Jennifer Lopez names personalities who made her ‘feel worthy’

 Jennifer Lopez paid a heartfelt tribute to her parents in a recent interview on Tuesday.

Talking to the Today show on Tuesday in an interview PEOPLE exclusively teased Monday night, Lopez, 53, got candid about representing her Latina heritage and the efforts she's taking to help Latina entrepreneurs.

As for why her latinidad has been so central to her expression as an artist, Lopez says it's "just who I was." She explained, "I think my mother and my family raised me to be proud of who I was and so when I went into these worlds like Hollywood where we were not represented at all, I almost felt like a unicorn."

"I have to credit my parents for making me feel like I was worth something and that I didn't have to be anything other than who I was," Lopez said.

New husband Ben Affleck has also been a source of support. Today's Morgan Radford noted that Affleck was in the sidelines of their sit-down, lovingly watching.

 "[He was] watching her adoringly, cheering her on, wishing her well," the interviewer said. "It was very very cute."