Jennifer Lopez has reflected on her recent divorce from on-off partner Ben Affleck, calling it “the best thing that ever happened to me.”
The singer and actor, 56, filed for divorce in August 2024 and the process was finalized in January this year.
Speaking today on CBS Sunday Morning, Lopez explained that she learned so much from the split that she now sees it as one of the most positive experiences of her life.
“Because it changed me,” she explained. “It helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow.”
Lopez is currently promoting her new musical film Kiss of the Spider Woman, which she was working on while her marriage was coming to an end.
“It was a really tough time,” Lopez recalled. “Every moment on set, every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy, and then it was like, back home, it was not great. And it was just like, ‘How do I work inside of this?’”
Lopez and Affleck had previously been engaged in 2002 after a whirlwind romance. They reignited their relationship in July 2021 after almost 20 years apart and married in a Las Vegas wedding a year later, in July 2022.
Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024, although court documents revealed the pair had split over a year earlier in April 2023. The news came amidst widely circulating rumors of a separation.
The former couple settled their divorce through mediation in September 2024.While most of the financial details of the split have remained private, it has been reported that each person will keep what they earned throughout the duration of their brief marriage.
The couple, who married without a prenup, also reportedly came to an agreement on the $61m Beverly Hills mansion that they purchased together, although the details of this have not been publicly filed. Lopez also dropped “Affleck” from her legal name when the divorce was finalised.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Affleck and Lopez’s fairly quick agreement came after a string of painfully long and brutal divorce proceedings, with fellow A-Listers Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finally settling their divorce after an eight-year legal battle around the same time. Magic Mike star Channing Tatum and his Step Up co-star Jenna Dewan also finalised their divorce after six years in court in September 2024.
Lopez recently revealed she auditioned for Alan Parker’s musical film Evita, only to find out the lead role had gone to Madonna.
