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Back in 2021, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck set the world on fire when they revealed that they had rekindled their relationship nearly 20 years after they first started dating, becoming the tabloid fixture known as Bennifer. It was 2001 all over again, down to the whirlwind engagement nearly a year after they reunited.
However, this time, they made sure to seal the deal. A month after they announced they were engaged, they eloped in Las Vegas.
So, how did we get here? From their broken engagement, to their marriages to other people, to the moment they finally, finally tied the knot, here’s Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s complete relationship timeline:
December 2001: Sparks fly between Lopez and Affleck on the set of their very bad movie Gigli.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
November 2002: Affleck pops the question with a custom-made pink diamond solitaire engagement ring. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, Lopez gushes that the Good Will Hunting actor is “brilliantly smart, loving, charming, and affectionate.” She adds, “I just admire him in every way.”
September 2003: Just days before they’re set to tie the knot in Santa Barbara, California, they release a statement saying they’re postponing the wedding.
“Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” the statement reads. “When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry. We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families, and our friends.”
Tom Kingston/Getty Images
January 2004: Less than three months later, the wedding is off for good. The couple confirm their split with separate statements.
Lopez’s rep releases the following statement, per People: “Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy.”
Affleck’s rep adds, “I am not going to confirm anything about his personal life. We don’t want to get dragged into quicksand. Everybody wants a war. It’s not happening from our side.”
In the intervening decades… Lopez marries Marc Anthony just six months later, in June 2004, and the pair welcome twins Emme and Max Muñiz in 2008. They announce their divorce in 2011. Affleck marries Jennifer Garner exactly a year after Lopez and Anthony’s wedding, in June 2005. They welcome three kids, Violet, Fin, and Samuel, before separating in 2015. The couple’s divorce was finalized in 2018.
April 2021: Affleck and Lopez stay friendly (at least in recent years). He praises her work ethic to InStyle: “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.”
Affleck visits Lopez at her Los Angeles home on April 30, a source tells People. “They are friends. They have always been friends and they have seen each other through the years,” another source says.
But TMZ alleges their reunion began before Lopez and ex-fiancé Alex Rodriguez’s breakup in early 2021. Insiders tell the outlet Lopez and Affleck were emailing each other regularly, starting in early February, when she was filming Shotgun Wedding in the Dominican Republic. Allegedly, Affleck’s emails were “loving” and showed “longing” for Lopez.
May 10, 2021: Lopez and Affleck take a trip together to Montana and are spotted at a resort near Big Sky.
“She had a great time with Ben,” a source tells People about the Montana trip. “She is happy with him and enjoys spending time with him.” A separate insider reveals to People, “[Jennifer] spent several days with Ben out of town. They have a strong connection. It’s all been quick and intense, but Jennifer is happy.”
Meanwhile, a source tells E! Online, “She wants to give it a shot with Ben. They never really had closure and she has always wondered what could have been. The timing was never right and they were in different places until now.”
A source told People for a May 14 article, “[Jennifer] is in touch with Ben every day. They are making plans to see each other. Jennifer is still very excited about how things are going with Ben.”
May 21, 2021: A source tells Us Weekly that they have reunited in person in Los Angeles following their trip to Montana.
May 25, 2021: A source tells Entertainment Tonight the two are in Miami together: “[Jennifer] has been telling her friends nice things about Ben, and they’re having a lot of fun together…. They feel very comfortable with each other, but are also completely smitten, and it still feels like having a new crush after all these years.” Aww!
June 8, 2021: Lopez is allegedly moving back to A for a “fresh start” with Affleck, E! News reports. A source says that she’s “packing up her Miami rental” and leaving the city where she lived with ex-fiancé Alex Rodriguez. “She will be between LA and the Hamptons this summer, but LA will be her base,” the insider says. Her twins, Emme and Max, will join her, and Lopez is reportedly already looking at schools for them to attend in the fall.
June 9, 2021: Speaking of Los Angeles, the pair have reportedly reunited in California following a brief period apart. Affleck has been in Las Vegas filming a movie. On June 9, Affleck was spotted with Jennifer Lopez’s mom, Guadalupe Rodríguez, at a casino. According to a source speaking with People, “Lupe was there to film a fun cameo.”
“In the past, Jennifer’s mom and Ben were very close,” the source says. “Guadalupe loved Ben. She was sad when they couldn’t work things out years ago. She is thrilled that they are back together now.
