Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s Relationship Timeline: From Shocking First Split to More Breakup Rumors
Written by Rtradio on May 17, 2024
This is Bennifer then… to now! Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck‘s love story spans decades, other marriages, blending families and more, but in 2021 the A-listers rekindled their romance nearly two decades after they first split and went on to tie the knot in July 2022.
In 2024, Lopez released The Greatest Love Story Never Told, documenting the couple’s early days and how they came back to one another.
A source recently told ET that the couple has their “ups and downs” since getting married, noting, “They’re not always on the same page. They both have so much going on between taking care of their families and their work commitments and it can be a lot for them.”
With rumors surrounding their marriage swirling, ET is looking back at the “Jenny From the Block” singer’s romance with the Oscar winner, what led to their first split and how they came back together.
When they first got together
In a 2003 Dateline special, Lopez shared that the future couple initially met “at a couple of parties,” though they didn’t pay attention to each other much. But eventually they got to know each other on the set of their film Gigli in 2002.
“It felt like we had good chemistry. He could improv. I could improv back,” Lopez said on Dateline. “When we did start working on the movie together, we did become friends.”
At the time, Lopez was married to her second husband, Cris Judd, but they split in mid-2002.
Lopez claimed that initially there was “no idea that we would be together in the future,” when it came to her friendship with Affleck.
Affleck agreed at the time, saying, he and Lopez admitted things to each other they wouldn’t have had they intended to date.
“Because you’re not trying to impress someone because you don’t think they’ll be dating them, so you’re like, ‘Whatever, it doesn’t matter!'” he said, noting that he gave Lopez details about his past romances.
Three months after filming wrapped, Lopez and Judd split and just three months after that, Lopez and Affleck were engaged. Their romance was widely publicized with the pair earning the nickname “Bennifer.” Lopez’s divorce from Judd was finalized in 2003.
This Is Me… Then
Lopez released her hit third studio album, This Is Me… Then in November 2002, which was filled with hits like “Jenny From the Block” and “I’m Glad.” It also included the song, “Dear Ben,” which was a love letter to her man. Affleck also starred in the iconic music video for “Jenny From the Block.”
Engagement bliss
Affleck popped the question to his lady love in November 2002 with a custom Harry Winston pink diamond ring. He described the proposal as “traditional,” though he opted to keep the details of the proposal quiet at the time.
Wedding postponed
Three days before their September 2003 wedding, the stars called things off.
At the time, they released a joint statement, saying, “Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date. When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry.”
The pair went on to say that the day had been “spoiled” for them.
Decades later in their The Greatest Love Story Never Told documentary, they got candid about what led to them calling it quits at the time.
“When Jen and I broke up before, the catalyst for that was the scrutiny around our private life,” Affleck admitted.
“We had a big wedding plan, three days before, we just crumbled under the pressure,” Lopez shared.
First split
In January 2004, just months after their postponed wedding, the couple officially ended things.
“Our relationship crumbled under the weight of the pressure,” Lopez told Variety of the split decades later. “We lost a sense of ourselves, and we needed to separate because we didn’t know how to survive it. I had to figure myself out, and he had to figure himself out.”
‘Jersey Girl’
In March 2004, months after their real-life breakup, the former couple’s second film, Jersey Girl, was released. Lopez did not attend the film’s premiere, though Affleck did, posing with co-star, Liv Tyler.
Other marriages
Lopez tied the knot with singer Marc Anthony in 2004. The pair stayed together until 2014 and welcomed twins Max and Emme together in February 2008. Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018. The exes are parents to kids Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. Lopez was also engaged to former baseball star Alex Rodriguez from 2019 until 2021.
Rekindling the romance
Just weeks after Lopez and Rodriguez officially called it quits, Lopez and Affleck were spotted on a trip to Montana together on Mother’s Day weekend in May 2021 after he was previously spotted visiting her Los Angeles home on multiple occasions.
According to ET’s source at the time, Affleck was the one who began pursuing Lopez again after they remained on friendly terms following their 2004 split.
