Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are starting their new life together as husband and wife, after two decades of meeting each other. The two fell in love in 2002 and got engaged, only to call off their September 2003 wedding. They parted ways the next year and went on to date other people and had kids with them. But, true love finds its way back, and JLo and Affleckโs story is a testament to that.
The couple tied the knot in a Las Vegas wedding ceremony on July 16, 2022, after rekindling their romance last year. But do you know why things went south between them way back in 2004? Hereโs all about it.
Read More: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleckโs Love Story
Why Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Broke Up In 2004
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had a much publicized relationship and eventual break-up in the 2000s. They met on the sets of their film โGigliโ, and clicked. However, JLo was married to her second husband, Cris Judd, at the time. After their divorce in 2003, the actress went public with her and Affleckโs relationship.
The couple received a lot of media attention and experienced fan-frenzy. They even called off their wedding due to โexcessive media attentionโ. A part of their joint statement read, โWhen we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate โdecoy bridesโ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends.โ
Lopez and Affleck parted ways the following year in January. The โBatmanโ actor reflected on the breakup 17 years later on the โHoward Stern Showโ and blamed the negative portrayal in media as โ50%โ contributor to their split.
โThe idea that people hate you and they hate you together and that being together is poison and ugly and toxic and the thing none of us want to be part of,โ Affleck said. His initial reaction to the breakup was one with mixed emotions. The actor said he was โf**king hurt and angry and felt like a fool.โ
Jennifer also felt that their relationship suffered due to the tabloid craze. She told Graham Norton, โIt was a lot. Honestly, I’ve never really talked about it before. I mean, I love Ben, he’s a great guy but it was a lot for both of us to be under that type of siege for two years straight. We were on the cover of every magazine every week, it was just a weird thing… Our relationship did suffer because of that. That was one of the reasons. I mean, I would never blame the media for anything, but it definitely played a part of the dynamic of our relationship.โ
Well, finally they found their way back to each other and are once again one of the most loved couples in Hollywood.
The Couple Makes It To The Altar Two Decades Later
Fondly called โBenniferโ by fans, the couple got married this weekend in Las Vegas. They had announced their engagement in April. Sharing their wedding details on On The JLo newsletter, the actress called their wedding โthe best night of our lives.โ
“We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patientโฆ.Last night, we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a license with four other couples, all making the same journey to the wedding capital of the world,” Lopez wrote.
She had described what makes her relationship with Affleck different since their 2004 romance to People. “We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things,โ she said.
Lopez has taken Affleckโs name after their wedding and even signed her newsletter with “Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck.”
Read More: Jennifer Lopez Says โWe Did Itโ As She Shares Pictures From Her Wedding To Ben Affleck
