Bennifer: Difference between revisions

'''Bennifer''' is a name given by the media to the high-profile relationship between American actor and filmmaker [[Ben Affleck]] and American singer [[Jennifer Lopez]]. 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.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Skyler|last=Caruso|date=October 14, 2022 |title=Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's Relationship Timeline|url=https://people.com/movies/jennifer-lopez-ben-affleck-relationship-timeline/|access-date=October 14, 2022|website=People}}</ref> They have starred in two films together, ''[[Gigli]]'' (2003) and ''[[Jersey Girl (2004 film)|Jersey Girl]]'' (2004), and appeared in two music videos together, "[[Jenny from the Block]]" (2002) and [[Marry Me (Jennifer Lopez and Maluma song)|"Marry Me" (Ballad Version)]] (2022).

 

 

Although they had crossed paths several times before (most notably at the [[70th Academy Awards]] and at the premiere of ''[[Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vogue.fr/fashion/galerie/jennifer-lopez-style-90s|title=Every time Jennifer Lopez wrote her own style rules in the '90s|work=Vogue|date=August 20, 2021 |access-date=July 12, 2022}}</ref> both in 1998), the first major meeting of Affleck and Lopez took place in late 2001 on the set of their film ''Gigli''{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} 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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2002-09-30|title=Jennifer Lopez Denies She Cheated On Cris Judd |url=http://popdirt.com/jennifer-lopez-denies-she-cheated-on-cris-judd/8180/|access-date=2021-09-04|website=popdirt.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Ben Affleck & J Lo 2003 NBC Interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ro11S7exMY|language=en|access-date=2021-09-04}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sternbergh|first=Adam|date=December 15, 2002|title=The Year in Ideas; Flirtation by Full-Page Ad|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/magazine/the-year-in-ideas-flirtation-by-full-page-ad.html}}</ref> He had defended his reasoning for doing so, citing that he had been ashamed of his "preconceived notions" of Lopez.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ben Affleck Splashes His Cash on Ads to Say J Lo's Okay – Hello! |url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2002/04/03/benaffleck/|access-date=2021-09-04|website=Hello! (magazine)|date=April 2, 2002 |language=English}}</ref> Later that April, it was reported that Affleck and Lopez were "cozying up" during the opening of her restaurant Madre's.<ref>{{Cite web|title=J. Lo opens Madre's |date= April 19, 2002|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/04/19/in.hop.jlo.restaurant/|access-date=2021-09-04|publisher=CNN}}</ref> Lopez and Judd separated that summer<ref>{{Cite web|title=J. Lo goes it alone |date= June 18, 2002|url=http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/News/06/17/cel.j.lo.alone/index.html|access-date=2021-09-04|publisher=CNN}}</ref> and Lopez entered a relationship with Affleck. They were photographed together in July 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. She is wearing the bracelet Ben...|url=https://www.gettyimages.no/detail/news-photo/jennifer-lopez-and-ben-affleck-she-is-wearing-the-bracelet-news-photo/2234435|access-date=2021-09-04|website=Getty Images|language=en-gb}}</ref>

 

