J.Lo Rep Denies Scientology Rumors
Jennifer Lopez has always proudly trumpeted her Latina heritage, which includes a strong Roman Catholic faith.
The New York Daily News reported Tuesday that J.Lo may have made the switch to the increasingly popular religion amongst Hollywood heavyweights, Scientology.
Rumors about J.Lo's interest started when she and her husband, singer Marc Anthony, attended Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding. Lately she has been seen socializing with the couple more frequently and is also known to be good friends with Scientologist and "King of Queens" star Leah Remini.
The Daily News reported that Remini claims Scientology helped her get pregnant with its flaxseed oil and sauna treatments. It is widely believed that Lopez is eager to have children.
Last month, the New York Post reported that J.Lo adopted Scientology phrases and has been explaining the church to people.
Some people from Lopez's old neighborhood in the Bronx expressed dismay that she would abandon Catholicism in favor of the religion that they see as nothing more than a Hollywood trend.
"Perhaps her background is not important to her," Sister Lucille Coldrick, principal of her old school, Preston High in Throgs Neck (where she graduated in 1987), told the Daily News. "My guess is that given the hoopla surrounding Scientology, it's not a bad way to get publicity. How many talk shows would invite her on to talk about Scientology? They're not going to invite her to talk about being a Catholic."
J.Lo may not be the celebrity powerhouse she was, but she still captures the public's attention. Her drop in popularity started after her relationship with actor Ben Affleck fell apart. The movies they made together — "Gigli" and "Jersey Girl" — did poorly in the box office.
Lopez married Anthony, a Catholic, more than two years ago and the media frenzy surrounding her subsided. But J.Lo is looking for a comeback: she is starring in an MTV reality show called "Dance Life" and her new Spanish-language album is due April 3.
People from her past express not only dismay that she might become a Scientologist, but also that she has not given back more to her Bronx community.Photos: Jennifer Lopez
"Her success is what screwed her up," Deacon Dhoel Canals of Holy Family Catholic Church and Grammar School in Castle Hill, where Lopez attended, told the Daily News. "She has done absolutely nothing for the community or the school that are part of her background. I feel the school is largely responsible for her success."
Lopez's camp says the star is not in the process of converting to the religion, founded 53 years ago by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Spokeswoman Leslie Sloane Zelnick told the Daily News that "Jennifer is not a Scientologist."