Jennifer Lopez On Ben Affleck And Her Past Relationships


Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck used to be Hollywood’s most talked about celebrity couple, with the media dubbing them “Bennifer,” and it’s been over 12 years since the two broke up. Lopez recently spoke with People and opened up about her relationship with Ben, revealing that there was “genuine love” between the two.

“I think different time different thing, who knows what could’ve happened, but there was a genuine love there,” Lopez said.

When the Shades of Blue star and Batman v Superman star first met, Jennifer felt quite comfortable. However, she alluded to the fact that although she felt great about their relationship, Affleck revealed some different sides to him later on. Ben and Jennifer were engaged after Affleck proposed with a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring worth $1.2 million. But they postponed their engagement indefinitely only one day prior to the planned ceremony in early 2004. They had originally cited the media’s interference in their personal life as the reason for calling off the marriage.

Jennifer Lopez On Ben Affleck And Her Past Relationships
Los Angeles Lakers v. San Antonio Spurs playoff game at the Staples Center May 11, 2003. [Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images]
“We didn’t try to have a public relationship,” Lopez continued. “We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like, ‘Oh my God.’ It was just a lot of pressure.”

The pressure and public scrutiny increased when the couple starred in their first film together, 2003’s Gigli, before they ultimately broke up. The R-rated comedy/crime/romance notoriously bombed and was trashed by critics, describing it as a mess of a film. Lopez and Affleck would admit as much later on in their careers. Gigli had a production budget of $54 million, but the film grossed a total of $7 million worldwide.

Ben Affleck revealed that he still stays in touch with Jennifer Lopez, as well as his other ex-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow, and even a girlfriend from back in high school.

“We don’t have the kind of relationship where she relies on me for advice,” Ben Affleck said about Lopez. “But we do have the kind of relationship where there’ll be an e-mail saying, ‘Oh, your movie looks great.’ I remember when she got American Idol. I said, ‘This was really smart. Good luck.'”

Jennifer Lopez On Ben Affleck And Her Past Relationships
New York Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox during Game 3, 2003. [Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
“I touch base,” Ben said. “I respect her. I like her. She’s put up with some stuff that was unfair in her life, and I’m really pleased to see her successful.”

Jennifer Lopez married Cuban waiter Ojani Noa in 1997, but the marriage only lasted 11 months and things didn’t really turn out well. Years later, Noa tried to publish a book revealing details of their marriage, and Lopez sued him to prevent him from doing so. Lopez was awarded $545,000 in compensatory damages.

Jennifer started dating record producer and rapper Sean Combs, who may be known now as just “Diddy,” in late 1999, though that relationship did not last long at all. With the nasty business of the couple being charged with criminal possession of a weapon as well as stolen property, Lopez walked away from that and ended up marrying former back-up dancer Cris Judd in September of 2001. When the marriage ended in 2002, she met Affleck.

Jennifer Lopez On Ben Affleck And Her Past Relationships
Q’Viva! The Chosen Live show on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. [Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]
Jennifer’s last marriage was with one of her longtime friends, Marc Anthony. And though that marriage lasted longer than any of her previous relationships, Lopez still thinks of it as “the biggest disappointment of my life so far.” But after the marriage was over, she did eventually feel that it was the right thing to do, though she did fight for it and give it her all.

It didn’t all turn out bad. Jennifer Lopez gave birth to a son, Maximilian David, and a daughter, Emme Maribel, in Long Island, New York, on February 22, 2008, just three years before the couple split.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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