There are few celebrity breakups as infamous as those of the 2000s — just looks at Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck! But when Ben and Jen (or Bennifer, as fans like to call them) got back together in 2021, it felt like a literal movie. In Jennifer Lopez' new documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, the couple finally reveals why they actually broke up in the first place: "the massive amount of scrutiny around our private life." Here's everything you need to know about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, in the 2000s and now.
Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck's Relationship Timeline
Image via Columbia Pictures
Winter 2002 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Meet On The Set Of Gigli
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck first met while filming their 2003 movie Gigli. "The first time meeting him on that film was at the read-through," Jennifer tells Variety. "I remember kind of just walking in and I think he was outside, smoking a cigarette...I don't remember a whole bunch more about it, but I remember being on the set with him every day and loving it."
Image via Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
November 2002 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Announce Their Engagement
During an interview with Diane Sawyer at the end of 2002, Jennifer Lopez showed off the engagement ring from Ben Affleck. The platinum band + pink diamond combo is absolutely beautiful, just like the proposal itself. "[It was] traditional, but also in a very spectacular way, as of course Ben would do it," Jennifer says, via ABC News.
"He is brilliantly smart, loving, charming, affectionate," she continues. "And I just admire him in every way. I respect him. I feel like he teaches me things."
Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Early 2003 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Experience The Tabloids Firsthand
Before the age of iPhones and TikTok, celebs constantly dealt with the tabloids — even more than they do now. And as one of the hottest couples in the world, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez constantly faced paparazzi and tabloids. “We didn’t try to have a public relationship,” Jennifer Lopez tells PEOPLE in 2016. “We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like ‘Oh my God.’ It was just a lot of pressure.”
"People were so f*cking mean about her," Ben Affleck says on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcastin 2021. "Sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious sh*t was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you would literally be fired for saying those things you said...Now it's like, she's lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished — as well she f*cking should be!"
Image via Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
September 10, 2003 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Call Off Their Wedding
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were supposed to be married on September 14, 2003, but four days before their wedding, they postponed the ceremony. "Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date," the couple says in their official statement, via PEOPLE. "When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realized that something was awry."
"It was so painful after we broke up," Jennifer tells Apple Music's Zane Lowe in 2024. "Once we called off that wedding 20 years ago, it was the biggest heartbreak of my life. I honestly felt like I was going to die. It sent me on a spiral for the next 18 years where I just couldn't get it right. But now, 20 years later, it does have a happy ending. It has the most would-never-happen-in-Hollywood ending."
Image via Barbara Nitke/Courtesy of STXfilms
February 18, 2020 — Ben Affleck Supports Jennifer Lopez In Hustlers
At the beginning of 2020, in an interview with The New York Times, Ben Affleck voiced his support for Jennifer Lopez. "She should have been nominated [for Hustlers]," he says. "She's the real thing. I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her. How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That's f*cking baller."
Image via Amy Sussman/Getty Images
May 10, 2021 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Take A Trip Together
After Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez broke up in the spring of 2021, J.Lo was seen hanging out with Ben Affleck around Los Angeles. "[Jennifer] spent several days with Ben out of town," a source tells PEOPLE. "They have a strong connection. It's all been quick and intense, but Jennifer is happy."
Image via Amy Sussman/Getty Images
July 24, 2021 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Make Their Relationship Instagram Official
Hidden at the end of an Instagram carousel, Jennifer Lopez posted a photo of her kissing Ben Affleck. "5 2 … what it do …" the caption reads.
Image via Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
September 10, 2021 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Walk The Red Carpet
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck attended the premiere of his film The Last Duel at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. They both looked amazing in old school glam!
Image via Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
April 8, 2022 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Announce Their Second Engagement
PEOPLE confirmed that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were engaged again in the spring of 2022. Jennifer also revealed the news via email and on social media. "So I have a really exciting and special story to share," she said on Twitter.
Image via Kevin Winter/Getty Images
July 16, 2022 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Finally Get Married!
