Jennifer Lopez Gives 1st Interview About Ben Affleck Divorce and Shares Dating Plans for the Future

Jennifer Lopez is opening up about her raw feelings following her divorce from Ben Affleck.

“It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary. It feels sad. It feels desperate,” Jennifer, 55, told comedian Nikki Glaser in a sit-down for Interview magazine published on Wednesday, October 9. “But when you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like, actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself. Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people.”

Jennifer filed for divorce from the Batman actor, 52, on August 20, a date that coincidentally fell on the two-year anniversary of their lavish Georgia nuptials. The “Jenny From the Block” artist has been focusing on self-love following her split and admitted she wasn’t “looking for anybody” now that she’s newly single.

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“For people who are romantics and love being in relationships and want to grow old with somebody, we think, ‘I have to have that to be whole and happy.’ And you don’t,” she told the outlet, later confessing that her two-year marriage to Ben didn’t unfold as she had envisioned.

“I was thinking about this time in my life, and I’m like, ‘That’s not what I thought it was going to turn out like.’ And then I thought, ‘No, this is exactly where I needed to be, to lead me to where I want to go,’” the New York native explained. “That doesn’t mean it didn’t almost take me out for good. It almost did. But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, “F–k, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, god. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago.”

Jennifer and Ben first started their love story in the early 2000s and were set to marry in 2003 before unexpectedly calling off their wedding. Nearly 20 years later, the pair rekindled their romance, first being spotted on an outing in Big Sky, Montana, in 2021. Picking up right where they left off, the couple eloped in July 2022 and held a formal wedding ceremony one month later.

Fans started noticing bumps in Jen and Ben’s relationship in May after the pair hadn’t been photographed for weeks, with Ben notably skipping the 2024 Met Gala, where Jennifer was handpicked to serve as co-chair.

The signs of a split only intensified as the A-listers spent the summer on opposite coasts and listed their shared Beverly Hills home for sale at $68 million on July 11.

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In Jennifer’s August divorce filing, she listed their date of separation as April 26, 2024, and filled pro per, meaning without an attorney. Following the end of their marriage, the pair have kept a united front as they continued to coparent their blended family. Ben has three children — Violet, Fin, and Samuel — with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, while Jen has twins Max and Emme with Marc Anthony.

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Jen and Ben reportedly attended a back-to-school night event for their kids on September 17, according to TMZ. The insider said that Ben and Jen were “totally cool with each other and very cordial.”

Although the pair are moving forward with their divorce, sources exclusively told In Touch that Ben was still heavily flirting with J. Lo, causing concern among his loved ones — including Jen Garner — that he was playing with fire.

“Ben’s got a very addictive personality, and a lot of people think now that he’s sober, he’s switched vices and become a love addict,” an insider told In Touch on October 4. “It’s obviously giving him some sort of buzz to be sort of back and forth with J. Lo, even though he has no intention of going any further than having a little fun.”