When did Ben Affleck date Jennifer Lopez? 'Marry Me' star opens up on 'beautiful' reunion

While promoting her new film Marry Me on The Ellen Show, Jennifer Lopez opened up about rekindling her romance with Ben Affleck, almost 18 years after they called it quits.

Lopez, who knew what Ellen DeGeneres was hinting at when she asked the actress what was new in her life, could not stop blushing as she smiled from ear to ear. DeGeneres further questioned:

"Never would I pry, [so] what was it like the first night getting back together? I can’t imagine. It must be like, ‘Oh my, God! We’re back together after 18 years!’ That’s like — right?”

Lopez admitted that her reunion with Affleck came as a surprise to herself and Affleck, as she said:

"I don’t think anybody was more surprised than us."

When asked if she had ever imagined getting back with Affleck, Lopez noted:

"You never could imagine that something like that could happen. It’s a beautiful thing."

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A brief history of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's relationship

Bennifer snuggling up at a basketball game (Image via Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP/Shutterstock)

The duo first met on the set of Gigli (2003) in 2001, back when Lopez was still married to her second husband, Cris Judd. The pair started dating shortly after Lopez filed for divorce in July 2002.

In November 2002, Affleck appeared in one of Lopez's music videos. The couple announced their engagement the same month. In 2003, Lopez's divorce was finalized.

Later that year, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck postponed their wedding because of "excessive media attention" surrounding the same. However, in January 2004, they ultimately called the engagement off.

Lopez and Affleck called their engagement off in 2004 (Image via John Salangsang/Shutterstock)

In June 2004, Lopez married singer-songwriter Marc Anthony, whom she divorced in 2014 (three years after they separated) and shared two children. Affleck married Jennifer Garner in June 2005, only to get separated in 2015 and divorced in 2018. The former couple share two daughters and a son.

In April 2021, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, also known as 'Bennifer,' sparked dating rumors as the duo were spotted together on the streets of New York shortly after they had broken up with their previous partners. On July 24, 2021, Lopez celebrated her 52nd birthday with Affleck on a yacht off the coast of Monaco.

The duo got back together 18 years after breaking up (Image via Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Jennifer Lopez confirmed the speculation about the duo dating in an Instagram post. She shared a series of photos from her birthday, the last of which was a snap of herself passionately kissing Affleck. Lopez recently spoke about her relationship with Affleck in her People cover story earlier this month, saying:

"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 protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us."

Bennifer are reportedly going strong (Image via Gotham/WireImage)

Hollywood's favorite couple has reportedly been spending time bonding with each other's children as they continue to be the center of attention for the paparazzi.