- Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged, according to People.
- Lopez confirmed the rekindled relationship by posting a photo of them kissing in July 2021.
- They previously got engaged in 2002, postponed the wedding, and split in January 2004.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are engaged again, according to People, two decades after the actor first popped the question.
News of the reported engagement comes after Affleck and Lopez made their return to the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival in September. A month prior, he was photographed browsing rings at Tiffany’s in Century City, California.
Lopez and the “Justice League” star met through their roles as love interests in the critically-panned 2003 movie “Gigli.” At the time, the singer was married to Cris Judd, her second husband (she was briefly married to Ojani Noa prior to that) who she met on the set of her music video for “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
Affleck denied speculation that he and Lopez were romantic on the set of “Gigli” while she was married, telling Vanity Fair that they “became really good friends in a way that was very comfortable.”
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Lopez filed for divorce from Judd in July 2002, and she and the “Good Will Hunting” star went public with their romance that summer.
They packed on PDA in Lopez’s music video for “Jenny From the Block” and teamed up for their second movie together, “Jersey Girl.” Lopez’s album “This Is Me… Then” was also largely inspired by their relationship, which was dubbed Bennifer.
The pair’s engagement was confirmed during their joint interview with Diane Sawyer as part of ABC’s “PrimeTime: Special Edition,” which aired in November 2002.
During the interview, they detailed Affleck’s “traditional” proposal in Boston and the custom-made, six-carat pink diamond engagement ring from Harry Winston — Lopez’s favorite stone.
Then in September 2003, the couple postponed their wedding “due to the excessive media attention,” they said in a statement.
Their split was announced in January 2004.
Lopez went on to marry Marc Anthony and give birth to twins named Max and Emme, while Affleck wed “Daredevil” costar Jennifer Garner and welcomed three kids with her: Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel.
Lopez and Anthony revealed their split in July 2011, and Affleck and Garner announced their divorce in June 2015 after being married for a decade.
In later interviews, Lopez said that the intense public scrutiny and pressure – especially after the release of “Gigli” — were among the reasons she and Affleck broke up.
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The “On the Floor” singer and the “Gone Girl” star went on to date other people.
In 2021, multiple outlets reported that Affleck and “Knives Out” star Ana de Armas split after dating for less than a year.
Lopez and former athlete Alex Rodriguez announced the end of their relationship and two-year engagement via ajoint statement that was shared with the “Today” show in April 2021.
Later that month, reports spread that Lopez and Affleck had begun spending time together at her LA home. They were photographed kissing in June and spotted on several public outings.
In July, Lopez confirmed their relationship by posting a photo of her and the actor kissing.
Since then, the two stars have attended public events together, from movie premieres to the prestigious Met Gala. In an interview with People published in February, Lopez said that “it’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”
Representatives for Lopez and Affleck didn’t immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.