Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez are two of the music industry’s most accomplished artists, with several Grammys and iconic performances to their credit. Carey and Lopez are also known for a multi-year “feud” that began with a flippant comment from Carey in the early 2000s.
In his memories 2020 The meaning of Mariah Carey, the “Emotions” frontman hinted at J. Lo a few times, once subtly boasting with just two words.
Mariah Carey didn’t ‘know’ Jennifer Lopez for many years
It all started when Mariah Carey gave a behind-the-scenes interview with a German tabloid Work in the early 2000s. Carey was asked about her relationship with Beyoncé, whom she described as a “great singer” and a “very nice person”. They asked her about Jennifer Lopez in a follow-up question, and Carey replied simply but honestly, “I don’t know her.”
Carey’s brutal response sparked a firestorm that continues to burn to this day, though the two divas dispelled rumors of a feud. In 2015, rumors of feuds rekindled after Lopez was spotted texting during Carey’s Billboard Music Awards performance, though she later told Andy Cohen that she was filmed during the seconds when she looked down at her phone.
In a 2016 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Carey repeated her infamous response about J. Lo and clarified what she meant at the time: that she didn’t know Lopez personally.

Mariah Carey subtly mentioned Jennifer Lopez in her memoir
Lopez is never mentioned by name in Carey’s memoir The meaning of Mariah Carey, but she does make a few unnamed appearances when Carey recounts stories of her early 2000s career. In one part, she recalls when her music mogul ex-husband, Tommy Mottola, attempted to sabotage her single release giving a clip she had on her 2001 hit “Loverboy” to “another female artist on their label (whom I don’t know).” ”
Carey went on to describe how difficult 2001 was for her, starting with her box office bomb. Shine to personal troubles at the hands of his family. However, she recognized that the rainbow comes after the rain.
“Little by little, I got through the dark times my family brought me,” said Carey. “And after all that, ‘Loverboy’ ended up being the top-selling single of 2001 in the United States. I am real.”
The subtle undertone delivered in just two words mocked Lopez and his hit single “I’m Real” from the same year.

RELATED: Mariah Carey & Da Brat struggled to leave a studio session to get fries
Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez’s feud today
Carey couldn’t help but find the positive after telling stories of such a negative part of her life. But fans shouldn’t take the shadow she’s cast about Lopez too seriously.
Both Carey and Lopez have been honest in interviews about how their non-friendship has been misinterpreted in the media: Just because they aren’t personal friends doesn’t mean they can’t stand each other.
Today, they both lead legendary careers and their legacy will be far more than the shadow they threw themselves.