When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck started dating in 2002 after meeting on the set of their film Gigli, they were the “it” couple of the time. The actors got engaged that same year but postponed their wedding in September 2003 before officially splitting in early 2004. Although Bennifer rekindled their relationship nearly 20 years later and are now married, they never addressed what went wrong the first time around—until now.
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Not long after their split, Jen and Ben found other partners and started families. Ben welcomed daughter Violet in 2005 with his ex-wife, Jennifer GarnerSeraphina in 2009 and son Samuel in 2012. Meanwhile, Jennifer and her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, welcomed twins Max and Emme, in 2008.
So what happened between Jennifer and Ben all those years ago?
Why did Jennifer and Ben break up in 2004?
In the new documentary titled The Greatest Love Story Never Told—which dropped on February 27 on Prime Video—Jennifer opened up about her and Ben calling off their wedding at the last minute. "Ben and I, we broke up three days before our wedding," she explained. "We had a big wedding planned—14 ushers and bridesmaids—and three days before, we just crumbled under the pressure."
Ben also spoke about the reason for their split.
In the documentary, Ben also touched on the reason for their split. He agreed the public pressure is what ultimately led to their breakup. “When Jen and I broke up before, the catalyst for that was the scrutiny around our private life,” the Good Will Hunting actor shared.
Jen took the breakup hard.
Although on the outside Jen acted like she was fine, her breakup with Ben affected her deeply. "For all those years, it was really hard because I didn't just feel like I lost the love of my life, I felt like I lost the best friend that I ever had," Jennifer recalled. "And I couldn't talk for so many years, and that was the hardest part."
The 20-year separation allowed them to grow and discover more about themselves.
Although Jen said she was “angry” with Ben for quite some time, she acknowledged “that heartbreak set both of us on a course to figuring ourselves out to being better people." She added: "I feel like I came out the other side. I've made it through. I've made something good of my life. I'm proud of that."
They reconnected in 2021, something Jen thought would never happen.
During a February 14 episode of the Australian podcast, the Kyle and Jackie O Radio Show, Jennifer opened up about her and Ben’s 2021 reconciliation. “When we got back together, I couldn’t believe it. I don’t think he could either. It’s not something we ever planned,” she shared. “We really had moved on with our lives but when we reconnected, it was almost instant and we just knew.”
Ben and Jen married in July 2022.
Following an intimate Las Vegas wedding on July 16, 2022, Ben and Jen said, “I do” and a massive star-studded ceremony in Georgia just a month later. The “Let’s Get Loud” singer shared what was different this time around in their relationship. “I was just like ‘I’m good on my own, I’m fine, I love my life,’” she said on the podcast. “And when you get to that place, I think that’s when the universe kind of opened up to me and was like, ‘OK now you’re ready.’”