Lopez and Affleck's relationship garnered the first couple [[portmanteau]] name in Hollywood, "Bennifer".<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Catalan|first1=Julissa|date=2020-04-27|title=All the Best Celebrity Couple Nicknames|url=https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/slideshow/6447/celebrity-couple-nicknames/|access-date=2021-09-04|website=SheKnows|language=en-US}}</ref> Lopez's single "Jenny From The Block", which featured Affleck in the music video,<ref>{{Citation|title=Jennifer Lopez - Jenny from the Block (Official Video)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dly6p4Fu5TE|language=en|access-date=2021-09-04}}</ref> brought on even more attention to the couple, with Lopez describing it as a tabloid frenzy.<ref name="auto">{{Citation|title=Jennifer Lopez on relationships and tabloids in the 'Bennifer Era'|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uslj8KVT1o|language=en|access-date=2021-09-04}}</ref> After three months of dating, Affleck proposed to Lopez at his mother's home in October 2002<ref>{{Citation|title=(2002) Primetime Live - Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Engagement|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSNKk1B-AwY|language=en|access-date=2021-09-04}}</ref> with a $1.2m 6.1-carat Harry Winston pink diamond ring.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ben Affleck bought $1.2m pink diamond ring to propose Jennifer Lopez|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/363558-ben-affleck-bought-12m-pink-diamond-ring-to-propose-jennifer-lopez|access-date=2021-09-04|website=geo.tv|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Bennifer gives one of the year's Great Performances|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/12/26/bennifer-gives-one-years-great-performances/|access-date=2021-09-04|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|language=en}}</ref> Later that month, Affleck and Lopez began filming their second film together, ''[[Jersey Girl (2004 film)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2002-11-27|title=J-Lo disc declares her love|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/j-lo-disc-declares-her-love-20021127-gdfvne.html|access-date=2021-09-04|website=The Age|language=en}}</ref> She included songs such as "[[Baby I Love U!]]", "[[I'm Glad]]" and "Dear Ben", which were about her romance with Affleck.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZP-bcnFL4o|title=Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About Balancing Her Music, Acting & Love Life (FULL 2016 interview) - speaks about the album and Affleck from 9:29min onwards|work=YouTube|date=December 20, 2018|access-date=June 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/13/arts/ben-affleck-is-good-muse/|title=Ben Affleck is a good muse - The Boston Globe|website=The Boston Globe}}</ref> On July 18, 2003, Lopez and Affleck had their first primetime interview together on Dateline NBC.<ref>{{Cite web|title=At home with Ben and Jen|date=July 18, 2003 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3079881|access-date=2021-09-04|publisher=NBC News|language=en}}</ref> On August 1, 2003, Lopez and Affleck's [[box-office bomb]] film ''[[Gigli]]'' released, which is considered [[List of films considered the worst|one of the worst films in history]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Gigli|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gigli|language=en|access-date=2021-09-04}}</ref> After this happened, the media started to portray them in a more negative manner.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hey Santa, what's happening with Bennifer?|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/hey-santa-whats-happening-bennifer-wbna3793863|access-date=2021-09-04|website=TODAY.com|date=December 23, 2003 |language=en}}</ref> As Jason Bailey in a piece for the ''Guardian'' 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/25/why-gigli-isnt-a-bad-movie-hear-me-out|title=Hear me out: why Gigli isn't a bad movie|work=Guardian|first=Jason|last=Bailey|date=January 25, 2021|access-date=June 15, 2022}}</ref> Lopez had described the experience as overwhelming, and she stated that Affleck hated the attention the pair was getting.<ref name="auto"/> 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".<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|title=Bennifer Blame Media for Wedding Delay|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101039&page=1|access-date=2021-09-04|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref>

 

