Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez is drawing criticism on social media for launching a line of alcoholic beverages despite having previously said she does not drink.
In an Instagram video Tuesday, Lopez announced her new brand of flavored spritz cocktails, called Delola.
“I have been grinding nonstop for decades, and more and more, I realize the importance of enjoying life,” Lopez says in the ad. “I just wanted to create something better. Better tasting, better ingredients, something I want to drink with my friends and family, and that is Delola.”
The cocktails don’t include the usual “artificial ingredients” and sugars that other beverages contain, and have roughly the same amount of alcohol as a glass of wine, Lopez says in the ad.
Lopez herself is shown holding one of the beverages with a straw in her mouth, but doesn’t appear to actually sip the drink.
Still, some fans said they were “disappointed and confused” by the actress and singer’s decision to promote alcohol consumption given that she’s been outspoken about the negative health effects of drinking and that her husband, Ben Affleck, has said he is sober after completing treatment for alcohol addiction.
“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 ‘health labels’ (gluten free) is in alcohol, it’s still a carcinogenic toxin,” an Instagram user wrote in the comments section beneath the video.
The same user said she thought a line of nonalcoholic beverages by Lopez would have been better received. “Now it’s just another celebrity alcohol brand,” she said.
Others criticized the move as “opportunistic” and a “money grab.”
“She doesn’t drink alcohol so just goes to show what she will do for money,” another Instagrammer wrote.
A spokesperson for Delola declined to comment on the backlash.
“I haven’t been a big drinker my whole life. For a long time, I didn’t drink at all,” Lopez said in a recent interview with Food and Wine. “But I’m very particular, and I wanted [Delola] to be something that’s easy to pour over ice and drink.”
A source close to Lopez clarified her drinking habits, saying that she’s been pictured drinking at events over the course of her career, but has chosen to limit her drinking to improve both her health and appearance.
Other celebrities have launched alcohol brands with varying success, including actor George Clooney, who in 2017 sold his Casamigos tequila business, which he created with two friends, to global beverage company Diageo for $1 billion.
