RIP Bennifer 2002-2004 & 2021-2024

Throwback to Bennifer 1.0

So long to Bennifer Part Deux. A couple so iconic that it birthed combined names, has its own Wikipedia page, and gave us a sequel; not many Hollywood couples can even compare to that magnitude of legendary. 

After months of speculating regarding the status of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s marriage, on their “second” wedding anniversary, Jennifer filed for divorce after two years of marriage. But this is not their first time parting ways; let’s look back on their courtship the first time around.

In 2002, Jennifer and Ben walked on the set of what would become an infamous film Gigli. In a recent interview with Variety, Lopez reflected on their first meeting at a table read for the film. “They did a read-through of the whole thing, and I remember just walking in,” the actress recalled. “I think he was outside smoking a cigarette, and I saw him, and we just talked for a minute.”She said, “I remember being on the set with him every day and loving it.” 

At the time, Jen was still married to her second husband, backup dancer Cris Judd. It was painfully obvious Jen loved being on set with Ben and vice versa that tabloids started noticing their flirty vibes and rumors started circulating about an affair, but the two denied any romance because…Ms.“Jenny from the Block” is still married to another man.

Filming wrapped in March 2002, Ben spent $15k on a half-page ad in Variety AND The Hollywood Reporter to express how much he enjoyed working with Jennifer on Gigli and to combat the rumors of her diva behavior. A week later, Jen opened a Puerto Rican and Cuban fusion restaurant named Madre’s in Pasadena, California. (I bet you forgot that era where every celebrity had a restaurant, and sadly, Madre’s closed in 2008, and a lot of drama unfolded during the period, but we’re here for Bennifer 1.0.) At the grand opening, it was star studded affair  with Nicole Kidman, Kobe Bryan, Maria Shriver, and…Ben Affleck.

When Jen walked the red carpet with Cris, Ben had his friend Justin (Bafta) run to her and hand her a bouquet of flowers from Ben. And judging by photos from inside the restaurant, Jen spent much of her time with Ben instead of Cris. It’s almost like both Jen and Ben forgot she was a married woman with how they behaved.

Well, it didn’t matter much because by summer, she filed for divorce from Judd, and the birth of Benifer began. They immediately became the It couple of Hollywood; their every move the paparazzi captured it, and they were on the cover of every tabloid almost every week.

Aside from owning a restaurant and acting in bad movies, J.Lo was also a successful pop star in the early oughts. And, of course, their relationship would be the focus point of her third studio album, with Affleck as the main muse to the majority of the songs. Lopez named the album This Is Me…Then, as a retrospection for their children to understand their relationship.  "Who you are at that time, what kind of music you like, what kind of beats you're into, what kind of state of mind you're in, what you're attracted to ... it's all very telling of where you are in your life at that point. ... Twenty years from now, if I give this [album] to one of my kids, I'll be like, 'This was me then, at that moment.' She recalled. J.Lo knew she would make an album twenty years later titled This Is Me…Now about her relationship with Ben; however, I don't think the journey went quite how she imagined their courtship to take.

The first single, “Jenny From the Block,” a song where she reminds us she’s from The Bronx, showed little reference to the borough and all referenced the media’s obsession of their relationship. The most talked about moment of the video featured Bennifer sunbathing on a yacht while the King of Dunkin was rubbing J.Lo’s behind (and at the time, before Kim Kardashian’s ass became a media obsession, it was J.Lo’s famous derrière).

A few weeks later, Bennifer would become engaged after only dating for “allegedly” three months. Ben proposed to Jen at his mother’s home with the infamous $1.2 million 6.1 ct Harry Winston pink diamond solitaire engagement ring. So much has happened in their “three” month relationship, and we got a divorce, a hard launch, an album dedicated to Ben (including a song titled “Dear Ben” this woman was so far gone), two movies (they began filming their second film together Jersey Girl a month after the engagement) and we’re just beginning.

Bennifer were riding high in 2002, but by 2003, it would become a bit more stormy for the It couple. Bennifer had saturated the media so much that audiences, the industry, and the press began to turn on them. Ben, who was regarded as Hollywood’s golden boy, was getting heat for starring in the music video for “Jenny From the Block,” which many considered career suicide for him. Rumors swirled that Affleck’s family and bestie Matt Damon did not like J.Lo extravagant lifestyle and how he needs to date a down-to-earth girl who could go to Red Sox games and not ruin his reputation in Hollywood.

South Park had a whole episode dedicated to their relationship, but it was particularly harsh towards J.Lo, which was wildly racist, especially with the song “Taco-Flavored Kisses.” Jen hated the episode, and PA on the set of a film she was working on would sing the lyrics around her, and she promptly had them fired.

Later that summer, the much-anticipated film Gigli was finally released in the summer of that year and was considered one of the worst movies of all-time (currently 6% on Rotten Tomatoes) and bombed in the box office. But through all the backlash, Bennifer didn’t care about the media scrutiny because they were planning the biggest wedding of the century. 

Just mere days before their wedding lavish wedding at the Four Seasons Biltmore, while in Vancouver, perpetual walking moody Ben, had a night out with Christian Slater and Tara Reid at a strip club where he hooked up with the multiple strippers. One of the strippers gave an interview describing the night to the National Enquirer and noted how Ben kissed them and asked the strippers to keep his actions between them.

When the news hit the street, they canceled the wedding. Though the two blamed the demise of their relationship on the media attention, it was obviously due to Ben’s constant need to self-sabotage.

At the top of 2004, Bennifer finally called it quits. But we all know J.Lo doesn’t let grass grow under her feet before she finds love again because four months later, she was married to Marc Anthony. Ben would move on to his future wife, Jennifer Garner, and there were also rumors he cheated on Lopez with Garner while filming Daredevil. During the 20 years of the Bennifer hiatus, audiences still remembered the iconic couple. Ben continued to mention how he “hated” the media attention the relationship caused him. Jennifer would share how the breakup was one of the hardest she had ever experienced and thought Ben was “the one.”

Fast forward to 2024, and the two reunited. Jen made another Ben-obsessed project, but this time she attached a movie AND a documentary (which we just learned Ben persuaded her to make. What a narcissist), TWO weddings (I guess to make up for the wedding that didn’t happen in 2003) and a divorce shortly after.

Through it all, we cannot deny the endless entertainment and cultural reset Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have contributed to pop culture, even if I’m J.Lo’s biggest hater, I am forever grateful. 

xo,

britt.