With a blossoming acting career and some goofy advice for mom's wardrobe,
Jennifer Lopez's son is already surprising people.
As twins, it would be easy to say that Maximilian and Emme Muñiz look the same.
But when Emme took the Super Bowl stage, it became crystal clear that she is absolutely
Jennifer Lopez's mini-me. On the other hand, Max looks just like his dad, Marc Anthony.
Lopez and Anthony were married from June 2004 to June 2014,
and the "Waiting For Tonight" singer gave birth to the twins in February 2008,
according to People. Her manager told the magazine,
"Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon."
Despite their split, Lopez and Anthony have maintained an amicable co-parenting
relationship. She even wished him a happy Father's Day in 2019, writing on Instagram:
"Emme and Max love you soooo much!! Thank you for these
two beautiful coconuts!!! Feliz Día Del Padre!!!"
Lopez also said she and Anthony are "like best friends" during a "Live With Kelly" interview in
2017, per Us Weekly. It's great to hear they get along so well, especially for their kids' sake.
On the twins' 11th birthday in February 2019, J.Lo shared a video where Max Muñiz
sang in the background as photos played in a collage. Lopez wrote,
"Happy Birthday my lil beautiful coconut brilliant boy. Mommy is so proud of you!!!"
That's not the only time the youngster has shown off his vocal skill,
either. In September 2019, Lopez shared a video of Muñiz singing "Riptide" by
Vance Joy as his sister strummed a guitar. Talk about a talented family.
Lopez discussed her kids' personalities in an "Extra" interview back in 2015.
"Their personalities are beautiful; they're like yin and yang. [...] She's like super
focused and super sensitive, quiet and focused and he's kind of off the charts, lots of energy,
super funny. They both love music. They both asked to take piano lessons and voice lessons."
No wonder they're already singing like pros.
As a celebrity, Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to interviews, but in April 2019,
she decided to switch things up and have her own kids ask the hard questions. The video,
titled "Twin Talk: AMA With Emme & Max" is as adorable as it is
informative. Max Muñiz's bubbly, goofy personality shone as he asked questions.
"Were you short when you were my age?"
"I was short."
"I'm short."
But when asked which twin was her favorite, Lopez gave a diplomatic mom answer, saying:
"I don't believe in favorites ... I love you both so much."
Well played, Jen.
Maximilian Muñiz formed a close bond with the new father figure in his life during Lopez's
now former romance with baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez. Lopez dished on her son and
A-Rod's relationship during Oprah Winfrey's "2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus" event in March 2020.
She explained that Rodriguez, a dad to two girls from a previous relationship,
showed a lot of compassion to her son, despite his rambunctious behavior.
"All you hear through the house is, like, 'Max!' all the time.
And Alex had this amazing patience with him."
That June, Lopez and Rodriguez surprised Muñiz with a new dog.
The "On The Floor" hitmaker shared an adorable video to Instagram that showed
him playing with his furry new friend as she revealed they were working on a name.
Though he may have only been 11 years old at the time, Max Muñiz was set to have a
very important role if his mom had made it down the aisle to marry Alex Rodriguez.
Lopez told ET in 2020 that she planned for her only son to walk her down the aisle,
saying "of course" when asked if Muñiz would take on the big responsibility.
It's not clear if Lopez planned to have the youngster do it alone,
or if he'd have been flanked on the other side of the star by her own father, but a
source dished to People in March 2020 that it might have been a family affair, saying:
"The kids are amazing together. And they have wanted Jennifer and Alex to
get married for a long time. They will all definitely be a huge part of the wedding."
As we all know now, that never happened,
but it's sweet to know that they would have been such an important part of the event.
It sounds like Alex Rodriguez isn't the only one of his mom's boyfriends who Max
Muñiz gets along well with. In the wake of Jennifer Lopez's 2020 split with A-Rod,
she quickly recoupled with her former fiancé Ben Affleck — and
it wasn't long before Muñiz was spending time with the "Armageddon" actor, too.
Life & Style reported that the couple enjoyed a day out with Muñiz in Los Angeles in May 2022,
claiming the boys found it pretty easy to forge a friendship and loved to
talk about things like cars, movies, video games and, of course, Batman.
