(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Jennifer Lopez, the infamous anti-Trump singer, sparked backlash from both the right and the left after saying in an interview that being a “real New Yorker” requires being born in the city.
The comments were made during an appearance on Subway Takes, a comedy talk show in which host Kareem Rahma interviews people on the New York City subway.
In the interview, Lopez said her “take” was that birthplace determines identity as a New Yorker.
“Yes! Yes! I know everybody wants to claim the city. Everybody wants to claim our city, but you have to be born in New York. You have to be born in one of the five boroughs to be a New Yorker,” Lopez said.
Do you think she realizes the broader implications of what she’s saying?
Or nah? https://t.co/r2kaB359es
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 5, 2026
The remarks quickly spread online, drawing criticism from both the right and the left.
On the right, commentators said Lopez’s comments raised broader questions about national citizenship.
“Do you think she realizes the broader implications of what she’s saying? Or nah?” wrote RedState writer Bonchie.
“If you say this about America at large they’ll kill you,” one user wrote.
The account End Wokeness also highlighted the discussion by pointing to New York City’s current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who was born in Kampala, Uganda.
From the left, critics argued the comments were explicitly exclusionary as nearly half of the city’s population is made up of immigrants.
One of the commentators echoing that sentiment was Jess Coleman, general counsel in the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office.
“I know this is a comedy show and all, but continuing to parrot this take in a city that’s 40% immigrants, at a time when immigrants are directly under attack, is just so boring and tone deaf,” wrote Coleman.
Aaron Carr, founder of Housing Rights Initiative, chimed in, writing: “Saying this about a city where ~40% of the population is made up of immigrants continues to be the holy grail of idiotic takes.”
Comedian Gianmarco Soresi added: “We can’t keep thinking like this if we want Zohran to become president.”
Headline USA’s attempts to reach Lopez through her agent at Creative Artists Agency were unsuccessful, as were calls to her production company.
