Jennifer Lopez Gets Emotional as She Admits She’s Been ‘Crying’ About Becoming an Empty Nester: ‘It’s a Scary Time’

Hannah SacksMon, September 28, 2026 at 8:30 PM UTC

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Jennifer Lopez with her 18-year-old twins, Max and EmmeCredit: Aurora Rose/Variety via Getty -

Jennifer Lopez shared her feelings about her 18-year-old twins, Max and Emme, leaving for college

She reflected on embracing new routines and reviving old dreams during this transitional phase of her life

Lopez expressed pride in her twins, who got into all their chosen colleges and earned scholarships

Jennifer Lopez is opening up about becoming an empty nester.

The “On the Floor” singer and actress, 57, shared a video on her beauty brand JLO Beauty’s Instagram on Saturday, Sept. 26, in which she opened up about her 18-year-old twins, Max and Emme, going off to college. Lopez, who will become an empty nester when her kids leave for school, explained that she’s sticking to routines as she embraces this next chapter.

“Good morning everybody! This is a beautiful day, a beautiful morning. I was just about to start my skincare routine and I was thinking about routines because I’m sure a lot of people are going through this out there. My kids are going away to college,” began Lopez.

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The proud mom said she and her kids had a great summer traveling, spending as much time as possible together before they had to leave.

“But those routines really keep you going. And I think when they go away and I’m sitting here being an empty nester, and crying and thinking about them and looking at baby pictures of them and all of that stuff,” she continued. “These routines are the things that are going to keep me sane. Working out, doing my skincare routine, caring for myself, with the newfound kind of space that’s in your life.”

“You know, you’re so excited for them to step into this new era of their life but it’s also, we have to remember, it’s a new era of our lives too. And maybe it’s time to revive some old dreams that you had. Something you put aside during the time that you were raising your kids, or things you didn’t have time for,” added Lopez.

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The actress went on to say that she’s hoping to develop these new rituals and routines that will “fill the space” when her kids aren’t just down the hall anymore.

“It’s a scary time. It’s a transitional time. It’s a new beginning, in a lot of ways, for them, certainly, but also for you,” said Lopez. “So don’t forget that. Keep your routines going. Stay hydrated. Stay happy, stay joyful, stay productive.”

Back in August, Lopez shared a roundup of photos from her time road-tripping with her twins in Italy before the teenagers left for college. In the snaps, Lopez and her kids visited various Italian landmarks, enjoyed meals together, went shopping and snapped selfies along the way.

“Road tripping with my coconuts before they head off to college 😭,” she captioned the 20-photo carousel.

In July, Lopez revealed that Max and Emme got into every college they applied to and received scholarships.“I am so proud that they set goals for themselves,” she told Extra. “They all got into all five colleges that they applied to. They both got a scholarship to each, you know, one scholarship to each. Each one got a scholarship to a school. And I just felt like they work so hard. “

“I watched how hard they worked, from the time they were like... when school gets serious in the fifth grade, and they just worked hard,” she shared. “They have ADHD, and so they need to learn differently, and there were struggles and times, and I’m just so proud of them because they did what they said they were going to do, and they’re good people.”

“And they always said that. I always say to them, ‘What do I say?’ And they say, ‘Doesn’t matter if we get good grades so long as we’re good people.’ And I was like, ‘That’s right.’ And they still sometimes will quote that back to me. So I’m very proud of both of them,” Lopez continued.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”