All Jennifer Lopez superfans know this fact: The singer, dancer, movie star (from Hustlers to Selena), workout champion, and all-around modern Renaissance woman calls her kids "the coconuts."
Technically, the 13-year-old twins’ names are Emme and Maximilian (or Max) Muñiz. But in interviews and on Instagram, Lopez frequently refers to them by the name of the tropical fruit. Speaking to Jay Leno on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Lopez explained the nickname's origin story goes all the way back to the infant years.
"When they were little and in their cribs and they started growing hair, they looked like coconuts. It just stuck," she said. In the same interview, Lopez said she was once given a necklace with two coconuts, engraved with the twins’ initials, as a Christmas present.
She can put the coconut necklace in her jewelry box next to the custom necklace Ben Affleck gave her upon getting back together, almost 20 years after they called off their engagement in September 2003. Lopez wore the necklace in the series of photos she posted on her 52nd birthday, which functioned as their official Instagram debut. Lopez was also spotted with a charm necklace with the letters "B-E-N." Clearly, necklaces hold sentimental significance for J. Lo.
With Affleck and Lopez’s reunion seemingly going strong, Lopez soon may have more kids in her life. She and her ex-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, blended their families. Affleck has three children with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner: Daughters Violet and Seraphina, and son Samuel.
Here's what you need to know about Lopez's kids, whom Lopez credits for teaching her the "true meaning of love."
J.Lo realized she was pregnant while on tour.
According to a video on her YouTube page, Lopez learned she was pregnant while on tour in Portugal. “I felt a flutter. I felt a little butterfly in my stomach. I immediately knew I had life inside me. I knew it,” Lopez told her kids. What she couldn’t predict was that she was having twins. “I just laughed out loud. I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Their twins’ full names contain references to their ancestors.
The twins' middle names are David and Maribel. David is a reference to Lopez’s father, David Lopez. Maribel was the name of Anthony’s sister, who died of brain cancer when she was nine, per People.
As for the significance of the twins’ first names? Lopez hasn’t opened up about why she chose Emme (pronounced "Emmy") and Maximilian, but it could have to do with her name. Emme is a variant of the English name Emma, and means "universal." Max is a Latin name that means "greatest."
Emme and Max’s dad is music legend Marc Anthony.
Lopez and Marc Anthony were married from 2004 to 2014. Though they split up, Anthony is still present in his kids' lives. On Instagram, Anthony posted a photo of him and Lopez walking, with Emme between them. He captioned the photo, "Nothing but love between us."
They celebrated their 13th birthday in February.
Emme and Max were born on February 22, 2008, which means they officially entered the teen years in 2021. To commemorate the occasion, Lopez posted a video of their birthday morning. She served them breakfast in bed and wrote them notes (which they didn't read out loud—but they seemed pleased).
"My beautiful babies are teenagers today!!" she captioned the clip. "I can't believe it's been 13 years since I carried them both home in my arms in the middle of a snowstorm. Out of that blizzard came two perfect lil' coconuts who rearranged my life and taught me the true meaning of love."
"I’m feeling so many emotions this morning...so proud and happy and heartbroken that I can’t freeze time," she said.
The twins' birthday is practically a high holy day for Lopez's family. Without fail, Lopez shares a social media tribute in honor of the occasion. On their eighth birthday, for example, she posted a picture of them blowing out the candles. “You have brought me nothing but joy and happiness since the very second you were born. I am so proud of who you are and the beautiful loving caring people you are growing into,” she wrote.
Emme performed at the Super Bowl with her mom.
Shakira and J. Lo's Super Bowl performance was full of headline-worthy moments—and Emme's appearance was one of them. At the age of 11, Emme took the stage before 62,000 people, and many more fans watching at home, to sing "Let’s Get Loud" alongside her mom. "The Super Bowl was scary at first, thinking about it. But while it was happening, it was all really nice," Emme told Access Hollywood's Mario Lopez. Speaking to Hoda Kotb on TODAY, Lopez said, "She nailed it."
Clearly, Emme has the chops. But Emme doesn’t necessarily want to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a performing artist. Emme told ET’s Mario Lopez she doesn’t plan to become a professional singer, but will always sing as a hobby.
And, Emme published her first book, Lord Help Me, at the age of 12.
In 2020, Emme published a book of her favorite prayers, entitled Lord Help Me: Inspiring Prayers for Every Day.
Crown Books for Young Readers Lord Help Me: Inspiring Prayers for Every Day by Emme Muñiz
Crown Books for Young Readers Lord Help Me: Inspiring Prayers for Every Day by Emme Muñiz
Emme said she inherited her sense of spirituality from her family. "It first came from my mom and my grandma and my aunts. My grandma is very religious...I used to see her a lot. So, whenever I saw her, we always prayed together. We prayed at dinner. We prayed before we went to bed," she told Refinery29.
As the book shows, Emme prays throughout the day. She frequently prays for her mom, too. "I usually pray before she does her shows and stuff, because she can get hurt in many ways," she told TODAY.
For more pictures of the kids now, check out J. Lo's Instagram.
J. Lo is more than happy to share her kids with the world. The proud mama is always posting pictures and videos, like this montage of Max on National Son's Day, on her Instagram page.
Or Emme and Max cheering their mom on during the People's Choice Awards.
This much is clear: Lopez loves spending time with her coconuts.