“Jennifer is very close with her mom. It’s very important to her that the person she is with gets along with her mom,” they add. “Jennifer loves that Ben and Guadalupe hung out in Las Vegas. They both love gambling and had fun together at the Wynn hotel.”
Lopez in LA in June 2021
Getty
Affleck in LA in June 2021
BG004/Bauer-Griffin
June 14, 2021: The pair are spotted making out at dinner in a pretty public display of affection—and there’s been no holding back since.
June 25, 2021: The pair share a private date night at Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio, per People. “They enjoyed Mediterranean food in one of the private dining rooms. Jen looked amazing. They were both in a great mood,” a source tells People. “Ben always looks very happy when he is with Jen.”
We believe it! In one photo from the evening, Lopez can be seen smiling from ear to ear. The source adds, “She spends as much time with Ben as possible.”
July 4, 2021: The pair spend the holiday weekend in the Hamptons wearing matching outfits.
July 6, 2021: In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Lopez says she’s having the “best time of my life.”
July 13, 2021: Fans notice that Lopez “liked” a picture of Affleck posted by a fan account. In the photo Affleck relaxes on the set of The Town, looking swole in a “Believe in Boston” T-shirt. Thirst-ay.
July 15, 2021: The couple are photographed outside a $65 million mansion they were reportedly scoping out while house-hunting in Holmby Hills (a fancy neighborhood of Los Angeles). In the photos, which you can see here, Affleck snags a kiss either before or after their tour of the home.
However, TMZ reports that Affleck was simply escorting Lopez on her own house tour and that the pair “aren’t ready to shack up together…at least not yet.”
July 24, 2021: It finally happened, y’all! On the pop star’s 52nd birthday, Lopez posted a picture of her and Ben Affleck making out on her Instagram feed. It was the fourth slide of the photo carousel, but that still counts as Instagram-official! It also may be the hottest photo ever taken.
August 2021: This month is all about the kids. On August 15, Lopez is reportedly spotted with her 13-year-old kid, Emme, picking up a few gifts for Ben Affleck’s eldest kids, 15-year-old Violet and 12-year-old Fin Affleck. “When she stopped by the Made by Mary jewelry station, she and Emme picked out several ‘birth flower necklaces,’ including two for Ben’s [kids],” one guest at producer Jennifer Klein’s exclusive Day of Indulgence event tells People, adding that Lopez planned to bring the gifts to Affleck’s 49th-birthday gathering later that evening.
One week later Lopez and Affleck take a family trip to a performance of Hamilton at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, according to TMZ. On August 21 they keep the fun going at Magic Castle in Los Angeles.
“Since Jennifer and Ben are in it for the long run, it’s just a natural step that they all spend time together with the kids,” a source tells People. “They are not trying to rush anything, but they want all the kids to get to know each other. They are making the last few days of summer as fun as they can. Soon it’s back to school and work.”
September 2021: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck make their red-carpet re-debut as a couple. On September 10, the pair get very cozy—and even share a kiss—at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Affleck’s new film, The Last Duel.
Stefania D’Alessandro
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
As the pair are leaving the festival on September 11, Affleck plays knight in shining armor when an aggressive stranger reportedly looking for a selfie gets way too close to the couple. Before security stepped in, People reports, Affleck blocked the maskless man and pushed him away. See the photos here.
Bennifer returns to the red carpet as a couple once again for the 2021 Met Gala. The evening’s theme is “In America,” and what is more American than the first couple of Hollywood making headlines? Standing outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lopez and Affleck went for another eye-catching first: They kissed, passionately, through their masks. I mean, is there a better sign of the times?
Jamie McCarthy/MG21/Getty Images
Rumor has it the pair will be spending even more time together in the upcoming months. “They plan on spending the holidays together and also taking some solo trips,” a source tells Entertainment Tonight. “They want to be together all of the time, so their next big things are Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is a lot to coordinate, so they are figuring it out.”
December 2021: During an interview with Howard Stern, Affleck makes some pretty controversial statements about his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner. On December 18, Lopez denies rumors that she’s upset with Affleck, telling People that “this story is simply not true.” She adds, “It is not how I feel. I couldn’t have more respect for Ben as a father, a coparent, and a person.”
