse was an alcoholic in recovery, would you launch a new business selling alcohol?
Me neither.
But neither you (I presume) nor I (I promise) is superstar Jennifer Lopez, who apparently feels she needs to improve her revenue streams, despite having a reported net worth of $400 million already.
And that doesn’t even count the accumulated wealth of husband Ben Affleck, who has made at least three visits to rehab to battle his alcohol addiction, according to Newsweek. He is reported to have an additional $150 million in the bank.
Regardless, Lopez announced the launch of her new Delola spritzers in a Tuesday Instagram post.
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“I have been grinding non-stop for decades,” the actress and singer says in the launch video. “And more and more, I realize the importance of enjoying life. I just wanted to create something … I want to drink with my friends and family, and that is Delola.”
Except… she doesn’t drink. At least, not very much.
“I haven’t been a big drinker my whole life. For a long time, I didn’t drink at all,” she told Food & Wine in a recent interview about the product launch. (Given that this interview was essentially an ad for Delola, believe as much of that as you want to.)
“We really wanted to make something that would set you free,” she says in the ad.
Except … her own husband has been anything but free from the effects of alcohol addiction for large periods of his life.
And I’m not the only one questioning the wisdom of Lopez‘s new endeavor. The brand may struggle to take off, if the comments on her post are any indication; they were overwhelmingly negative.
“Oh wow. This is disappointing,” commented user creativesobriety. “Why not create a NA brand considering you’ve been outspoken about the negative affects of alcohol and that you yourself don’t drink? This feels so off-brand for you, genuinely curious why you’re selling alcohol.”
Another user, selfcare_andthecity (seriously, these folks are making me question the wisdom of my boring but easily identifiable george_upper Instagram handle), had more to say:
“Wow. I’m so disappointed and confused by the narrative that she puts out about how she doesn’t drink alcohol and all the benefits from not drinking. And her partner is sober?
“It doesn’t matter what type of ‘good for you ingredients’ and ‘healthy labels’ (gluten free) is in alcohol, it’s still a carcinogenic toxin. Plus, it would have been really cool if she could show that she can still enjoy life with a non-alcoholic beverage. Again, celebrities and Hollywood pushing a narrative that you need to consume alcohol to have fun and enjoy life.
“If this was a non alcoholic beverage brand the sober girlies would have been so excited and all over it and it would have stood out. Now it’s just another celebrity alcohol brand 🙄I’ve always been a fan of JLO but again this is really really disappointing and her messaging is very confusing.”
A spokesperson for Delola declined to comment when asked by CBS News about the backlash on social media.
So why, if you don’t drink — and therefore cannot be passionate about the product — would anyone launch such a business? Why sell a product your husband has struggled against for a goodly part of his adult life?
Perhaps more importantly from a marketing standpoint, if you don’t drink, why would anyone believe you know anything about what a cocktail should taste like in the first place?
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