Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s relationship has continued drawing the spotlight over the years. The two at first dated from 2002 to 2004 and were also engaged. However, they called it quits then. Therefore, when the couple got together again in 2021, fans were naturally excited.
Lopez and Affleck married in July 2022, but unfortunately, the relationship did not last, and Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024, which was finalized in January 2025. Following her split from Affleck, Lopez has opened up about her feelings and spoken candidly about her life after the divorce in an episode of ‘Nightline.’
Speaking on the show, Lopez made it quite clear that she was enjoying being single as she said, “I’m in my happy era. I think, for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m free; I’m on my own. And it feels really good.”
Emphasizing how good it felt, Lopez added,
“It’s so nice right now! I’m so happy! It’s the best. I just feel really good right now.”
View this post on Instagram
She then explained how that would have been difficult for her younger self, as she had been afraid of being alone. Explaining the same, Lopez added, “And that was a scary thing for me when I was younger. I didn’t know if I could do that.”
She also noted that she almost always had boyfriends, and therefore, the feelings of joy that come with being single were something very new to her. Highlighting her relationships throughout her life, the singer said, “I didn’t really know what that felt like since I was in my early 20s — and even before that. I’ve always had boyfriends. There was always someone in my life, and so many things that I felt like were out of my control.”
Now, following her split from Affleck, Lopez says she has taken a different approach to life, trusting herself more, as she said, “I’ve gotten to the point where I really trust myself and appreciate myself a little bit more, instead of being so hard on myself and always trying to prove myself.”
Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck today, August 20th, on the second anniversary of their wedding ceremony in Georgia.
She listed their date of separation as April 26. pic.twitter.com/8NlsJoSezo
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 20, 2024
However, this road to loving and trusting herself following her marriage to Affleck hitting the rocks was not an easy journey. She canceled her ‘This Is Me… Now Live’ summer tour. Explaining her decision to take a break, she said, “I had to stop everything, and I took a year off. I canceled tours and just decided to be home and sit in what had happened without running away from it through work, through another person, through anything. Just sit.
Lopez also added that the moment of crisis that came with her divorce also made her ponder the deeper questions of life, as she said, “I just got to the point where I was like, ‘What is going on with you?’” She then added, “Because I couldn’t blame anybody else, because I don’t think that’s where the lesson is. And so I really wanted to figure myself out.”
Besides Affleck, Lopez was also married to singer Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014, actor Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998, and actor Chris Judd from 2001 to 2003. Her candid remarks about the struggles of divorce serve as a reminder that celebrities face the same emotional challenges as everyone else.
