Jennifer Lopez recreates Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' on Italy vacation

Edward Segarra, USA TODAYTue, August 4, 2026 at 4:37 PM UTC

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Jennifer Lopez is pop music royalty, but she's tipping her crown to the Queen of Pop.

The Grammy-nominated singer, who was vacationing in Italy with her children Emme and Max, shared a playful video tribute to fellow pop star Madonna on social media Sunday, Aug. 2.

Lopez, 57, recreated a scene from Madonna's music video for "Like a Virgin," which was originally shot in Venice, Italy. One of the video's most memorable sequences features Madonna grooving to the dance-pop track while riding a gondola.

For her tribute, Lopez lip-synced to the '80s classic while standing atop her very own gondola. The singer smiled and flipped her hair for the camera while the boat made its way through a tunnel.

"I had to do it…🛶" Lopez captioned the post.

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Released in 1984, "Like a Virgin" served as the lead single off Madonna's sophomore album of the same name. The innuendo-filled track peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and cemented the singer's provocateur status with an eye-popping performance at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards. Madonna descended from a life-sized wedding cake and rolled around the stage in a white bridal gown, a controversial number that would become one of many career-defining moments.

Although JLo and Madonna have never shared the mic, the pop superstars go way back.

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In 1999, Lopez, alongside Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath, presented Madonna with the MTV VMA for best video from a film. Madonna won the award for her "Austin Powers" soundtrack hit "Beautiful Stranger."

A few years later, the pop icon tapped Lopez for her performance at the 2003 VMAs, where Madonna performed a rendition of "Like a Virgin" that featured herself as the groom instead of the virginal bride. Lopez was going to play one of Madonna's brides for the nostalgic tribute, joining pop princess Britney Spears.

However, a scheduling conflict while working on the film "Shall We Dance?" ultimately prevented Lopez from participating (Christina Aguilera would later replace Lopez for the final performance). JLo opened up about the missed opportunity in a recent interview on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."

"I went to Madonna's house. It was me, her and Britney," Lopez told host Andy Cohen on the June 8 episode. "She was playing her guitar, and we were singing."

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Lopez also shared that the performance's kiss scene − an eyebrow-raising smooch between Madonna, Spears and Aguilera − was already in the works.

"She said that that's what she wanted to do. It was a thing, like, 'We're going to get married, I'm going to be the groom, you guys are going to sing,'" Lopez said. "I was the one who was going to come out first and sing 'Like a Virgin.' ... And then they wouldn't let me out of the movie to do the actual show."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jennifer Lopez recreates Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' on Italy vacation

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