Jennifer Lopez has said that she
decided to produced the upcoming two-mom drama The
Fosters as an homage to her gay aunt.
The series, which premieres June 3 on
ABC Family, is an hour-long drama which centers on a lesbian couple
who are coping with raising three children when a wayward teenage
girl moves in. One of the women is a police officer (played by Teri
Polo, Meet the Parents), the other a private school teacher
(Sherri M. Saum, Rescue Me). Together they are raising a
biological son and adopted teen twins of opposite sexes.
In an interview with Entertainment
Tonight, Lopez discussed the love she had for her aunt.
“I had an aunt who was gay and I
lived with her and I loved her,” Lopez explained. “She just
passed away from cancer and I thought of her often when I was
thinking of taking on this project and the prejudices that she faced.
She was so much a part of my life. I mean, she was my mom's sister,
she was always there for us and she was a great person. She didn't
have her own family and I often wonder if she wanted it. We never
talked about it. She just had her life the way it was and I just
thought about it and it was kind of like an homage to her.”
“When I read the script I just really
felt like although it was a non-traditional family and it had kind of
those newer themes to it, it had some really basic themes as well
about family and love and what's really important in life. You know,
that life can be complicated and messy sometimes, and not simple, and
it was really, really a true depiction of family in this day and
age.”
“It's smart. It's edgy. And ti's
heartfelt,” she added. “There's a lot going for it.” (The
video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)