Celebrating J.Lo and A-Rod’s Summer of Love
Let’s enjoy the Greatest Power Couple of 2017 while we can.
Summer can be disastrous for celebrity relationships. The warm months of this year alone have claimed Chris Pratt and Anna Faris, Elon Musk and Amber Heard, Aaron Rodgers and Olivia Munn (in April, but we’ll count it), and more. And don’t forget the tumultuous summer of 2016, which razed famous romance with merciless abandon: Kylie Jenner and Tyga, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik (briefly), Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney, Diane Kruger and Joshua Jackson, Iggy Azalea and Nick Young, and of course, Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris. In Hollywood, summers are a cruel period of uncuffing that decimate the aspirational belief that two extremely attractive people with only a few things in common—namely, being rich, famous, and extremely attractive—can find love.
But this summer, a glimmer of hope—complete with engagement-boosting hashtags—has emerged from the oppressive onslaught of seasonal breakups:
United in February of this year, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have quickly become a legendary celebrity couple. They’re a match that’s so unexpected that it makes sense. You wouldn’t think J.Lo’s brand of perfection would fit with “disgraced steroid user,” but then again, she’s Jenny From the Block and made an album called On the 6; the 6 Train passes A-Rod’s former home, Yankee Stadium, every day. For his part, A-Rod wears pants daily that somehow evoke the opening notes of “Waiting for Tonight.” (Sidebar: We need to talk about how/why Alex Rodriguez poses like Mr. Peanut from Planters peanuts so much. Not now, because we’re talking about pure love—just know that I am prepared to have an in-depth conversation about this.)
It’s been a delightful six months watching A-Rod and J.Lo—we call them J-Rod, not A.Lo—complement each other so beautifully and add layers of pathos and humanity to their personas. Before J.Lo, A-Rod was a walking scandal slowly rebuilding himself through better-than-expected baseball analysis. Now he’s a rehabilitated man flourishing in Ron Burgundy suits and seemingly enjoying life unfettered for the first time since he burst on the scene in 1994. Before A-Rod, J.Lo was a fierce but inscrutable triple threat. Now, you can go on A-Rod’s Instagram and see a different, looser, goofier side of her:
J-Rod are currently the best humans, and by far the best celebrity couple on the planet. With summer nearing an end, we should celebrate the best days of J-Rod’s courtship, so that we may look back and stay warm even as the days grow colder.
May 1, 2017: The Met Gala
Alex was the most hateable Yankee ever: He once made out with a mirror, and he disrespected the sanctity of baseball multiple times—whatever, whatever, whatever. None of that matters now, because now A-Rod is just a dude who stands off to the side and looks proud and dorky and like he only maybe knows how to use a smartphone. In 2009, A-Rod might’ve laid on the steps of the Met like Diddy, but with J.Lo, no longer.
June 11, 2017: #DontStopBelieving
In case you can’t tell, this video features:
- A-Rod’s daughter dancing around
- A-Rod on a couch, mic in hand, karaoking to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”
- J.Lo standing nearby, belting out the words supportively in a designer gown
If Modern Family wants to recast their show with everyone in this video and run for a thousand more seasons, I will support that.
Also June 11, 2017: “Good Show, Baby”
June 11 was a really good day for J-Rod.
June 18, 2017: Ice Cream
They should print this photo on money, or I don’t know, put it in the Louvre.
July 7, 2017: The Time They Met Aaron Judge
On July 7, three days before the Home Run Derby, Aaron Judge was possibly the best and most popular baseball player on the planet. It’s a testament to J-Rod’s love that not only did J.Lo not leave A-Rod on the spot, but she also did some light promo for the guy after the meeting. Shortly after this, Aaron Judge went into tailspin. Probably because he doesn’t have what J-Rod has.
July 23, 2017: J-Rod’s Joint Birthday Party
No jokes here, just a slew of immaculate photographs.
#insidejokesallday
July 30, 2017: And Finally, This Perfect Video
There isn’t a lot to feel truly happy about these days without a shred of cynicism or irony, so feel free to bask in the glow of J-Rod. They’re two divorced parents who are having the time of their lives and using social media way too much, and it’s been truly joyful to witness. Maybe they won’t be together much longer; maybe they’ll get married. Either way, we’ll always have this summer, a few months of two incredibly photogenic people extending the honeymoon phase of a new relationship further than ever before.