Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck — The Full Divorce Timeline
From Bennifer 1.0 to a fairytale rekindling — and then a shocking divorce. Here's the complete story of JLo and Ben Affleck's relationship from start to finish.
No Hollywood love story has captured the public's imagination quite like Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. They fell in love, broke up, reunited 17 years later like a real-life romance movie — and then filed for divorce. The full story is more dramatic than anything either of them has ever starred in.
Here's the complete timeline of Bennifer — from the beginning to the heartbreaking end.
Bennifer 1.0 — 2002 to 2004
Lopez and Affleck met on the set of the critically panned film Gigli in 2002. Despite the movie bombing at the box office, their chemistry was undeniable. They got engaged in November 2002, with Affleck giving Lopez a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring that became iconic.
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They postponed their September 2003 wedding just days before it was meant to happen, citing excessive media attention. In January 2004, they officially called off the engagement. The world was shocked. Lopez went on to marry singer Marc Anthony just months later.
Two Decades Apart
For nearly two decades, both went their separate ways. Lopez married Marc Anthony in 2004 (divorced 2014), had twins Emme and Maximilian, and continued her record-breaking music and film career. She also had high-profile relationships with Casper Smart and Alex Rodriguez.
Affleck married Jennifer Garner in 2005, had three children — Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel — and divorced in 2018. He went public with relationships including Ana de Armas before the Bennifer reunion shocked the world.
Bennifer 2.0 — The Reunion Nobody Saw Coming
In April 2021 — just weeks after Lopez announced her split from Alex Rodriguez — photos emerged of Lopez and Affleck together in Montana. The internet collectively lost its mind. Bennifer was back.
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They confirmed the relationship in July 2021, spent the summer together, and Affleck proposed again in April 2022 with a green diamond ring. They had a surprise Las Vegas chapel wedding in July 2022, followed by a lavish Georgia ceremony in August 2022.
The Cracks Begin to Show
By mid-2023, sources were reporting tension. Lopez was deep in her This Is Me... Now project — a deeply personal album and film about love — while Affleck was reportedly struggling with the intense media attention the relationship brought.
In August 2024, Lopez filed for divorce. She filed on what would have been their second wedding anniversary — a detail that did not go unnoticed. The split was confirmed shortly after, with both parties issuing statements focused on respect and co-parenting their blended families.
Where They Are Now
Lopez has spoken publicly about healing and focusing on herself and her children following the split. She threw herself into work, with multiple projects in the pipeline and her Rare Beauty-style ventures expanding.
Affleck has been linked to other names since the divorce, though he remains focused on his directorial work. The two have been spotted being cordial at events involving their blended families.
The Bennifer story may be over — but it will live forever as one of Hollywood's most extraordinary love stories. As Lopez herself sings: it's not always a love story with a happy ending. Sometimes the story itself is the point.
