There have been many, many tales of failed relationships written about former power couples who seemed destined to grow old together, and it’s clear now that life does not always end happily ever after. Is it too cynical to say that Hollywood’s most famous exes never even dated as a couple? But maybe a lot of us can relate to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s seemingly complicated love story. (Or what is left of it.)
The two “were best friends for a long time,” said Affleck’s current girlfriend, Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, but things took a very public turn in 2004, when Lopez appeared on “Access Hollywood,” where Affleck was on an appearance. “The thing that sets our relationship apart, is that you know I would always let her know if something was wrong,” he explained of their long-time relationship. “When things were going on in her life, I would always be there. And when they were going on in my life, I would always be there.”
But following that appearance, things went south fast. Lopez filed for divorce in June 2004 and divorced her first husband, Ojani Noa, a few months later, but that, ironically, would be their public lifeline. They would appear in each other’s shows (“Lopez Tonight” and “Live with Regis and Kelly”) and promote their movie, “Jersey Girl,” which hit theaters in September 2004.
Even though they enjoyed each other’s company, in 2003, Lopez had kissed “Gigli” director “gasp-worthy” David O. Russell. But apparently the stigma surrounding “cheating” after that incident wasn’t enough to keep them apart.
Affleck later said he and Lopez had a “real, committed relationship” and it is now said that his relationship with Shookus is their “one and only.”