Former fiancés Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have seemingly taken the fast lane from merely “hanging out” to serious courtship in recent weeks. Their reignited romance shocked and delighted the world over that remembered their iconic “Bennifer” relationship from 2002 to 2004 – and that very memorable “Jenny from the Block” music video. But the question remains: what happened 17 years ago that prompted their original breakup and wedding being called off in the first place? Well, we might have some answers on that front.
Bennifer obviously started (the first time) after the two met on the set of the mobster comedy Gigli in 2001. But allegedly, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck would split up only three years later because they, ironically, just couldn't see a future together with similar visions. A source for Page Six claims:
As hot and heavy as their relationship was, they were on very different paths at the end of it. Jennifer was ready to settle down and have kids, but Ben wasn’t keen on giving up his bachelor lifestyle just yet. In the end, she got tired of waiting for him to come around — even though it broke her heart to end things.
Breakups inherently mean that two people want to go down different paths. Although if Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s breakup was over settling down and having kids, then it potentially was a stinger for JLo to find out that Affleck started dating one of his former screen partners – Jennifer Garner – right after they originally called it quits. Garner and Affleck even went on to marry in 2005 and have their first child together later that same year.
However, the end of Bennifer 1.0 could have been Bennifer itself. Their relationship accumulated huge public interest (as it does now) that eventually made their every move scrutinized (as it does now). But at what cost to them personally back then? Jennifer Lopez, who has recently joined forces with Netflix for a new film, talked about the Bennifer “era” to CBS Sunday Morning as recently as December of 2019. She revealed that Affleck “wanted to be quiet and not be in the tabloids.” She also stated:
I remember like stacks of magazines, and we were on it like every week. It was scary. It was overwhelming for both of us.
Their breakup, then, sounds more like the natural result of an intense pressure cooker. Hopefully, history doesn't repeat in quite the same way.
Fans are definitely excited to see the two tried and true star powers link up again. Supposedly, Affleck's ex-wife Jennifer Garner has given her approval, and even Jennifer Lopez's mom has been spotted on the set of Affleck's next project, according to Page Six. So it would be a shame to see it fizzle out again due to the collective cultural excitement.
One thing is certain though: the second coming of Bennifer has been a long time coming.
