Ben Affleck Finally Addresses Jennifer Lopez Divorce, What Did He Say?

Ben Affleck has decided to address his breakup with Jennifer Lopez, and he wants everyone to know that things are not as dramatic as they may seem behind the scenes.

The romance between Affleck and Lopez has always been under the spotlight. They were initially engaged from 2002 to 2004, called off their engagement, rekindled their relationship in 2021, got married in a spontaneous Vegas ceremony in 2022, and later had a bigger celebration at Affleck’s estate in Georgia.

However, on August 20, 2024, J. Lo filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, ending their whirlwind relationship once and for all.

Article continues below advertisement

Ben Affleck Opens Up About Jennifer Lopez Divorce

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck hold hands as they house hunt
MEGA

In a recent cover story for GQ in April 2025, which was released on Tuesday, the Academy Award-winning actor and filmmaker tries to downplay the intense public interest in his personal life, especially the highly publicized relationship and separation from Lopez.

“If you sat down and talked to me about my life, your eyes would glaze over with boredom,” he said of how sensationalized the headlines have become compared to the reality. “There is no scandal, no soap opera [and] no intrigue.”

Affleck addressed the swirling speculation surrounding Lopez’s 2024 Amazon Prime documentary “This Is Me… Now: A Love Story” and its behind-the-scenes counterpart “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” which many believed revealed the cracks in their marriage. However, Affleck shot down the narrative that the project triggered a breakdown.

Article continues below advertisement

“You’ve got to own what you knew going into any relationship,” he explained. “It’s not like you can watch that documentary and go, ‘Oh, now I understand the issues that these two had.’”

Article continues below advertisement

Affleck Says His Split From J.Lo Wasn’t Scandalous

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at ELLE Celebrates 2023 Women in Hollywood
Lisa OConnor/AFF-USA.com / MEGA

The “Argo” star acknowledged their contrasting public personas, noting, “I’m a little bit more reserved and private than some people. I don’t love a lot of attention.” That difference in how they approached fame was something the couple had to navigate.

Still, Affleck said he took part in Lopez’s film “to love and support” her.

Even with their romance now behind them, Affleck was full of admiration for the 55-year-old singer and actress.

“I have nothing but respect [for her],” he said. “I guess there’s a tendency to look at breakups and want to identify root causes or something. But honestly, like I said, the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting.”

Article continues below advertisement

Ben Affleck Breaks Down J.Lo Split With Rare Honesty

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez stop by Soho house in Los Angeles
Thecelebrityfinder/MEGA

He went on to explain the split with a sense of grounded honesty. “The truth is, when you talk to somebody, ‘Hey, what happened?’ Well, there is no ‘This is what happened,'” he said. “It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.”

“There is no ‘So-and-so did this’ or ‘This was the big event,’” he added. “It sounds more like a couple’s therapy session. […] You start going, ‘OK, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly they have these issues.’”

Affleck didn’t delve into specific details, noting that doing so felt “sort of embarrassing” and “vulnerable.” But he made clear the breakup was anything but dramatic.

Article continues below advertisement

Ben Affleck Praises Jennifer Garner As A ‘Wonderful’ Co-Parent

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
Thecelebrityfinder/MEGA

“We used to have a thing, my ex-wife and I, when they would see something on a supermarket stand, we would say, well, ‘You know this isn’t always true because if it were, you would have 15 brothers or sisters or whatever the number of stories is where they said that your mom was pregnant,’” he continued, referencing his children with Garner (Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 13.)

“And I’m really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids’ mom, who’s wonderful and great and we work together well,” the actor said before he described that dealing with the constant rumors about his life is a “headache more than anything else.”

Article continues below advertisement

Jennifer Lopez Embraces Life Post-Split

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Shop for Townhouses
MEGA

Lopez, on the other hand, seemed to embrace her independence following the split. In an Interview magazine feature published in October 2024, she reflected on navigating life as a single woman again.

“Everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f-cking do when it’s just me flying on my own?” she said.

While the romance may be over, both Affleck and Lopez appear to be focused on self-reflection, not scandal.