January 2022: Taking it back to where it all began, Affleck speaks out about the backlash to Gigli in a conversation with bestie Matt Damon: “The truth about that movie and what it taught me was how much everything around a movie sort of dictates the way people see it,” he says, explaining that while the movie itself “doesn’t work,” the industry was actually much more invested in his offscreen life than what was happening on film. “The studio at the time, because I had begun having this relationship with Jennifer Lopez, which was selling a lot of magazines and appeared to generate a lot of enthusiasm, they just predictably latched onto: ‘They want a romantic comedy. They want the two of them together. More of that!’”
But he is quick to find the silver lining, adding, “If the reaction to Gigli hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have ultimately decided, ‘I don’t really have any other avenue but to direct movies,’ which has turned out to be the real love of my professional life. So in those ways, it’s a gift. And I did get to meet Jennifer, the relationship with whom has been really meaningful to me in my life.”
So meaningful, in fact, that a source, while discussing that infamous Howard Stern interview, tells Entertainment Tonight that Bennifer’s friends believe Affleck will propose: “Jen and Ben are doing great. Ben’s interview with Howard Stern didn’t really put too much of a strain on their relationship. They understand that things like this happen sometimes, and words can get misconstrued.”
“They are madly in love and Jen totally has Ben’s back, which is why she wanted to make her support and stance known publicly,” the source tells the TV show. “Things between their children are pretty organic at this point. The families respect each other and also get along, so things are all good and fine on that front. Their friends think they will get engaged eventually and it’s only a matter of time.”
February 2022: Following a series of recent interviews about her relationship, Lopez is clearly getting more comfortable opening up about Affleck. On February 12, Lopez shares a personal Valentine’s Day gift from her boyfriend with her newsletter subscribers.
The “On My Way: The Remix” music video combines a performance of her song with photos and videos from their first relationship in the early 2000s. It ends with a sweet kissing selfie of the pair from their rekindled romance, which began in spring 2021.
“I am going to share something very special and personal with you that normally that I would only share with my inner circle,” she tells subscribers, per the Daily Mail. “It’s an early Valentine’s Day present from Ben. Watching it made me think about the journey of true love, its unexpected twists and turns, and that when it’s real, it actually can last forever.’”
She adds, “This seriously melted my heart.”
A day later the pair are spotted having a good time at the 2022 Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
April 8, 2022: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are officially engaged. After Lopez was spotted wearing a ring on that finger, sparking rumors regarding her current relationship status with Affleck, the singer teases a “major announcement” on Twitter.
Those subscribed to OntheJLo.com are treated to a video of the singer tearfully admiring a massive engagement ring. A rep for Lopez confirms the engagement to People.
Also in the newsletter, Lopez says the green engagement ring holds a special meaning: “I’ve realized there are many moments in my life where amazing things happened when I was wearing green.”
April 12, 2022: Lopez reveals in her “On the JLo” newsletter that Affleck proposed to her while she was in the bathtub.
“Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed,” she writes. “I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again, I was quite literally speechless and he said, ‘is that a yes?’ I said YES of course that’s a YES.”
She continues, “I was smiling so big and tears were coming down my face, feeling so incredibly happy and whole. It was nothing fancy at all, but it was the most romantic thing I could’ve ever imagined…just a quiet Saturday night at home, two people promising to always be there for each other.”
July 16, 2022: Lopez and Affleck are ready to be married, so they elope in Las Vegas! She’s officially Jennifer Lynn Affleck now.
“Last night we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a license with four other couples, all making the same journey to the wedding capital of the world,” she writes in her “On the JLo” newsletter. “Behind us, two men held hands and held each other. In front of us, a young couple who made the three-hour drive from Victorville on their daughter’s second birthday—all of us wanting the same thing—for the world to recognize us as partners and to declare our love to the world through the ancient and nearly universal symbol of marriage.”
On the JLo
August 11, 2022: After years of Sad Ben Affleck Holding Dunkins pictures and memes…a happy Ben Affleck kisses Jen…while holding Dunkin!
August 20, 2022: One month later Mr. and Mrs. Affleck celebrate their love in front of their friends and family with a lavish second wedding held at Affleck’s Georgia estate. According to People, Lopez walked down the aisle in a white textured Ralph Lauren gown with a dramatic train and a delicate, billowing veil. Affleck complemented his bride in a tuxedo with a white jacket and black pants. Of course Lopez took a moment to serenade her love during the party. For even more details, click here.