“Ben has always had an affinity for Jennifer and was the one who initially started pursuing her and making an effort to reconnect, romantically speaking,” the source said. “He wanted to explore things with her beyond a friendship and they’ve both really been enjoying spending time together.”
A source also told ET that things between the two took a romantic turn in February.
“Jen and Ben have remained in contact since their breakup and would see each other from time to time, but as friends,” the source said. “In February things took more of a flirty turn. Ben started to pursue Jen and made it clear he wanted more than a friendship. The two have always shared a strong bond and are spending time together to see if there is a spark or it’s just two friends finding comfort in one another.”
Instagram official!
Lopez rang in her 52nd birthday with a post featuring Affleck, marking the first time the couple had appeared together on her Instagram.
Red carpet debut
After making fans go wild with their rekindled romance, the couple made their red carpet debut for the first time in 18 years at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Affleck’s film, The Last Duel, in September 2021, packing on plenty of PDA in the process.
Masked date
Though they didn’t walk the red carpet together at the 2021 Met Gala, Lopez and Affleck were photographed kissing at the event, albeit while wearing masks.
Not loving the attention
Affleck admitted to ET in October 2021 that media attention surrounding his private life was “not my favorite part,” saying that he still takes his “responsibility” to promoting his films “seriously.”
Never breaking up
In a February 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Lopez shared that she doesn’t see herself and Affleck ever breaking up.
“I don’t think we would have got back together if we thought that was where it was headed,” she said. “We feel like what we found again is so much more important, and how we protect that and how we live our lives — what to share, what not to share — is the balance that we have now, the benefit of experience and the wisdom that we gained over the years.”
Supporting his lady love
The couple made it a date night at the February 2022 premiere of Lopez’s rom com Marry Me.
“It’s a great date night. We’re super happy,” Lopez gushed to ET . “What can I tell you? We’re just having a good time.”
Engaged again!
In April 2022, Lopez announced that Affleck had popped the question a second time, this time with a beautiful green ring.
At the time a source told ET that the couple is “over the moon about their engagement.”
“They feel like they are living their dream life,” the source said. “Ben always knew he wanted to marry Jen and they are so excited and happy.”
Loving life
In June 2022, Lopez told ET that she was in a “beautiful” stage of life with Affleck.
“I do think it’s just halftime,” Lopez quipped at the premiere of her documentary, titled Halftime. “It’s a beautiful moment.”
Vegas wedding
With wedding planning in full swing for the couple’s big day, J.Lo found herself experiencing some PTSD from their first engagement. She told Jimmy Kimmel in January 2023 that as Lopez became more stressed about the big wedding, Affleck decided they should elope in Vegas first in July 2022.
“He was like, ‘Go to rehearsal. When you get back here, I’m going to have everything all set up. Three of our kids were at camp, two of them were with us and he was like, ‘They’re going to be our witnesses. Let’s go. We’re doing it tonight.’ And we did,” she told Kimmel.
Lopez went on to change her last name to Affleck after the ceremony.
The big wedding weekend
After they got the actual marriage part taken care of, the two had their big wedding moment at Affleck’s Riceboro, Georgia, estate.
“Some old wounds were healed that day and the weight of the past finally lifted off our shoulders,” Lopez later wrote of the special day. “Full-circle — and not at all the way we planned it. Better.”
Matching tattoos
On Valentine’s Day 2023, the couple debuted their matching infinity symbol ink, complete with each other’s initials, names, and arrows.
A source told ET at the time that the actor and singer-actress wanted to show their commitment to each other “in a cool, fun and unique way.” And, with that in mind, the source said Lopez “listened to Ben’s input on what they ultimately decided to go with because he already has so many tattoos.”
The source added that Lopez trusted Affleck and she “knew he would have a good idea of what would look good on both of them.”
Home sweet home
ET confirmed that couple closed on a $60 million home together in the Wallingford Estates area of Beverly Hills in May after two years of house hunting in May 2023.
One year down
For their one-year anniversary the couple were spotted out for a romantic dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California.
Meshing families
As Lopez rang in her 54th birthday with Affleck in July 2023, ET learned that the couple was focused on combining their blended family after closing on their house.
