19 Years in the Making, Ben Affleck’s and Jennifer Lopez’s Unfinished Love Story

When certain love stories come to an end, they may break our hearts as if we were a part of the couple. That’s exactly what happened when Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, popularly known as Bennifer, split up just before their wedding. The couple’s brief romance, which lasted from 2002 to 2003, was unrivaled — no celebrity pair sparked as much excitement as they did. J. Lo once called Ben “her first big heartbreak,” and considering their long history, it’s no surprise they got back together after all these years.

True love never fails, and we at Bright Side got so excited that Bennifer’s back on that we couldn’t help but share their love story with you!

Their career brought them closer.

They are both accomplished people in their lives, with extensive careers behind them. Jennifer Lynn Lopez, widely known as J. Lo, is a multi-talented artist. She is a dancer, singer, and actress. Since she was a youngster, she dreamed about being a celebrity. We all know her for her biggest hits, like Let’s Get Loud and On The Floor, but the Latina actress has also acted in several well-known films, like Selena and Blood and Wine.

Ben Affleck has been in the public spotlight since he was a child, beginning with a commercial. The American actor is best known for his roles in blockbuster films, including Argo, Gone Baby Gone, and the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting, which he co-directed with his close friend Matt Damon.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck met on the set of the film “Gigli” in December 2001, and despite the film’s box office failure, their love blossomed quickly. Jennifer was still married to her second husband at the time, dancer Cris Judd, but she divorced him shortly after meeting Ben Affleck.

This was later declared during an interview that “at first because she was married, there was no thought of a romantic relationship”, but then they “became really good friends in a way that was very comfortable.” That summer, she and Affleck made their romance public.

They even were in a music video together.

The music video for Jenny From the Block, which was released in November 2002, features Lopez and Affleck. The song’s video was inspired by the couple’s real-life experience of being followed by the public and hounded by photographers. It showed the pair relaxing on a boat while clutching a newspaper full of rumors about them. In the now-iconic video clip, Bennifer had a passionate encounter.

The couple got engaged the same year but their relationship didn’t last long.

That same year, Ben proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a 6-carat diamond ring. Once the planning for the big day got underway, the paparazzi were all over the happy couple, as such a stunning ring was bound to result in a lavish wedding.

During an interview, the singer of On the Floor declared that Affleck’s proposal was “traditional, but also in a very spectacular way as, of course, Ben would do it... it was very, very beautiful.”
In other appearances, Lopez revealed Affleck read her a letter in which he listed all the reasons he loved her and wanted to marry her, “It was the most cleansing feeling and the most wonderful feeling I had ever had.”

Following months of engagement, the couple made a brief statement a few days before the wedding announcing that they would cancel the wedding due to increased media attention. The couple asserted: “When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring 3 separate ’decoy brides’ to be at 3 different locations, we realized that something was awry.” They did, however, confirm their split in January 2004, which wasn’t entirely surprising to fans, who noticed Affleck alone and Lopez no longer wearing her engagement ring.

After their relationship ended they continued to go on their own paths.

Over the years, Lopez has been romantically involved with other celebrities. In 2004, she married Marc Anthony, a singer with whom she has twins, but the couple divorced in 2011. “This was a very difficult decision,” they stated later. “It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”

In 2017, the singer began dating professional shortstop Alex Rodriguez, a longtime friend. They got engaged in 2019 after years of rumors about their wedding. Unfortunately, the pair reportedly declared their breakup on March 2021 — “We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so” they stated.

Meanwhile, Ben Affleck married Jennifer Garner in June 2005, and the couple had 3 children together over the years. However, after a decade of marriage, the pair announced their divorce in 2015. “After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple tells PEOPLE in a statement. “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children.”

Affleck has admitted in several interviews that he felt stuck in that marriage, “I was like, I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?” This anxiety led him to develop unhealthy habits. The actor then dated actress Ana de Armas in 2020, but their relationship lasted barely a year.

It seems like their feelings for each other never faded away.

The 2 celebrities have occasionally made public statements regarding their prior relationship throughout the years. During an interview, the singer revealed “I think different time different thing, who knows what could’ve happened, but there was a genuine love there.” She then declared to have suffered from their split and the media attention around them, “When the tabloids were out and we were being hounded by paparazzi constantly, it was a really hard time.”

However, the 2 have both stated they remained in contact over the years, and in several instances, Ben Affleck praised his ex-girlfriend and defended J. Lo when she came under criticism. The actor claimed, “She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success, and I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves.”

Many rumors circulated in April 2021 that Affleck and Lopez were spending time together at her Los Angeles home, but the 2 denied it, claiming they were simply friends; yet photographers saw them in a car together in Montana, later in Miami, and walking on the street in California. The pair made public their reconciliation when they were seen kissing on the street, then Jennifer Lopez confirmed the rekindling a few months later by uploading on Twitter and Instagram a picture of them kissing on her 52nd birthday.

And finally, Bennifer was back.

Their renewed love is still going strong, and photographers frequently catch them kissing and laughing. Following the formal announcement, the pair made their first red carpet appearance at the Venice Film Festival, which excited the couple’s fans.

During an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Lopez acknowledged their relationship, saying that no one was more astonished than they were and they could never have anticipated anything like that. “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. We’re so guarded since this is such a special time for all of us,” Lopez explained.

Do you believe real love can rekindle after all this time? What do you believe should be done to keep a marriage together?