Culture

Jennifer Lopez’s new television show inspired by late lesbian aunt

Apr 25 2013
Written by Joseph McCormick

A new television drama, produced by singer-turned-actor Jennifer Lopez, was inspired by her late aunt, who was gay, the star has revealed.

The pilot of television series The Fosters, was bought by ABC Family, and is being produced by singer-turned-actor Jennifer Lopez. It features a lesbian couple and their children.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Lopez said she wanted to produce the show as a tribute to her aunt.

Jennifer Lopez is an executive producer of the series, which features a biracial lesbian couple and their children, and said during the emotional interview that her late relative played a big role in her decision to take on the project.

She said: “I had an aunt who was gay. I lived with her and I loved her. She just passed away from cancer. I thought of her often when I was thinking about taking on this project and the prejudices that she faced. She was so much a part of my life, she was my mom’s sister.

“She was always there for us, she was a great person. She didn’t have her own family and I often wondered if she wanted it. We never talked about it, she just had her life the way it was.”

She got emotional, as she went on to say: “It was kind of like a little bit of an homage to her. I think she would be really proud.”

Addressing a conservative backlash over the show, which will be shown on ABC’s family channel she said: “When I read the script, I just really felt like although it was about a non-traditional family and it had those newer themes, it had some really basic themes as well about family and love and what’s really important in life. life can be complicated and messy sometimes and not simple. It was really a true depiction of family in this day and age.”

Last week a cast member confirmed that JLo would “definitely” enter the show as a cameo, but said it would not necessarily be in the first few episodes.

The pilot for the drama was targeted by anti-LGBT group One Million Moms, which slammed the show as “anti-family”, and said they would do everything they could to stop it “dead in its tracks”.

A recent poll found that in the US, more people said their perception of gay people had been positively influenced by television’s portrayal of them, than said it had a negative impact.

Last week, US evangelical organisation the American Decency Association published an article claiming that “network television began to shove homosexuality down our throats years ago”.

The series will premiere on ABC Family in the US on 3 June.