Jennifer Lopez was sad about her Oscars snub: ‘I felt like I let everybody down’

Still upset Jennifer Lopez didn’t get nominated at this year’s Academy Awards? She was too, but she’s moved on.

On the Los Angeles leg of Oprah Winfrey’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour, the “Hustlers” star addressed the snub for the first time since Oscar nominations were announced in January, revealing that she — like many others — was disappointed she didn’t receive a nod for supporting actress.

“I was sad,” Lopez admitted Saturday at the Forum during a featured chat with Winfrey. “I was a little sad because there was a lot of buildup to it. I got so many good notices — more than ever in my career — and there was a lot of, like, ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar. It’s going to happen. If she doesn’t, you’re crazy.’ And I’m reading all the articles, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. Could this happen?’ And then it didn’t, and I was like, ‘Ouch.’ It was a little bit of a letdown.”

Lopez stunned critics and audiences alike with her gravity- and age-defying turn as veteran stripper Ramona in Lorene Scafaria’s crime drama, collecting both Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award recognition after making a splashy debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“Most of my team has been with me for years — 20, 25 years — and I think they had a lot of hopes on that. They wanted it, too,” she told Winfrey. “I felt like I let everybody down a little bit.”

“But you didn’t!” Winfrey protested, echoing the reactions of many in the crowd.

“I know, but I felt like that,” Lopez replied. “I felt like that for a bit.” Reflecting more deeply on how the moment affected her, Lopez then opted for a positive outlook by acknowledging the many accomplishments she’s amassed in the last year, from headlining the Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira to strutting down the Versace runway for the first time in that green dress.

“I think what happened, with the Super Bowl, with this whole year ... a sold-out tour, getting nominated for all these awards, and then not getting the Oscar thing, I had to reexamine, ‘Why do you do this? What are you so sad about right now?’” she said. “And you realize that you want people’s validation. You want people to say you did a good job. ... I don’t need that. I’m actually here, and I’m OK, and I am enough. I don’t need this award right here to tell me I’m enough.”

Winfrey also celebrated Lopez and Shakira’s buzzy halftime performance, which caused a stir among viewers who believed the show — which included a “Hustlers”-inspired pole dance from the “Jenny From the Block” hitmaker — was inappropriate for a family broadcast.

“Were you surprised when some people thought it was a little much?” Winfrey asked. “Some people started complaining.”

“About the sexy part?” Lopez interjected, smiling. “No, I wasn’t. It didn’t bother me. It was such a beautiful night, and it was so well-received. To listen to the small fraction of people who thought it was too sexy or were trying to say something negative — it would have been a sin for me to concentrate on that.”

In the lead-up to her highly anticipated sit-down with Lopez, Winfrey spoke directly to her enthusiastic audience for the majority of the WW-sponsored event, frequently leaving the stage to engage with her loyal fans on the floor. Over the course of seven hours, Winfrey shared her own accomplishments and shortcomings, reflected on past trauma and abuse she had endured, and led various wellness workbook exercises to help attendees determine their own values and goals.

Eight shows into the tour, the seasoned orator carried the entire program without missing a beat — except toward the beginning, when she took an onstage tumble thanks to some pesky heels. After the lunch break, Winfrey reemerged with a more practical pair of sparkly sneakers as “Dancing With the Stars” alum Julianne Hough presented a high-energy “kinergy” dance exercise.

More than 13,000 people converged in Inglewood for the sold-out production, including celebrity guests David Oyelowo, Rita Wilson and Gayle King, the last of whom received multiple shout-outs from her close friend Winfrey throughout the day. Up next, the “CBS This Morning” anchor will join the TV icon for her final Vision tour stop in Denver.

“Don’t waste another minute wondering if there’s more to your life,” Winfrey said before bidding her followers farewell. “You’re here to define it, and you’re here to manifest it. ... Are you ready to activate? Are you ready to manifest your vision? Are you ready?”