Jennifer Lopez faces backlash after launching alcohol brand despite being sober

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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From George Clooney and Randy Gerber's Casamigos to Kendall Jenner's 818 - it seems like every celebrity has a liquor brand these days.

Now, we can add Jennifer Lopez to the list, as the 53-year-old singer and actress has apparently decided to create her own brand, Delola.

But, given that the 'Jenny From The Block' singer is famously sober, many people believe her new business venture is nothing more than a cash grab... Yikes.

Taking to Instagram, J.Lo made the announcement in a video promoting the drink to her 240 million followers.

"I have been grinding non-stop for decades, and more and more I'm realizing the importance of enjoying life. I just wanted to create something better - something better tasting, better ingredients, something I would want to drink with my friends and family, and that is Delola," she said in the short clip.

The announcement seemed to flop, though, after netizens took to the comments section to unleash their frustrations.

"Oh wow. This is disappointing. Why not create a [non-alcohol] brand considering you've been outspoken about the negative affects of alcohol and that you yourself don't drink? This feels so off-brand for you, genuinely curious why you're selling alcohol," one user commented.

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Credit: Instagram.com

Another user hit out at the fact that J.Lo claimed the alcohol uses "better ingredients," commenting: "Wow. I'm so disappointed and confused by the narrative that she puts out about how she doesn't drink alcohol and all the benefits from not drinking. And her partner is sober? It doesn't matter what type of 'good for you ingredients' and 'healthy labels' (gluten free) is in alcohol, it's still a carcinogenic toxin."

"Plus, it would have been really cool if she could show that she can still enjoy life with a non-alcoholic beverage. Again, celebrities and Hollywood pushing a narrative that you need to consume alcohol to have fun and enjoy life. If this was a non alcoholic beverage brand the sober girlies would have been so excited and all over it and it would have stood out," the comment continued.

"Now it's just another celebrity alcohol brand [...] I've always been a fan of JLO but again this is really really disappointing and her messaging is very confusing," it concluded.

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Credit: Instagram.com

Admittedly, the move does appear a little hypocritical for J.Lo, whose husband Ben Affleck is sober following a difficult past with substance abuse. In October 2019, he relapsed after close to one year of sobriety, and in 2020 he stated: "It took me a long time to fundamentally, deeply, without a hint of doubt, admit to myself that I am an alcoholic. The next drink will not be different."

He then admitted that falling off the wagon was "embarrassing" and that he wished it didn't happen. "I really wish it wasn't on the internet for my kids to see. Jen and I did our best to address it and be honest," he added, via Us Magazine.

Featured image credit: Paul Froggatt / Alamy