TL;DR
- Mia Starr recalls a tough experience with J.Lo during Super Bowl rehearsals.
- Claims of body shaming and discomfort were rampant.
- Despite challenges, Starr delivered a strong performance.
- Lopez’s late arrivals and harsh critiques added to the stress.
- Starr found the $20 compensation for her documentary appearance insulting.
Get ready to spill some tea, because Drag Race queen Mia Starr is dragging Jennifer Lopez into the spotlight, and it’s not pretty. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Starr opened up about her experience as a backup dancer for Lopez’s Super Bowl halftime show, and let’s just say it was anything but glamorous.
Starr, who has strutted her stuff alongside pop royalty like Britney Spears and Rihanna, thought she was stepping into a dream job. But on the second day of rehearsals, things turned sour when Lopez showed up and made her feel like she was auditioning for a horror film instead of a halftime show. “She looks at me, comes up next to me, and is like, ‘Hey, can you take off your shirt?'” Starr recalled. The look of disgust Lopez gave her? Pure nightmare fuel.
According to Starr, Lopez didn’t just stop at a casual request. She launched into a full-on motivational speech, telling the dancers, “Guys, I need you to elevate yourself. You’re dancing for me!” Like, hello? It was only day two! “I was like, bitch, this is literally day two, and we have three months, and I know my body. I’m going to snatch it back if we’re going to be dancing 60 hours a week,” Starr said, clearly frustrated.
And it didn’t end there. Lopez had all the boys take off their shirts for the next few hours, leaving Starr feeling uncomfortable and out of place. “It just felt like an icky feeling. But, as a dancer, obviously, you are getting paid to look good,” she explained. But let’s be real, coming straight from a casting job to the biggest stage in the world is no easy feat.
Despite the pressure, Starr got into shape, but Lopez made it clear she was not impressed. “She made it very clear that she was not pleased with my image,” Starr said. But it wasn’t all bad—when Lopez hired a catering truck to bring ice cream to rehearsals, Starr made sure to be first in line, just to get under Lopez’s skin. “I was like, she hates me,” Starr admitted, but she wasn’t going to let that ruin her vibe.
As if the rehearsals weren’t tough enough, Starr also criticized Lopez for her timing. “She would always come in rehearsals maybe the last two hours after we’d rehearsed eight hours of a 10-hour day, and she’d just be like, ‘I hate it,’ and give this big spiel,” Starr said. Talk about a diva moment!
Despite the drama, Starr delivered a performance that made Lopez happy. But the icing on the cake? When she found out she was included in Lopez’s 2022 Netflix documentary, Halftime, she was sent a measly $20 check as compensation. “It was so insulting,” she said. “I told my agent, ‘You know what, actually, you can just please send this back, they clearly need it more than I do.'” Now that’s what we call a power move.
So there you have it, folks. Mia Starr’s experience with Jennifer Lopez was a rollercoaster of emotions, from body shaming to petty revenge, proving that even in the world of glitz and glam, not everything sparkles. Stay tuned for more juicy updates from the queens of Drag Race!