Jennifer Lopez moves to tears as she recalls heartbreaking time of career

Jennifer Lopez has never been one to play it safe. 

Despite her team's warnings that joining American Idol, season 10 (2011), would reduce her to "just a reality star," the talented performer took a leap of faith and became a judge on the popular show.

The Marry Me star's impressive resume boasts iconic films like Anaconda, Money Train, and Out of Sight, cementing her status as a Hollywood powerhouse since her 1991 debut as a Fly Girl on Fox's In Living Color. 

However, after taking a brief hiatus from the spotlight to focus on family, the singer-actor was ready to return to the stage.

"I'd done all these big movies and made these albums, and now they're asking me to do reality TV," Lopez shared with Interview magazine. 

Her advisors cautioned that American Idol would be a career killer, but Lopez trusted her instincts.

"I've had kids, and I haven't worked for a couple of years. American Idol was a big show at the time," she explained. 

The On the Floor hitmaker saw an opportunity to share her expertise and passion for music, and she wasn't about to let skepticism hold her back.

"I love music and I love mentoring people, and I wanted to share the things that I knew about the business," she said. 

"So it became more about, 'What do I think I can do with this?' When I'm choosing things, even if they seem like not the best idea to everybody else, if I feel it in my gut that it's the right thing to do, nobody can talk me out of it."

The Atlas star's decision paid off, as her five-season stint alongside Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. revitalised her career. This wasn't the first time Lopez defied conventional wisdom; she also faced criticism when she launched her Vegas residency, which ultimately propelled her into a new era of success.

"It's the same thing when I went to Vegas. They were like, 'That's where entertainers go to die.' And I was like, 'No.' And it launched me into a whole new part of my life," Lopez reflected.