This week, Vox published an amazing piece on The Year of Bennifer and how Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s reunion has become the best gossip story in years. Vox compares and contrasts how much has changed culturally in seventeen years, and how we were actually primed to respect and enjoy Bennifer this time around. Incidentally, Vox quoted a Vanity Fair profile Ben did in 2003 where he was actually shockingly prescient about why the “narrative” around his relationship was so gross. He said, at the time: “I think it has to do with race and class, the fact that I’m white and she’s Puerto Rican. That’s what’s underneath, although nobody says it, because it’s not politically correct. There’s a kind of language that’s used about her — the spicy Latina, the tempestuous diva. She’s characterized as oversexed.” Wow… he was actually dead-on. She was billed as the bossy Latina maneater who ordered him to be her Ken doll. Nowadays, we’re like “thank God she’s getting Ben to work out, she put him on a diet and got him better clothes, this is amazing.”
Anyway, are we going to get a Bennifer Engagement by the end of the summer? How about by the end of the year? According to In Touch Weekly, yes?
Second time’s a charm? Ben Affleck is “more than ready” to propose to on-again girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, an insider exclusively tells In Touch four months after the A-listers rekindled their romance.
“Their relationship is moving fast. Jen is excited about starting a life with Ben and planning a wedding,” says the insider about the couple’s plans for the near future. “All the kids have met each other, and everyone seems to get along.”
The Way Back actor is head over heels in love with J. Lo again, and “he’s fallen back into Jen’s whirlwind lifestyle,” adds the source. It’s “only a matter of time” until he pops the question to his former Gigli costar, the source says, noting, “He’s all in.”
You know what this story makes me think of? J.Lo’s years-long reticence about marrying A-Rod. They were just engaged for years and they never even set a date or got around to wedding planning in any real sense. Which makes me think that the “Jen is excited to plan a wedding” part of this story is true. I don’t think Jennifer is getting ahead of herself that much. A proposal might happen, but yeah… they’re just in a different place now. And despite all the talk, I’m not even sure Ben will propose to her very soon. Now, if they’re still together at Christmas? Definitely by then.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I feel like they’ll get engaged on/around Christmas.
It’s not going to be soon but I think it’s going to happen. It would be great if they just got married and announced it months later like Jodie and Joshua but I’m not sure they will be able pull it off. They’ll have to get married in another state because TMZ has to many people on their payroll in California and Las Vegas.
Does she even want to get married a 4th time?
Of course she does. It’s Ben we are talking about. He is the one that got away.
Then her taste in men is worse than I thought – I’ve obviously given her too much credit.
J.Lo is the modern Elizabeth Taylor.
Thanks Benny Medina for the update. 🙂
Quotes from In touch weekly? Not believing it. And I remember everyone liked the two of them together at first but then they became the only gossip story the tabloids covered and everyone got so du king sick of seeing them and their constant papped posing. That’s why their movie together got so much scorn. I can see that happening again actually. Benny needs to chill.
Lol… Yes Benny does need to chill. And InTouch weekly is the bottom of the barrel. They never really have believable stories.
And I personally think everyone is getting sick of them already. But who knows, maybe not. When/if they get engaged, Benny’ll go into overdrive with the “It’s different this time.” If it really IS different, they wouldn’t need to tell us every damn day how different IT is 🙂
How many times has she been engaged? Seems weird to me that she always has to be engaged. Why not just be together
I agree, I know this sounds judgy of me, but too bad. I love Jennifer but she strikes me as one of those women who loves “love”, and the idea of “love” and being in “love” and all that entails, particuarly engagement and marriage. I think she jumps in headfirst, without checking the depth of the water and never takes the time to just be alone and be still. Look at every realtionship she’s had since she was in her early 20s. Every boyfriend, fiance, or husband came on the absolute heels of the previous relationship, sometimes with an overlap. She never just takes some time for herself. I used to be like that, and then I took 6 years off of dating, men, the whole shebang. And now I’m happily married. But I took that time for myself and was detoxing and refreshing. I wish they’d just date for awhile.
Dating is a far cry from being married &
Living together is a far cry from living in separate homes, wealthy or not!
My husband & I have friends that are together in a total committed relationship (10 yrs.) but BOTH do not want to ever get married & they both maintain separate homes. When they both are out together or go on vacation together, they both go home to their separate homes! It seems to work for them…
It is summertime & summertime is easy ..I guess that is why that alot of summertime romances fizzle out & where that saying came from. I think they will see what happens with their relationship the rest of this year & go from there….
I’m of two minds. Yes, hold on tight to love in this pandemic life. But also, divorce is hell even for immortals (ask Angelina) so why get married again. Not everyone nor every relationship is marriage meant.
They know all things that they like about each other and all the things that they don’t like about each other. They are grown ups and have known each other for two decades. But I don’t think that they should rush even at their ages. Just take time and enjoy what they are feeling.
Those shoes look really painful.
Agreed. But they are exquisite.
How embarrassing
Yeah. Two completely self-absorbed people, neither of whom has ever maintained a successful relationship, want to get married. What could possibly go wrong? 🙄
You don’t think, maybe, that Jen “holds back” her, y’know, cookie until there’s a ring? Is that her thing?
Gross.
I’m glad he called out the racism back then. I have a feeling not much have changed. Despite Ben being a whole mess, she seems to attract harsher criticisms. If I was in her shoes, I would honestly get PTSD if Ben proposed. It’d be a really stressful engagement til the wedding. She’s probably used to that though having been married 2/3? times.