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck finally tied the knot in July of 2022. Jennifer shared the details about the "best night ever" via On The JLo newsletter (via PEOPLE) the next day. The couple later had a larger ceremony in Georgia.
"It's a beautiful outcome that this has happened in this way at this time in our lives where we can really appreciate and celebrate each other and respect each other," she says. "We always did, but we have even more of an appreciation because we know that life can take you in different directions."
"[Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck] were attentive only to each other, didn't have eyes for anything else," a PEOPLE source said after spotting the couple on their honeymoon in Lake Como, Italy.
Image via Jennifer Lopez/Instagram
February 14, 2023 — Jennifer Lopez Reveals Her Tattoo With Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck showed off their coordinating tattoos on J.Lo's Instagram. The tattoos (hers of an arrow through an infinity sign on her ribcage and his of two arrows tied to one another) are super cute together!
"Commitment," Jennifer says in her Instagram post. "Happy Valentine’s Day my love."
Image via Monica Schipper/Getty Images
May 3, 2023 — Jennifer Lopez Calls Ben Affleck A "Wonderful Father"
When she was on the Today Show (via Twitter) at the beginning of May 2023, Jennifer Lopez had high praise for Ben Affleck's relationship with all their kids. Jennifer has twins, Max and Emme, with Marc Anthony, while Ben Affleck shares three kids, Samuel, Seraphina, and Violet, with Jennifer Garner.
"He's a wonderful, wonderful father," J.Lo says in the interview. "And a father figure to [Max and Emme] as well, because he has his own three beautiful children, and then there's us...They love him. And they appreciate him, and so do I."
Image via Jennifer Lopez/Instagram
August 21, 2023 — Jennifer Lopez Celebrates Her One Year Anniversary With Ben Affleck
In honor of their first wedding anniversary, Jennifer Lopez shared some photos, and some lyrics from "Dear Ben, Pt II", to Instagram. "One year ago today," she says in the caption. "Dear Ben, Sitting here alone / Looking at my ring ring / Feeling overwhelmed / It makes me wanna sing sing / How did we end up here / Without a rewind / Oh my / This is my life...Jennifer"
Image via Dunkin'
February 11, 2024 — Ben Affleck And Jennifer Lopez Star In A Super Bowl Commercial
Following Ben Affleck's iconic, viral photos with his Dunkin' coffee, the couple starred in Dunkin' Donuts' 2024 Super Bowl ad — in addition to Matt Damon, Jack Harlow, and Tom Brady. The commercial features Ben and his friends coming into the studio while Jennifer records her newest album This Is Me Now... — a move that is not well received.
Image via Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios
February 26, 2024 — Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Reveal Why They Originally Split Up
"Ben and I, we broke up three days before our wedding," J.Lo recalled in her new documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told. "We had a big wedding planned—14 ushers and bridesmaids—and three days before, we just crumbled under the pressure."
"For all those years, it was really hard because I didn't just feel like I lost the love of my life, I felt like I lost the best friend that I ever had," Jennifer continues. "I've made it through. I've made something good of my life. I'm proud of that."
Image via Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images
May 2024: Rumors Swirl About Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's Alleged Divorce
Though Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have reconnected, there have rumors that their marriage may be in trouble. A source alerted InTouch Weekly that there have been obvious signs that something is wrong for a while.
"The writing is on the wall – it’s over," the source claims before saying, "They’re headed for a divorce – and for once, [Ben’s] not to blame!" The source believes the two have a lot of love for each other, but that they're jus too different to be together.
TMZ has also reported that Ben seems like he hasn't been living at home — yikes! He was photographed leaving going to and coming from a L.A. home without Jennifer. It's also being reported that he's been allegedly spending the night there.
But, TMZ also pointed out that the pair are still wearing their wedding rings so it's hard to say if there's any merit to the breakup rumors. Until Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck actually give a statement, I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best!
What's your favorite Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck moment? Check out The Latest On Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce's Relationship and The Latest News On Blake Lively And Ryan Reynold's Kids for more of your favorite celebrity couples!
Lead image via Amy Sussman/Getty Images
This post has been updated.
