Jennifer Lopez's gay sitcom inspired by lesbian aunt

Jennifer Lopez fought back tears during a recent TV interview after revealing she signed up to produce new gay sitcom The Fosters as a tribute to her late lesbian aunt.

The singer/actress is an executive producer of the upcoming small screen series, about a biracial lesbian couple raising children, and admits her late relative played a big part in her decision to take on the project.

She tells Entertainment Tonight, "I had an aunt who was gay. I lived with her and I loved her. She just passed away from cancer. I thought of her often when I was thinking about taking on this project and the prejudices that she faced. She was so much a part of my life, she was my mom's sister. She was always there for us, she was a great person. She didn't have her own family and I often wondered if she wanted it. We never talked about it, she just had her life the way it was."

Lopez's eyes filled with tears as she explained, "It was kind of like a little bit of an homage to her. I think she would be really proud."

The drama, starring The West Wing's Teri Polo and Rescue Me's Sherri Saum, has been targeted by conservative activists due to its same-sex parenting storyline, but Lopez argues the show is reflective of contemporary families.

She adds, "When I read the script, I just really felt like although it was about a non-traditional family and it had those newer themes, it had some really basic themes as well about family and love and what's really important in life. life can be complicated and messy sometimes and not simple. It was really a true depiction of family in this day and age."