The Kiss of the Spider Woman star choked up as she took the stage to accept the award, noting that she was “so humbled” and didn’t know how she would “follow that, what [Kerry Washington]

just said” in her introductory speech. Kerry Washington presented Lopez with the honor, having received the Equity in Entertainment Award two years prior in 2023.

I really am honored,” she began. “When we talk about equity in entertainment, I, like so many others in this room, speak from experience.

Lopez recounted the beginnings of her career, noting that she often felt like the “underdog” and “saw how stereotypes tr[ied] to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do.”

“In the early days of my career, I often felt like that underdog. You know, that Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx who was kind of wasn’t supposed to be in the room, let alone the center of it,” she recalled.

“I was told in 100 different ways what roles people like me were expected to play, and I played some of those roles. I saw how stereotypes try to box me in before I even had the chance to show what I could really do. And then Selena came along
Lopez noted that Selena was a “film that changed the course of my career,” while thanking “trailblazers like Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Dolores Del Rio, Katie Huvado — Latina women who opened doors long before I ever dreamed of this career.”

“Yet, decades later, there was still resistance to a Latina leading a studio movie and having to work so incredibly hard to prove that we can carry romantic comedies and thrillers and command stage,” she said. “

Hoping that with each role, the myth of it can’t be done, evaporated just a little bit more, that representation rearranges the boundaries of imagination for a new generation.”

The Equity in Entertainment Award honors those who amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry.

The award was established in 2016, with past honorees including Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, Ryan Murphy, Amy Pascal, Nina Jacobson and Selma Blair.

The “Let’s Get Loud” singer noted that West Side Story was one of many “films that shaped me,” continuing on to explain why she is “so proud to be part of the Kiss of the Spider Woman.”