Jennifer Lopez is known by many for her fierce beauty, chart-topping hits, and enticing dance moves. But the Grammy-award winning triple threat is also a beloved mother to two kids. Here’s more to know about her twins Maximilian David Muñiz and Emme Maribel Muñiz. The twins recently celebrated their 16th birthday in Japan in 2024. Lopez shared photos of her twins to her official Instagram account. The post added to the rare photos J.Lo has showcased of her children over the years. Normally, she’s very private about her children. But as they get older, their personalities and interests are beginning to shine.
Who’s the Father of Jennifer Lopez’s Children?
Both Maximilian and Emme share Marc Anthony as their father. Anthony is Lopez’s ex-husband. The pair got married in 2004 and welcomed the twins (a boy and a girl) in 2008. Lopez and Anthony divorced in 2014.
“When my marriage ended, it was not easy to find forgiveness. It wasn’t the dream that I had hoped for, and it would have been easier to fan the flames of resentment, disappointment, and anger. But Marc is the father of my children [8-year-old twins], and that’s never going away. So, I have to work to make things right. And that is, by far, the hardest work I do,” Lopez told W Magazine in 2016.
Like Lopez, Anthony is a musical superstar and one of the greatest Latin singers of all time. Throughout his career, Anthony has earned four Grammy awards and eight Latin Grammy awards. Despite their separation, Lopez and Anthony maintain a cordial co-parenting relationship for the sake of their children, emphasizing the importance of family.
Maximilian and Emme also have siblings. Anthony has five other children. Along with him and Lopez’s twins, he has Arianna Muñiz, Chase Muñiz, Cristian Muñiz, and Marco. Anthony welcomed Marco with his current wife, model Nadia Ferreira.
J.Lo also seemingly co-parents with her ex-husband Ben Affleck. Affleck shares three children, Violet, Fin, and Samuel, with his ex-wife, actress Jennifer Garner. They divorced in 2015. Affleck and J. Lo were together from 2002 to 2004 and then from 2021 to 2024.
Jennifer Lopez’s Approach to Motherhood
In many interviews and statements, Lopez opens up about her approach to motherhood. As a viral superstar, being a present mom to twins Emme and Max is a dedicated job. She has openly shared parenting challenges, especially balancing a high-profile career and ensuring a normal upbringing for her children. Lopez often highlights the significance of instilling values of kindness, resilience, and humility in Emme and Max, guiding them to be grounded individuals despite their privileged backgrounds. She always supports her children’s interests and encourages their growth.
In 2025, she told British Vogue that as a parent, she navigates “wanting to put forward the best face for [your kids] all the time, but also be struggling as a woman and in relationships and in life, with your own dreams and aspirations.” She continued, “I understood it. I mean, as a mom, you always want to put your best foot forward for your kids. You want to lift them up. That doesn’t stop you from being a human being who struggles.”
Lopez even gets inspiration for her roles from parenting her children. She fosters open communication with her twins and deeply values their feedback. She builds a foundation of trust and mutual respect with her children. Throughout her career, Lopez has taken on a number of characters in which she portrays a mother. The list includes “Maid In Manhattan,” “Unstoppable,” and “The Mother.”
“I like my kids to see my work and know what I’m doing,” she explained to E! in 2025. “And I’ll share certain things with them and say, ‘What do you think of this?’ or, ‘What do you think of that?’ And they always have an interesting perspective because they’re from a different generation.”
Maximilian David Muñiz
Maximilian was born on February 22, 2008. Although he’s only 16 years old, Lopez’s son is already making his mark in the acting industry. At 12 years old in 2020, he starred in his school production of “The Wizard of Oz,” shared by Lopez on her official Instagram. He made his acting debut in the 2022 film “Marry Me,” which stars Lopez alongside Owen Wilson. Maximilian only had a cameo in the streaming film, but perhaps he’ll appear in more projects with time.
“They’re becoming adults,” Lopez told Today in 2023. “They are challenging everything in life. They’re looking at everything. And these kids have so much information, so much more than we had. They’re thinking and talking about things and about life in a different way than I did when I was 15 or 16 years old.”
Emme Maribel Muñiz
Emme is Lopez’s other child and seemingly goes by gender-neutral pronouns. In 2022, Lopez performed at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s Blue Diamond Gala and brought out Emme to perform alongside her. User @christinathesupermom posted a TikTok of the occasion. The video showcased Lopez referring to Emme using they/them pronouns. Emme even joined her mom during the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, singing a rendition of “Let’s Get Loud.” In 2019, Emme joined J. Lo onstage during the first night of her “It’s My Party” tour. They did a duet of her mom’s single “Limitless.”
In 2021, Emme released her first-ever book, “Lord Help Me,” which showcases the everyday power of prayer for children to follow. It’s a picture book that features everyday prayers for the big and small things in life.
“I really hope children are able to learn to pray, share the book and spread the power of prayer after reading it,” the young teen shared with People in 2021. In the same interview, Emme also shed light on the relationship with their brother Max.
“Max and I have a special relationship,” Emme said.”Since we were very little, I could always understand him when no one else could.”