Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Share the Real Story Behind Their Split in 2003: «I Have Forgiven You»

Jennifer Lopez is opening up about her healing journey in her latest documentary, ’The Greatest Love Story Never Told’. In this film, she talks candidly about her past relationship with Ben Affleck and how they’ve managed to find harmony after nearly 20 years. In one scene, Affleck asks Lopez if she’s still holding onto any anger, sparking a deep conversation about their past.

«Ben and I, we broke up three days before our wedding,» J.Lo recalled in her new documentary.

She tells him in the doc, «I think I was angry at you for a long time. But that heartbreak set both of us on a course to figuring ourselves out to be better people. I think I’ve forgiven you all the way. I think I need to forgive myself [for] some things.»

After meeting on the set of their movie Gigli in 2002, the pair got engaged later that year. They were set to be married in September 2003, but days before, they postponed the wedding, citing «excessive media attention.» After briefly splitting following the canceled nuptials, they officially called it quits in January 2004.

After their split, Lopez tied the knot with singer Marc Anthony, and they have 15-year-old twins named Max and Emme.

Sadly, their marriage ended in divorce in 2012. Meanwhile, Affleck shares three kids, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner. They separated in 2015 after a decade together.

The love story between the Selena actor and The Town star reignited in the spring of 2021, and they got engaged in April 2022. Their whirlwind romance led them to tie the knot in Las Vegas that July.

The documentary, ’The Greatest Love Story Never Told’, gives fans a sneak peek behind the scenes of Lopez’s ambitious new film, ’This Is Me...Now: A Love Story’. Directed by Jason Bergh, the doc features interviews with Lopez’s inner circle, her producing partners, and longtime collaborators, offering an intimate look at her life and work.

This is more than just love.

In the documentary, director Dave Meyers, who worked on ’This Is Me...Now: A Love Story’, described Lopez and Affleck’s breakup as «catastrophic». Lopez herself expressed how tough it was losing Affleck, not only because he was the love of her life but also her best friend.

In another interview, Lopez delved deeper into their split in the early 2000s, revealing that they both had doubts about the future of their relationship. «I knew in my heart that I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life, I knew that,» she said. «But it didn’t feel like we were going to make it. And so it scared me.»

Lopez admitted to Lowe that they both lacked the maturity to handle their relationship at the time. Even though he was in his late 20s and she was in her early 30s, they weren’t ready to fully commit and work on their relationship. «We just weren’t there yet,» she explained.