“They are working on meshing their families in a healthy and gentle way, while also making sure everyone has a fun summer,” a source said at the time.
Co-writers
The couple collaborated to write the This Is Me… Now film, and Lopez couldn’t get enough of it. In December 2023, she opened up to ET about the process, saying, “We collaborate very well together.”
“Nobody knows my story more than he does,” she added. “So we were able to kind of sit down and really dig into it, in a way that I don’t think any other writer could’ve done with me.”
Ben’s viral faces
With Affleck’s facial expressions becoming instant memes and paparazzi capturing shots of the actor looking less than enthusiastic, Lopez came to his rescue in January 2024 at the Golden Globes, when ET asked about the moments.
“Ben is doing alright. You don’t need to worry about Ben, let me just tell you,” Lopez told ET of Affleck. “He is good. He is happy. He is here — he is nominated. I’m chilling, I don’t understand what people are so pressed for.”
This Is Me… Now
Lopez released her ninth studio album in February 2024, a follow up to 2002’s This Is Me… Then. She made it clear that her rekindled romance with Affleck inspired her tracks.
“When Ben and I got back together, it was just like, ‘I want to make music again, I want to get back in the studio,'” she told ET at the time. “I was very, very inspired.”
‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’
As a visual counterpart to her new music, Lopez released a musical cinematic experience titled, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which was filled with celebrity cameos including Jane Fonda, Keke Palmer, Post Malone, and more, including Affleck himself.
“It seems like a fairytale, but it really wasn’t. And so I really wanted to tell that part of the story — the real story, in a way, but not my autobiographical story,” Lopez told ET in February 2024 of the more challenging parts of her romantic pasts. “It is inspired by a lot of the things I went through and it’s really about what it has been for me to be a hopeless romantic my whole life, and some of the pitfalls of that.”
‘The Greatest Love Story Never Told’
While attending a Los Angeles screening of The Greatest Love Story Never Told in February 2024, Lopez opened up to ET about her husband’s involvement in the project.
“He embraced it as well and kind of saw it happening. And again, from a natural and organic way, said, ‘I’m going to support you,'” she told ET. “When somebody loves you in that way, they just want you to fly.”
Family outings
The couple weren’t shy about their PDA while sitting courtside in March 2024 at a Los Angeles Lakers game as the team played the Golden State Warriors.
The pair attended the game with Affleck’s son, Samuel, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Garner. While the game was in full swing, Affleck and Lopez sat with their arms around each other. In a couple of sweet moments, the pair leaned in close to chat with each other. They also held hands as they made their way down the court.
Staying strong together
Despite criticism, Lopez was keeping her head held high with the support of Affleck in early May 2024.
A source told ET at the time that J.Lo had her Oscar-winning significant other to lean on, which was why she isn’t focused on any negative chatter or feedback that came her way.
“Jen has not been paying much attention to any outside hate,” the source said. “She has always had to deal with criticism and knows that she is misunderstood by some. She realizes that will always be the case because she’s an artist and there are people who don’t get her or know her.”
Throughout it all, the source added, “Ben is 100 percent supportive of Jen and keeps it real with her. They both know this is part of the business and remind each other that you can’t please everyone. They acknowledge what really matters, lift each other up, and encourage each other’s talents and capabilities.”
Solo events
Though Lopez served as the co-chair of the 2024 Met Gala, she attended the annual event solo. At the time, a rep for Affleck told ET the actor did not attend the Met Gala with Lopez because he was filming The Accountant 2 in Los Angeles.
The day before the Met Gala, Affleck attended the live taping of Netflix’s Tom Brady: The Greatest Roast of All Time solo, where he got on stage and told a few jokes at Brady’s expense.
The back-to-back solo engagements sparked rumors of trouble in paradise for the two stars.
Highs and lows
A source told ET in May 2024, “Jen and Ben have had their ups and downs since getting married. They have gone through phases where things haven’t been as great between them due to their different personalities and not getting enough time together. They’re not always on the same page. They both have so much going on between taking care of their families and their work commitments and it can be a lot for them.”
Around the same time, Lopez was spotted out while still wearing her wedding ring.
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