Jennifer Lopez at the Glamour Women of the Year awards. (Dara Kushner/INFphoto.com)
Casper Smart, the backup dancer rumored to be dating Jennifer Lopez. (Splash News)
Jennifer Lopez has been rumored to be dating Bradley Cooper, but now sources say the star has a younger and much more limber piece of arm candy.
Lopez is reportedly seeing Casper Smart, a 24 year old who is not only 18 years Lopez’s junior but is also her backup dancer — just like Lopez’s second husband, Cris Judd. Sources tell the Daily Mail that Lopez and Smart have been dating for weeks. Photos show Smart leaving Lopez’s hotel last week in New York, and partying into the wee hours of the morning with the superstar in Las Vegas on Sept. 24, after he performed in Lopez’s iHeartRadio concert earlier in the night.
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“Yes, they are dating and having a good time,” a source tells People. “They’ve been getting more open with their flirting for weeks.”
Another source described the relationship as a “fun fling.” They elaborated, “It’s not supposed to turn into anything more.”
Smart posted on his Facebook page on Friday, “In Palo Alto Bout to do a show w/ Jennifer Lopez for some1s birthday.” His profile also reveals that he has several tattoos, including a large one on his shoulder, and enjoys wakeboarding. Smart even posted a photo of him dancing behind Lopez on stage.
Smart dances at Club Boulevard in Los Angeles, and has backup danced for Beyonce. He was apparently also an alternate dancer for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour before the icon’s death. Smart has appeared on the shows “Glee” and “How I Met Your Mother,” as well as in the movies “Step Up 3D” and “Honey 2.”
Lopez’s rep would not comment on the rumored romance. But this could be history repeating itself for the superstar. Lopez met Judd on the set of her video “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” The two married in September 2001 and were divorced in June 2002.
Lopez is far from the only pop star to hook up with a backup dancer. Madonna has been dating Brahim Zaibat — also a 24-year-old backup dancer — for the past year. Britney Spears famously married, and had two children with, backup dancer Kevin Federline. Christina Aguilera’s “first love” was with backup dancer Jorge Santos, who she dated for two years. And LeAnn Rimes met ex-husband Dean Sheremet when he danced while she hosted at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2001.