NEWSBen Affleck 'Never Heard' About Ana Navarro Trying to Set Him Up With Shakira: 'Stuff Gets Made Up'
Ben Affleck denied knowing about Ana Navarro's claimed matchmaking attempt with Shakira.
Oct. 5 2026, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
Ben Affleck was caught off guard when he learned Ana Navarro claimed she once tried to set him up with Shakira, insisting he it was the first time he was learning about the matchmaking attempt.
"I swear to God, I never heard that in my whole life," the actor said in a recent interview while promoting his new movie Animals at its Los Angeles premiere on October 2. "People gossip. Stuff gets made up."
Affleck Said People Don't Really Set Him Up
Ben Affleck brushed aside romance talk, stating his current focus is solely on his career and children.
The Argo filmmaker went on to explain that being introduced to potential romantic partners is not something that happens often in his life.
"I don't really ever get set up, really," Affleck confessed. "I work a lot and I see my kids and there's not a lot of room. I'm not running around, you know what I'm saying?"
The 54-year-old also made clear that dating is not currently high a main concern.
"It's not a big priority in my life," he added. "I know what my priorities are. You can't have two things that are the most important in your life. For me, that's the kids."
Affleck Is 'Good and Happy' With His Life
Ben Affleck asserted that he is happy and at peace with his current situation but remains open to future romance without actively chasing it.
Affleck insisted he's keeping busy.
"I think that's a good place, where you're like, 'I'm good, and I'm happy,'" he maintained. "I'm where I'm at, and I'm great."
The actor-director also left the door open to whatever might happen in the future.
"Who knows what adventures life will bring?" he shared. "I'm open to it, but I'm not trying to chase anything."
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Navarro Had Floated the Idea Through Matt Damon
Ana Navarro originally hatched the setup idea at a Miami concert, but Matt Damon warned her it was too risky.
Navarro previously revealed on The View that she had tried to play matchmaker after Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's 2024 split.
"I was at a Shakira concert in Miami, and Matt Damon was there with his wife and his girls," Navarro recalled. "And Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are best friends."
She revealed why she thought setting up the Batman lead and the "Hips Don't Lie" singer: "It had just come out that J.Lo and Ben Affleck were breaking up. So, Shakira had broken up with her husband..."
Damon apparently warned that the situation could be complicated because Shakira is friends with Lopez.
Affleck Has Been Married Twice Before
Ben Affleck's relationship history includes his high-profile marriage to Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner.
Affleck's latest comments came less than two years after his divorce from Lopez was finalized in January 2025. The pair first became engaged in 2002 before separating, then rekindled their relationship nearly two decades later and married in 2022.
Before Lopez, the Oscar winner was married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 until their divorce in 2018. They share three children: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.
Affleck has also been romantically linked to Gwyneth Paltrow and Ana de Armas.
