When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck rekindled their relationship in 2021 – after 17 years apart – they knew fans were getting something they had been hoping for. They were one of Hollywood’s power couples in the early 2000s, with Affleck being the subject of her This is Me… Then studio album in 2002.
Now two decades since the release of that album, Jennifer Lopez is talking about her “full circle” moment with Ben Affleck – they’re not only back together, but are finally married as J-Lo prepares for the 2023 release of her ninth studio album. As only fate would have it, the album is titled This is Me… Now.
The two have been inseparable since getting back together last year – not long after her split from former MLB player and all-time great Alex Rodriguez. J-Lo and Affleck, also known by the joint name ‘Bennifer,’ announced their second engagement on April 8, 2022, and got married in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022.
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In a recent interview with Apple Music One’s Zane Lowe, Jennifer Lopez opened up about her old-new love with Ben Affleck. She talked about how their love is now ‘more clearer’ than ever before and also shared a sweet message Affleck had engraved into her engagement ring – one that really hits home.
That message was ‘Not. Going. Anywhere.’ – alluding to their 17 years apart between 2004 and 2021. J-Lo used the message as inspiration for one of the tracks on her This is Me… Now album, titling the track “Not. Going. Anywhere.” It’s clear the couple doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.
“That’s how he would sign his emails when we started talking again. Like, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,’” said Jennifer Lopez in her interview on November 28. “Now, we know and there’s no questions. It’s me and you, all the way, ’til the end,” she said, adding second chances can work out.
She went on to explain how painful her breakup with Affleck was in 2004, adding she avoided having to perform any of the songs off her This is Me… Then album in hopes of letting the heartbreak go. While it took some time for the two to come together again, they couldn’t be happier about what the future holds.
Jennifer Lopez Loves Her New Blended Family With Ben Affleck
A lot happened in the 17 years that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck weren’t together. For J-Lo, she married Marc Anthony shortly after her split with Affleck. Anthony and Lopez separated in 2011 and had their divorce finalized in 2014. J-Lo dated Casper Smart and Alex Rodriguez in the years following.
As for Ben Affleck, he ended up marrying Jennifer Garner in 2005 – the year after his split with J-Lo. They announced their separation in 2015 and had their divorce finalized in 2018. He went on to date Lindsay Shookus and Ana de Armas in the years leading up to his rekindled relationship with J-Lo.
Now that Lopez and Affleck are back together, they bring with them several children as they mesh together their blended family. Affleck shares three children – two daughters and a son – with Garner, while J-Lo shares two children – a set of twins – with Anthony. There are five children altogether.
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“Once got whole enough, complete enough, loved ourselves enough, and could stand on our own two feet really completely, as the universe had it, we were bought into each other’s lives again. It was like a crack in the clouds and the sun came through,” said Jennifer Lopez of her relationship with Ben Affleck.
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