Obviously a second wedding means a second honeymoon, and soon enough, the Lopez-Afflecks are popping up all over Italy.
November 2022: A commitment far deeper than any marriage contract! Lifelong Starbucks devotee Jennifer is officially a Dunkin girlie. Bostonians know this is like switching religions.
December, 2022: Twist of the century? Ben. Goes. To. Starbucks. A week later, at a Christmas party, they take turns singing for their guests, though the videos are unfortunately no longer on Instagram.
January, 2023: Lopez reveals that the two families are now living together! In an interview she reflects, “We moved in together, the kids moved in together, so it’s been like a really kind of emotional transition, but at the same time, like, all your dreams coming true.”
February 14, 2023: For their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple, Ben ’n’ Jen get tattoos that incorporate their initials/names. And you thought a box of chocolates was thoughtful!
February 5, 2023: A date which will live in infamy. Lopez and Affleck make their Grammys couple debut. Perhaps because this is an event for her industry (music) and not his, Ben appears less than thrilled to be there. Viewers note that he looks incredibly grumpy, even by Ben Affleck standards. Posting an Instagram Reel of highlights from the night, Lopez insisted that they’d had “the best time,” but Twitter wasn’t convinced. A few days later she joined in on the fun, joking that a blank expression was her husband’s “happy face.” Meanwhile, a seat filler who’d been near the couple at the occasion revealed on TikTok that Mr. and Mrs. Affleck saw the memes during the night and thought they were funny. She even described the couple as “super lovey dove-y.”
A full month after the awards, Affleck still had to put rumors to rest, and explained what their so-called “fight” actually was: married couple banter. According to him, the conversation went like this:
Ben: “As soon as they start rolling, I’m going to slide away from you and leave you sitting next to Trevor.”
Jen: “You better fucking not leave.”
May 3, 2023: Lopez’s mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez, reveals that she’s been the mastermind all along, influencing the universe to bring the lovers back together. “I knew that you would always get back together because I prayed for 20 years,” she told Today. In. Cred. I. Ble. Need to know what Affleck did to make Guadalupe love him so much!
May 10, 2023: Twitter loses its collective mind over a video clip of Ben Affleck chivalrously opening a car door for his wife, but then slamming it angrily. He seems to be annoyed at the presence of the paps, which he maybe should have thought of before marrying the notably fame-friendly Jennifer Lopez.
May 31, 2023: They buy a house!! Yep, a palace built for two…plus a bunch more. Twelve bedrooms, 24 bathrooms on a 5-acre property. According to reports, the pair were looking for two years, getting in and out of escrow but never closing a deal.
June, 2023: Well, at least one good thing came from The Flash (which bombed and didn’t exactly revive Ezra Miller’s career the way Warner Brothers was hoping): adorable red-carpet pictures of Affleck and Lopez!
July 2023: For the anniversary of their first wedding, Bennifer steps out for date night at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica.
August 2023: To celebrate their one-year anniversary of the bigger wedding (oh, celebs), Lopez shares some never-before-seen moments from the big wedding. She also wears his letters on a chain around her neck, not because he owns her, because he really knows her….
March 16, 2024: Lopez and Affleck look super cozy sitting courtside together at a Lakers game in Los Angeles.
Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on March 16, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
March 30, 2024: The couple is photographed house hunting in Manhattan.
Gotham
May 6, 2024: Jennifer Lopez attends the Met Gala solo in New York City. She is one of the Gala’s cochairs, alongside Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, Bad Bunny, and Anna Wintour, and performs her hosting duties without Affleck by her side. It’s reported that her better half stayed behind in LA to attend Netflix’s Roast of Tom Brady, which was filmed the evening before.
May 15, 2024: After J.Lo is photographed looking at homes in Los Angeles alongside her producing partner, InTouch reports that Affleck has moved out of their shared home, and that the couple is headed towards divorce.
“Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for. They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted,” the source said. “They waited almost two decades to get back together, but in the end, they just couldn’t make it work…. They both said they’d matured and learned from their mistakes, but some of the bigger issues that tore them apart the first time remained the same.”
May 16, 2024: TMZ fuels the divorce rumors fire, publishing a photo of Affleck driving with the windows down in Los Angeles. The tabloid reports that he is leaving a home in Brentwood where he has allegedly spent the last few nights.
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