Bennifer is a name given by the media to the high-profile relationship between American actor and filmmaker

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

and Latin entertainer

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

. The pair had a widely publicized 18-month romance from 2002 to 2004, and were engaged to be married. After their breakup, they maintained a friendship. They rekindled their romantic relationship in early 2021 and got married in July 2022. They have starred in two films together, ''

Gigli ''Gigli'' ( ) is a 2003 American romantic comedy crime film written and directed by Martin Brest and starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Lainie Kazan. Despite popular media giving attention ...

'' (2003) and '' Jersey Girl'' (2004), and appeared in two music videos together, ''

Jenny From The Block "Jenny from the Block" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez, which features American rappers Jadakiss and Styles P, both members of The LOX. It was released by Epic Records on September 26, 2002, as the lead single from her third studio ...

'' (2002) and Marry Me (Ballad Version) (2022).

Early stages

Although they had crossed paths several times before (most notably at the

70th Academy Awards The 70th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 23, 1998, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the show ...

and at the premiere of

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armie ...

, both in 1998), the first major meeting of Affleck and Lopez took place in late 2001 on the set of their film, ''Gigli'', while Lopez was still married to Cris Judd. It was rumored by the tabloids that the pair had started an affair due to their friendly and flirty ways, but they both denied these claims, stating that they were strictly just friends. After wrapping filming for the movie in March 2002, Affleck had spent a reported $18,000 on a set of half-page advertisements to express the pleasure he had working with Lopez. He had defended his reasoning for doing so, citing that he had been ashamed of his "preconceived notions" of Lopez. Later that April, it was reported that Affleck and Lopez were "cozying up" during the opening of her restaurant Madre's. Lopez and Judd separated that summer and Lopez entered a relationship with Affleck. They were photographed together in July 2002.

Engagement and romance

Lopez and Affleck's relationship garnered the first couple

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words After three months of dating, Affleck proposed to Lopez at his mother's home in October 2002 with a $1.2M 6.1-carat Harry Winston pink diamond ring. Later that month, Affleck and Lopez began filming their 2nd film together, '' Jersey Girl''. Lopez dedicated her 2002 album This Is Me... Then to Affleck, stating that he was "her life and sole inspiration for every lyric. She included songs such as ' Baby I Love U!', '

I'm Glad "I'm Glad" is a song by American singer and actress Jennifer Lopez for her third studio album, '' This Is Me... Then'' (2002). It was written by Lopez, Troy Oliver, Cory Rooney, Mr. Deyo and Jesse Weaver Jr. and produced by Oliver and Roone ...

' and 'Dear Ben' which were about her romance with Affleck. On July 18, 2003, Lopez and Affleck had their first primetime interview together on Dateline NBC. On August 1, 2003, Lopez and Affleck's box office bomb film ''

'' released, being considered one of the worst films in history. After this happened, the media started to portray them in a more negative manner. As Jason Bailey in a piece for the ''Guardian'' has observed: "it's important to frame this ghastly reception within the atmosphere of the moment. Affleck and Lopez met during the film’s production and quickly became an item – such a public one that, by the time it hit theaters a year later, the “Bennifer” backlash had built up quite a head of steam. They were young, impossibly good-looking, fabulously wealthy, and clearly hot for each other, so it seemed like a good time to knock them down a peg." Lopez had described the experience as overwhelming, and stated that Affleck hated the attention the pair was getting. The following month, the couple postponed their planned September 2003 wedding just days before it was set to take place due to 'excessive media attention'.

Breakup

The pair continued dating for four months before deciding to separate. The former couple's second movie, '' Jersey Girl'', premiered two months later in March 2004, garnering another box office bomb for the pair. Affleck and Lopez remained in contact in the years after their breakup and spoke highly of each other in public. Affleck called out "sexist and racist" critics for comments about Lopez, while Lopez cited the constant media attention as one of the main reasons of their breakup. In 2008, Affleck discussed how he felt during his relationship with Lopez, saying that neither of them "anticipated" the degree of attention they would receive, saying: "we fell in love, we were excited and maybe too accessible," but pushed back against the "curious notion" that he should view the relationship as a mistake, and reflected on the prevailing tabloid culture at the time "where it's about one person and everybody focuses on them." Lopez has seconded Affleck's words, saying that the media coverage destroyed their relationship "from the inside out" and that she felt “eviscerated“ by it. In 2014, Lopez expressed that her breakup with Affleck was her "first real heartbreak," and in 2015 she stated she had "no regrets" about their relationship. In early 2021, Affleck praised Lopez for her work ethic, great talent, and success.

Aftermath

Lopez then went on to marry singer

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A three-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Gr ...

five months after Lopez and Affleck split. Affleck then went on to marry actress

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Compan ...

the following year in 2005. Lopez and Anthony ended their seven-year marriage in 2011, officially divorcing in 2014 while Affleck and Garner officially announced their split in 2015, and their divorce was finalized in 2018.

Rekindled romance

In April 2021, 19 years after the start of their initial romance, it was reported that Affleck and Lopez had seen each other a couple times, two weeks after Lopez split from baseball player

Alex Rodriguez Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975), nicknamed "A-Rod", is an American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist. Rodriguez played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

. They were then photographed together for the first time since their initial romance on May 11, 2021. On May 24, 2021, Lopez and Affleck were spotted at Lopez's rental home in Miami with Affleck wearing the watch Lopez had given him in her 2002 "Jenny From The Block" music video. On June 1, 2021, Affleck and Lopez were photographed holding each other, their first public display of affection in their rekindled romance. On June 14, 2021, photos and videos of Affleck and Lopez kissing were released to the media for the first time in almost two decades, confirming that their romance was back on. Lopez publicly confirmed their rekindled relationship that July, while they were on vacation in France and Italy. On September 10, 2021, the couple had made their red carpet debut for the first time in 18 years for the premiere of Affleck's film '' The Last Duel'' during the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

in Italy. Both Affleck and Lopez have spoken of the gift of a second chance with each other since reuniting. For Valentine's Day, Affleck directed and gifted to Lopez, shared through her OntheJLo Email, a remix of her song On My Way He also made his second cameo appearance in an official Lopez music video: Marry Me (Ballad Version). Lopez announced on April 8, 2022, that the pair were engaged again, 20 years after the first proposal. The couple married on July 16, 2022, filing their marriage licence in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

. Lopez legally changed her name to Jennifer Affleck and confirmed the marriage the next day. The following month, they held a wedding celebration for family and friends.

References