The pair continued dating for four months before deciding to separate.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Jennifer Lopez dumps Ben Affleck|url=https://ew.com/article/2004/01/22/jennifer-lopez-dumps-ben-affleck/|access-date=2021-09-04|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|language=en}}</ref> The former couple's second movie, ''[[Jersey Girl (2004 film)|Jersey Girl]]'', premiered two months later in March 2004, garnering another box-office bomb for the pair.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jersey Girl|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl677217793/|access-date=2021-09-04|website=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Affleck and Lopez remained in contact in the years after their breakup and spoke highly of each other in public.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Galloway |first1=Stephen |title=THR Cover: Confessions of Ben Affleck |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ben-affleck-thr-cover-argo-oscar-377611/ |access-date=20 May 2021 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2012-10-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Jennifer Lopez In 'Marie Claire UK': Talks Her Diet, Exes Affleck & Diddy |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jennifer-lopez-in-marie-c_n_563212 |access-date=16 May 2021 |work=HuffPost |date=4 July 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Jennifer Lopez thrilled with Ben Affleck's Argo success |url=https://www.hollywood.com/general/jennifer-lopez-thrilled-with-ben-affleck-s-argo-success-59571717/ |access-date=15 May 2021 |work=Hollywood.com |date=16 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/02/ben-affleck-jennifer-lopez-oscars-whisper|title=What Did Ben Affleck Whisper in Jennifer Lopez's Ear at the Oscars?|magazine=Vanity Fair|first=Josh|last=Duboff|date=February 25, 2015|access-date=May 31, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |last=Barnes |first=Brooks |user=brooksbarnesNYT |number=1230538092865474561 |date=February 20, 2020 |title=On past flame Jennifer Lopez ... "She should have been nominated. She's the real thing. I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her. How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That's fucking baller." |language=en |access-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029012251/https://twitter.com/brooksbarnesnyt/status/1230538092865474561 |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Affleck called out "sexist and racist" critics for comments about Lopez,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-14|title=Ben Affleck Says Critics Were "So F--king Mean" to Jennifer Lopez During Their Relationship|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1227473/ben-affleck-says-critics-were-so-f-king-mean-to-jennifer-lopez-during-their-relationship|access-date=2021-09-04|publisher=E!}}</ref> while Lopez cited the constant media attention as one of the main reasons of their breakup.<ref>{{Citation|title=Jennifer Lopez on the 'Bennifer' relationship - The Graham Norton Show preview - BBC One|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in0kanFsTaI|language=en|access-date=2021-09-04}}</ref><ref>VH1 Behind the Music, 2010</ref> 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,"<ref>{{cite news |title=Affleck opens up about Lopez split |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30383725.html |access-date=17 May 2021 |work=Irish Examiner |date=28 October 2008 |language=en}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Woods |first1=Sean |title=Q&A: Ben Affleck on Directing 'Argo' and Surviving Hollywood |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/qa-ben-affleck-on-directing-argo-and-surviving-hollywood-201472/ |access-date=16 May 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=12 October 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref name=BeautyAndRedemption>{{cite news |last1=McLean |first1=Bethany |title=J-Rod! Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez on Love, Beauty, and Redemption |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/10/jennifer-lopez-alex-rodriguez-cover-story |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=31 October 2017}}</ref><ref name=BrokeAllTheRules>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/jennifer-lopez-marry-me-interview-cover-1294974/|title="I Just Said, Fuck It": How Jennifer Lopez Broke All the Rules to Get to the Top |magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Alex|last=Morris|date=February 7, 2022|access-date=June 1, 2022}}</ref> In 2014, Lopez expressed that her breakup with Affleck was her "first real heartbreak,"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ben Affleck was Jennifer Lopez's 'First Real Heartbreak' {{!}} Entertainment Tonight|url=https://www.etonline.com/news/153355_ben_affleck_was_jennifer_lopez_first_real_heartbreak|access-date=2021-09-04|website=www.etonline.com|date=November 2014 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Lopez|first=Jennifer |title=[[True Love (book)|True Love]]|publisher=Celebra|year=2014|isbn=9780451468680}}</ref> and in 2015 she stated she had "no regrets" about their relationship.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/617878/jennifer-lopez-calls-the-disastrous-ben-affleck-and-gigli-days-her-lowest-point |title=Jennifer Lopez Calls... "No. No regrets. I would do it all over again I think. I really would. Even the relationship part. I just feel like everything is part of your story and your journey and is meant to be and helps you grow if you're willing to look at it, and I'm willing to look." |work=Eonline |first=Lily|last=Harrison|date=Jan 24, 2015|access-date=May 31, 2022}}</ref> In early 2021, Affleck praised Lopez for her work ethic, great talent, and success.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/movies/ben-affleck-reflects-on-jennifer-lopez-romance-people-were-so-f-mean-sexist-racist/|title=Ben Affleck Reflects on Jennifer Lopez Romance: 'People Were So F----- Mean, Sexist, Racist'|work=People|first=Ale|last=Russian |date=January 14, 2021 |access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 5, 2021|title=Jennifer Lopez in Her Own Words (and Everyone Else's)|url=https://www.instyle.com/celebrity/jennifer-lopez/may-2021-cover|access-date=April 5, 2021|website=InStyle|language=en-US}}</ref>

 

Lopez went on to marry singer [[Marc Anthony]] five months after Lopez and Affleck split.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jennifer Lopez Weds Marc Anthony|url=https://people.com/celebrity/jennifer-lopez-weds-marc-anthony/|access-date=2021-09-04|website=people.com|language=en}}</ref> The following year, in 2005, Affleck married actress [[Jennifer Garner]].