Michelle Obama & Jennifer Lopez Remember ‘Friend’ Ruth Bader Ginsburg — and Her Marriage Advice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice and Liberal Icon, Dies at 87
Ruth Bader Ginsburg died "surrounded by her family at her home," the Supreme Court said in a statement
Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Jennifer Lopez on Tuesday honored Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last Friday from complications of metastatic cancer at the age of 87.
In a conversation shared via Instagram Live and filmed for National Voter Registration Day, Obama, 56, and Lopez, 51, spoke of the importance of voting in the upcoming presidential election and touched on the recent loss of Ginsburg.
Lopez — wearing a sweater embroidered with the words, "She Who Dares Wins" — called herself "a huge fan of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg," and asked for Obama's take on the "iconic American figure."
"Barrack and I were privileged to call her a friend," Obama said. "We had dinner with her and her husband. We would see her almost every holiday. Just an amazing, amazing force of a woman."
"I have always been moved by ... her story," Obama continued. "How she had a family, raised a family, then went back to law school and faced a level of discrimination of being one of a few really bad, smart people — "
"Badass," Lopez interjected.
BET Awards 2020/Getty; Michael Loccisano/Getty (2) From left: Michelle Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jennifer Lopez
Touching on Ginsburg's reputation as a feminist icon, Obama added that the late justice's legacy lies in the work she did to protect women's rights. Lopez, nodding her head in agreement, noted that "those are the things that are at stake right now."
RELATED: Jennifer Lopez Asked Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the Secret to a Happy Marriage
Lopez also reminisced about her own memories of Ginsburg, saying the justice had once given her "great advice" about both voting and marriage.
"She gave us some great advice about how we could help, which is to be our best selves ... voting is a big part of that for every single person, no matter what you do," Lopez said. "She also gave us some good marriage advice."
Lopez elaborated on that advice during a 2019 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, recalling how RBG had told her, “It’s good to be a little deaf sometimes." (Ginsburg wrote in a New York Times op-ed in 2016 that she originally received the advice from her "savvy mother-in-law" on her wedding day.)
“[Ginsburg] was like, ‘An unkind word, people are not perfect, sometimes you just have to let it go,' ” the actress added.
Lopez said that she and fiancé Alex Rodriguez have put that advice into practice, often referencing Ginsburg in their own household.
RELATED: Mourners Turn Out in Droves to Pay Last Respects to RBG at Public Viewing in Washington D.C.
Countless other celebrities and political figures have reflected on the life and legacy of Ginsburg since her death last week. On Wednesday, thousands began gathering in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to pay respects to the late justice, who will lie in repose on the Supreme Court building's top steps for two days.
