COUPLESJennifer Lopez Says Her First Engagement to Ben Affleck 'Crumbled Under the Weight of the Pressure': 'We Didn't Know How Survive It'
Feb. 14 2024, Published 10:16 a.m. ET
Jennifer Lopez got candid about why she and Ben Affleck split for the first in 2003 — and how they made their way back to one another.
"Our relationship crumbled under the weight of the pressure," the singer, 54, said in a new 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."
Jennifer Lopez reflected on why she and Ben Affleck split for the first time.
The pair later called off their wedding in 2003, releasing a joint statement which read: "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," they continued. "We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends."
The pair split in 2003 but got back together in 2021.
Two decades later, the Hollywood stars got married and are happier than ever — something viewers will get to see in her new musical cinematic experience, This Is Me... Now: A Love Story.
“I think when you put out any project, you get to a point in your life where you’re not doing it for every single person in the world to have the most beautiful opinion of it,” Lopez, who shares twins Max and Emme with ex Marc Anthony, gushed. “But I do think this is a beautiful project. The message is strong and the message is true. I think it’s a true piece of art, and I’m very proud of it.”
The duo got married in 2022.
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The musical artist didn't seem to hold back when thinking about her past in the documentary, as one of the relationships in the film ends in violence.
“The idea of the glass house was about how we get into these toxic relationships,” she noted. “You have trauma from your past. You have these patterns you haven’t figured out yet. And you get into these relationships where you compromise yourself in ways that you never thought you would. Or you allow people to treat you in ways that you never thought you would. And that certainly has happened to me.”
Jennifer Lopez's new cinematic experience looks back on her prior relationships.
Fortunately, it looks like her marriage to Affleck, who shares kids Seraphina, Violet and Samuel with ex Jennifer Garner, is here to stay.
“It’s funny,” she noted. “It’s like, ‘OK, so now I’m in a healthier, more loving, good relationship. I’ve gotten to this place where I feel more whole, to be more present in a relationship. But what is that like? I get to live that, and that’s even more challenging than the last 20 years.”
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Variety spoke with Lopez.
