Jennifer Lopez Breaks Silence About Why She and Ben Affleck Broke Up in 2003
These days, Bennifer, the moniker for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, are still one of Hollywood's hottest couples. However, they did break up in 2003, and J-Lo is now talking about why they did.
According to Entertainment Tonight, the two broke up in 2023 before rekindling their relationship almost two decades later, in 2021. This getting back together simultaneously received much love from fans and constant media scrutiny. They eventually got married in a secret and surprise Las Vegas wedding last year, 20 years after initially calling it off.
Jennifer Lopez recently sat down with Variety to discuss her "This Is Me... Now: A Love Story" album release and musical cinematic experience. She talked about not just the album's release but also, surprisingly, about why she broke up with her now-husband years ago.
"Our relationship crumbled under the weight of the pressure," she told Variety in the interview. "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."
The couple previously released a joint statement in 2003 regarding the cancellation of their 2003 wedding, 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 2003 statement continued. "We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families, and our friends."
Jennifer Lopez Clarifies Why Ben Affleck Looked Cranky Beside Her During 2023 Grammy Awards
During that same Variety interview, Jennifer Lopez also talked about her yet-undefined film that examined her "romantic failures in some kind of meta way." One of the people she asked to appear in that film is her friend, Jane Fonda, and their conversation about that film was included in Lopez's new documentary, "The Greatest Love Story Never Told."
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"I want you to know that I don't entirely know why, but I feel invested in you and Ben, and I really want this to work," Fonda told Lopez in the documentary. "However, this is absurd. Like, it feels too much like you're trying to prove something instead of just living it. You know, every other photograph is the two of you kissing and the two of you hugging."
Fonda then talked about that incident during the 2023 Grammy Awards where Ben Affleck looked bored or cranky with his wife, admitting this got her concerned over the couple's relationship. J-Lo just brushed it off, saying, "Nothing! He was like, 'I've become the symbol of the beleaguered man.'"
Jennifer Lopez Says Ayo Edibiri Tearfully Apologized Over Previous Comments
Many believed it would have been a very awkward situation when it was announced that Ayo Edibiri would host "Saturday Night Live" with Jennifer Lopez as the musical guest, given the Emmy winner's previous comments about the actress-singer. However, J-Lo told Variety that it was all water under the bridge.
"She was mortified and very sweet," she said. "She came to my dressing room and apologized with tears in her eyes, saying how terrible it was that she had said those things." The "Love Don't Cost a Thing" singer added, "She felt really badly and loved my performance because we had just done my soundcheck and she actually got to hear me perform. She was just like, 'I'm so f--king sorry, it was so awful of me.'"
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Written by: Rick Martin
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