Ben Affleck X Jennifer Lopez: 5 interesting things to know about their relationship
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are one of the most popular couples of Hollywood. They were subject to a lot of media attention owing to their individual fan bases as well as their long history together of 20 years. Popularly known as Bennifer, the couple were first known to be dating in 2002 after which they were briefly engaged.
Both Affleck and Lopez openly expressed their concerns regarding the media attention their relationship was getting, citing it as one of the main reasons for the issues between them. The two did, however, continue to publicly cheer for each other even after their break up back in the day.
When news broke that the couple got married in Las Vegas in July 2022, their fans grew excited. Lopez's newsletter, On the JLo, presented her account of their dreamy and intimate wedding that had only selected guests.
How they met, and 4 other interesting facts about the Ben Affleck X Jennifer Lopez relationship
1) The couple first met on the set of Gigli, a rom-com
Lopez and Affleck first met on the set of Gigli, and this is a lesser-known fact among most people because of how unpopular the movie ended up being. The couple are known to have met each other as early as 2001 when Gigli was being filmed. Although Lopez did express how strongly she felt about Affleck, she did declare that the media attention was unwelcome.
At the time, Lopez was still married to Cris Judd, inviting all the more scrutiny from the internet and tabloids. Jennifer Lopez expressed on The Graham Norton Show:
"We were on the cover of every magazine, every week, it was just a weird thing."
Judd and Lopez separated in 2003. Soon after, the two stars became the center of attention in tabloids and were popular among the paparazzi.
2) Affleck features in one of Lopez's music videos
In 2002, Jennifer Lopez's music video, Jenny from the Block, became quite an internet sensation. While her popularity on the internet at the time and her loyal fan base are some reasons for this, the fact that Ben Affleck featured in it made it a song that is still watched by fans of the couple.
Additionally, the couple also worked together on Jersey Girl, in which Lopez plays the protagonist's dead wife. When that film also underperformed, several rumors went about stating that the couple didn't make a very good on-screen pair.
3) The couple openly expressed their disinterest in media attention
Jennifer Lopez expressed on The Graham Norton Show:
"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,"
This wasn't the first time that either of the two put out their problems with the media's obsession with their relationship, but it was a statement that got more popular.
A part of their statement during the postponement of their first wedding date read:
"Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date."
It is quite clear from this that all that attention was getting in the way of the couple's relationship, which was intended to be kept private.
4) Their first engagement dates back two decades ago
Another reason for all the media scrutiny surrounding the couple was how quickly they got engaged after they began dating. In November 2002, it was discovered that the Ben Affleck X Jennifer Lopez relationship had turned into an engagement as they planned to get married in 2003. However, the wedding was postponed before it was officially called off.
One of the main reasons for fans being so excited when the couple finally got married in 2022, is that they have a significantly long history.
5) They had quite the wedding in July 2022
The Ben Affleck X Jennifer Lopez wedding was beautifully described and narrated by Lopez in her newsletter, On the JLo. The narration covered a beautiful walk down the aisle, a dream-like wedding, and how a dream of twenty years had come true. She described one of the most important moments of the wedding as follows:
"Ben and I talked about Marc Cohn’s 'True Companion' as the perfect wedding love song in this very house more than twenty years ago. Though Ben didn’t know, I asked Marc to surprise him by singing it at our wedding and he was lovely and generous to come."
"This is heaven. Right here. We're in it now," she emphasized as she expressed what it felt like to finally have that intimate ceremony that the couple had planned twenty years ago.
Although most celebrity relationships are bound to be subject to media attention, the Ben Affleck X Jennifer Lopez relationship is one of the most popular in Hollywood.
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Prem Deshpande