I agree about J.Lo getting a lot more of the nastiness of the two. What exactly has she done that is so disgusting that deserves this kind of vitriol other than be a successful woman who doesn’t apologize for what she’s accomplished and woman who is dating a man with a superhero stan fanbase? Oh, and she doesn’t hide how much she loves love, and I guess if there is no cynicism attached that to that we can’t abide by it. /s
There’s a lot of talk about Ben’s messiness, but paired with it a lot of talk about him being “saved” from J.Lo or by some perfect mystery angel woman who will wash him of all his sins.
Anyway, I would not be surprised if they got married by year’s end, honestly, but quietly. But who knows, maybe they’ll just stay together and keep feeding the gossip mills so that we can have a little escapism.
Nice try but Ben gets plenty of wrath for being a white male
I agree about jL getting more nastier comments than Ben.( I think it will alway’s be a man’s world) but I feel the comments about her on here are pretty tame compared to DLlisted.
I have to agree with the comment that they both are chasing tabloid coverage & when you do that you have to put on your big boy/ girl pants & accept both positive & negative criticism & realize not everyone is going to love you!
I’m pretty sure we gonna get a bennifer marriage before the end of the year
I still see the same racism in past comments from commenters on other threads, and if you call it out people say you’re JLo’s PR or “this is a gossip website, called celeBitchy”
Yes. That is what I’ve seen on this site too. And why I posted that same article a few days ago. So much Hate towards a LatinX woman at the top of her game who has given an old and primary love a second chance. A second chance story that most commenters won’t give a chance. And that is very telling.
Yes, some are truly racist but hide behind a cynical front. But others I’d like to think they are just jealous cause I am sure most have a one that got away in their past but not everyone is lucky enough to be offered a second chance. And when they see JLo and Ben are radiatingly happy, they got the seething rage.
Latinas at the top of their game: Sonia Sotomayor, Dolores Huerta, Rita Morena (on any day of her entire life!), there is a long list. Of course JLo is “good enough,” anyone Ben wants to be with is good enough, he makes the call. Is anyone saying she is one of the world’s great actresses? Or great singer? How much bandwidth does anyone have left when they are chasing tabloid coverage every single freaking day, it is exhausting.
Yup!
Glad to see I am not the only one seeing the hate for JLO.
I hope she will be succesfull for years to come, and in the meantime she get spectacular jewllery from men.
Yep
I want every latina growing up to know that she can be the next Sonia Sotomayor, Rita Moreno or AOC, and that their worth is not tied into who they date or marry. However if anyone spends hours a day on selfies, new clothes and pap strolls, they don’t have enough time left over to work at realizing their potential. Just step away from the camera and be your talented selves, it will speak for itself.
She is the most successful Latin entertainer in the world!
JLo has been around for 20 years and more.
She is an accomplished dancers, a decent actress a great entartainer, and a successfull business woman.
She had a Vegas residency, she toured with Marc Anthony, she has been working and hustling for decades, she is where she is not thanks through selfie, but through work the superbowl whos she did with Shakira was amazing, how many times again does she have to prove her worth ?
Yes she has an instagram account and that is part of her job.
Calling everything and everyone racist is a lame attempt to control the comments.
Well I will love it. But I really think the priority need to be the children. Just imagine if they get marry do it but in private. And then let them figure it out. I wish them the best to all.
The flippant comment about how “everyone seems to get along” made me think nobody’s putting the kids first here … 🙁
These rag magazines, lol. Last week one of them claimed that “JLo tells Ben it’s time for a baby!” Lol!
Personally: I would LOVE if these two make to the altar this time.
I believe they love each other– probably always have– but I don’t think they’ll ever get engaged or married because I don’t think Ben has the desire to go through that again with anyone. It feels like Jen especially needs closure with this relationship because of the way it ended before. This time, if it ends peacefully and amicably with no regrets, I truly believe that will be enough for both of them. No more what ifs or what could’ve beens.
Thanks for linking that Vox article, highly recommend they make great points
Vox article is GREAT, but with one complaint: I feel like they whitewash (ugh, bad word choice?) Ben’s treatment of her in the end of the relationship and harsh comments in subsequent years. He was a MAJOR JERK to her, cheating with strippers, doing a 180 in his “style,” and yes I know they alluded to his comment that Jenny from the Block ruined his career, but I just feel like….he’s getting a pass here. He is lucky as hell that she is willing to revisit this. And this whole “aw shuck actor guy,”…well, I would argue, he’s thisclose to being Brad Pitt with his changing behaviors and styles with his paramours. Where are the daily pap walks with Dunkin now that Ana is gone? And the messy disheveled writer look with the SNL gal?
Part of recovery is making amends. None of us know how Ben is making amends to this woman. All we can do is gossip and speculate and imagine and project. At least we could do that with some understanding that that is what we are doing. We do not know these people. Who are after all human beings.
THIS🔼
Mistreatment in their private relationship, yes, but I don’t think he was ever a jerk to her in interviews. That was tabloid misrepresentation. He was consistent during the relationship, right afterwards and years later about defending her from the press she received and saying how much he liked and respected her. Saying he regretted Jenny from the Block was because the parody didn’t land, not because he was ashamed of Jennifer. He remained in touch with her and she spoke well of him publicly, which says a lot.
I worry about his dog (a German Shepard mix?) who has been ignored and lacking exercise now that he doesn’t do his daily walks with Ana.
I don’t get the rush with this whole relationship. They’ve both been engaged/married multiple times and they both have a string of failed relationships (including with each other). They need therapy to deal with their issues individually and together.
I see this relationship as a short romance. Ben looks like a wreck and JLo looks more groomed and perfect than ever. I seriously doubt she’ll put up with his long term issues – gambling and alcohol are just two.
Their kids are probably used to the ever changing partners these two have but still, I feel sorry for them.