In a new interview with W Magazine, Jennifer Lopez says that a disagreement with her mother left her briefly homeless at 18.
The Bronx-born actress said she wanted to pursue a career in show business despite her family’s disapproval.
“My mom and I butted heads,” Lopez tells W’s August issue. “I didn’t want to go to college — I wanted to try dance full-time. So she and I had a break. I started sleeping on the sofa in the dance studio. I was homeless, but I told her, ‘This is what I have to do.’ A few months later, I landed a job dancing in Europe. When I got back, I booked ‘In Living Color.’ I became a Fly Girl and moved to L.A. It all happened in a year.”
J.Lo said it took a while for her to get used to the West Coast.
“I hated L.A.,” the 43-year-old admits. “I was asking, ‘Where’s the store for milk? Don’t you guys walk on the street?’ Now I love Los Angeles, but it doesn’t give me strength the way the Bronx did. All the strength that I needed for life, I got from that neighborhood.”
Now a mom herself, Lopez knows that she is setting an example for her 5-year-old twins Max and Emme, whom she had with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
“I think a lot about teaching my kids to work hard,” Lopez says. “I’ve learned something about kids — they don’t do what you say; they do what you do. I watched my parents. My dad worked nights, and I was aware of how much he was doing for us. My mom was a Tupperware lady and also worked at the school. I always felt that I couldn’t let them down,” she adds. “And I had a natural discipline from early on. I was always training for something.”
Lopez visited her childhood home in the Bronx for the cover story. She admitted to being a bit nervous about her return, citing that the last time she was there was when her “mom and dad called us home to tell us that they were separating after 33 years of marriage.