"Well, here I am."
Meanwhile, another source confirmed that their relationship was strong, telling In Touch Weekly
"Ben's relationships with his own kids is what makes him so
relatable. Ben knows how to engage kids and make them feel comfortable."
The blended family has been spotted enjoying more quality
time on multiple occasions since as well. Looks like this is one big, happy family!
Max made his big-screen debut in her 2022 romantic comedy "Marry Me," which also starred Owen Wilson
and Sarah Silverman. Muñiz is credited as playing Numerator Max in the movie, per IMDb. But it
wasn't always a sure thing. Lopez explained on the Spanish language show El Gordo Y La Flaca:
"He didn't want to do it, really, but there were other children in
the family who encouraged him saying: 'Do it, do it, you're going to enjoy it.' He
had a great time and he wants to do it more. He wants to be an actor."
As well as popping up in the rom-com, the actor is also credited as himself in his mom's documentary
movie, "Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again" — which gave fans a peek behind the scenes as J.Lo
headed out on her Dance Again World Tour in 2012. He also appeared in her 2022 Netflix documentary,
"Halftime," which showed what went into her 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira.
But Muñiz has appeared in front of fans on more than just the big and small screen.
Maximilian Muñiz is also a model in the making. Technically, he became a published model after
he appeared with his family in a promotion for Coach back in 2020. The foursome posed together
for several stunning snaps as part of the fashion brand's Coach Family and Coach Holiday campaigns,
which included them having a picnic together and playing on a tire swing.
Lopez said at the time:
"What does a modern family look like? There's not
one single definition. It's not about perfection. It's about acceptance,
where everyone can be their true authentic selves around each other. I mean, look at us."
Coach creative director Stuart Vevers also spoke
about the shoot to British Vogue, telling the outlet,
"I am proud to share stories with our Coach Family about the people that matter
most in their lives — relationships that are authentic and timeless."
So, could Muñiz follow in his famous parents' footsteps and make a foray into the world of
celebrity as a model or actor? Lopez admitted on British morning show "Lorraine" in 2019
that it wouldn't surprise her if Muñiz or his sister became entertainers in some capacity.
"If they do follow in my footsteps, I don't think they will think it's a
weird thing. They've seen me manage it in a very kind of normal way."
Not only is Maximilian Muñiz super talented in his own right,
but he also knows how to use his family's platform for good. Jennifer Lopez has
opened up about how her son urged her to publicly support important causes
after he realized that Lopez has a lot of fans. She told Elle in January 2021:
"He wanted me to make sure I realized that I had power and that I should use it,
and I thought that was very insightful."
She explained that Muñiz encouraged her and her then-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez,
to attend a Black Lives Matter protest. Calling it
"very empowering," she shared that both Muñiz and his sister, Emme,
helped make signs to carry and called being in attendance during the protest historic.
Lopez had previously given an insight into her twins' passion for activism on
Instagram in June 2020, when she shared video footage of herself and Rodriguez marching.
Lopez explained how that opened up a dialogue about human rights between herself and her kids.
It turns out Maximilian Muñiz isn't afraid to dish out a little fashion advice,
particularly when it comes to his mom. Jennifer Lopez revealed in a
2017 interview on "Build Series" — alongside her late "Shades of Blue"
co-star Ray Liotta — that Muñiz had a special request for her skimpy on-stage costumes.
"Because I wear, like, bodysuits and, like, onesies and all that stuff, 'Mom.
Why don't you wear pants in your shows?'"
She then admitted that she explained they were just costumes, describing herself as "a showgirl."
But it sounds like Muñiz may be in the minority when it comes to not exactly loving his mom's
clothes. Lopez revealed while she was still with Alex Rodriguez in 2019 that his daughter, Ella
Rodriguez, called dibs on some of her wardrobe, as had her own daughter, Emme. J.Lo told ET:
"Ella told me, 'I want your white Grammy dress with the Orchid,' and Emme is like, 'What about
that [dress], mommy? Are we gonna keep that? Don't throw that out.' They tell me all the time."
We wonder if Muñiz has his eye on something from
Ben Affleck's wardrobe? Someone has to be calling dibs on the Batsuit.