As I’ve said many times, I like and respect Jennifer Lopez and I’m a believer in Bennifer 2.0. My horror at Jennifer’s Variety cover story was because it suddenly feels like Jen – and not Ben – is the one sabotaging the relationship. Jen and Ben have only been married for a year and a half and she’s already devoting an album, a musical film and a documentary to their love story. Ben is her FOURTH husband. All of Jennifer’s friends, associates and business partners have warned her about how extra and cringe all of this is but she’s going full throttle. Come hell or high water, she’s going to be as over-the-top as possible to celebrate this marriage. J.Lo recently chatted with Yahoo about the projects:
The 54-year-old singer is simultaneously dropping a film — This Is Me…Now: A Love Story — on Prime Video, which takes heavy influence from her and Affleck’s decades-spanning love story.
“I felt like I wanted to do something special,” Lopez explains to Yahoo Entertainment of her $20 million, self-funded passion project. (A forthcoming documentary rounds out the three-part spectacle.) “I felt like the music deserved that.”
In 2002, when “Bennifer” was first plastered on nearly every tabloid cover, Lopez released her first Affleck-infused album, This Is Me…Then. The fact that the follow-up was two decades in the making is why Lopez feels like it deserved more. “People know the story of me and Ben, that’s not the story I want to tell,” she says.
This Is Me…Now: A Love Story is “meta,” she says. “It’s not autobiographical, but it’s definitely inspired by events of my life and of other people’s kind of journeys that I’ve watched. But it’s definitely the story of a hopeless romantic’s journey through life and their search for love. That really kind of sums it up in a way, and there’s definitely things from my life that are infused and inspired in the story.”
As for how they handle [the interest in their marriage] now, Lopez says she is more “confident” in knowing their truth. “Honestly, we’re just kind of very grown,” Lopez says. “Everything seems so important when you’re younger, you know what I mean? You think everything’s going to be taken away from you and everything that everybody says or thinks about you matters, and as you get older you realize it really doesn’t. Not that you don’t care what people think, I do, but at the same time I feel very confident in knowing who I am and what I have to offer. There’s not really anything anybody can say to shake that.”
Lopez continues, “The thing I love more about who I am today as opposed to maybe 20 years ago is I can really continue evolving, and growing, and knowing that I’m not where I’m gonna be in two years, or five years or 10 years. It’s going to be even better. It’s really the exciting part.”
Of course, when Lopez and Affleck did break up the first time, it was hard on the pair. If Lopez could go back and tell herself something in 2004, she says it would be this: “It’s gonna be better than you think. So just hang on.”
“We’re just kind of very grown…Everything seems so important when you’re younger, you know what I mean? You think everything’s going to be taken away from you and everything that everybody says or thinks about you matters, and as you get older you realize it really doesn’t.” This is a very mature outlook for two 50-somethings navigating a blended family with teens and exes and the world watching. Which begs the question, why the hell did Jennifer think that it was a good idea to bring documentary film cameras into this situation, and why did she want to explore “being in love with love” in a $20 million self-financed musical???
Before all of this, the thing I liked so much about the Bennifer Redux was that they genuinely seemed more mature and like they stopped giving a sh-t about all of the outside noise. But now Jen is the one demanding that the outside noise be brought in constantly, that the world needs to examine and witness their love story. It’s like that disastrous, TMI-cringefest 2003 Diane Sawyer interview, only so much more involved.
Note by CB: Get the Top 10 stories about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s rekindled romance when you sign up for our mailing list! I only send one email a day on weekdays around lunchtime.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846503912, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846504026, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846504063, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef and Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846505624, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: (L-R) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” at Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, California.,Image: 846558953, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Jennifer Lopez attends Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” at Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, California.,Image: 846559048, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jennifer Lopez, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
Her film, This is me Now is 85% certified fresh on rotten tomatoes from early reviews. Keep hating on her and saying nasty crap. Girl knows how to get her bag. The amount of unhinged, nonsense people say about her every move is too much. I didn’t even stan her before but nobody deserves that. I am glad her film which she gambled on is well received by reviewers. And she sounds very happy when she talks about her children, she talks about all 5 kids very sweetly and I think Ben is fine with everything. I hope she continues to do well in every aspect of her life. Also, there’s nothing wrong with a documentary. From what her interview pointed out, its visual album, documentary and then one last tour.
Thank you! I don’t get the negativity! She is doing this because she wants to.
THANK YOU! I was shocked reading the article yesterday because there are SO many pictures from the premiere where Ben looks so proud of her but this site purposely picked the one (just one picture out of dozens) where Ben had his eyes open to suggest, once again, that he hates her and his life. I’m so happy the visual album has been well received and I’m rooting for these too. Jen is extra. If you’ve seen Ben’s Dunkings commercials, you know he’s extra too. Leave them alone.
Its frankly unhinged. And at this point, its deliberately hating on her to go pick one bad picture from 100s of good ones to sell a narrative about her and Ben. She isn’t the first person to talk about relationship in visual media or laying it all bare. Others have done and shared worse but somehow, her doing it is causing all the puppies in the world to die somewhere reaction is getting old. Also, she destroyed this person, that person isn’t true. All those people released plenty album when JLo wasn’t around and 2/3 the people that are up in arms didn’t bother supporting them when they did.
Hard agree. Why is it so cringe that it’s her 4th marriage when that is common in Hollywood? Hell quite a chunk of Boomer america is 3 marriages and counting. Why is it sabotage that she’s loud and open? Would it be seen the same way if it were Adele or Jessica Chastain – or would we be applauding the bravery and vulnerability and self-confidence?
Something about this latina woman with that nasal bronx/borricua accent really makes ppl want to kneecap her.
Affleck is IN. He’s a performer too. Just one that gets a pass for the back tattoo, cheating, fat phase, many many rehabs, theatrical bombs, blowing up his marriage, etc…all while collecting Oscars and genius plaudits.
Wtf has this woman ever done wrong? Even her fillers or whatever are impeccable! You know Marc Anthony was a jackhole since she has all the custody (it seems) but she never exposed ANY mess. She’s not even on ozempic!
Yet here we are, ready to pounce.
Agree! The most problematic thing about JLo is that she’s married to Ben Affleck but because he’s a white man, people have endless grace for him. JLo on the other hand gets nothing despite not being an alcoholic serial cheater. Wild times
Certain people want to believe Ben is the catch in this relationship but it’s really Jennifer. Ben is messy AF, and I’m surprised Jen went there again, but she must really love him. Jen is solid, she’s worked consistently hard to 20+ years, she’s barely aged a day and she could literally have anyone she wants. She doesn’t ‘need’ him, but she ‘wants’ him.
Also jlo is an incredible performer, her Super Bowl is my favourite. And it’s also the most watched on YouTube.
JLo feels like she has something to prove. That she was always “worthy” of Ben’s love (she was very much made to feel like a gold digger and that he was dating “down” bc she was a Latina).
By the looks of that header photo, her face is morphing into Melania’s.
I think it’s the eye makeup. That bold thin line across the brow just above the eye socket is very fashionable right now but it’s harsh on older faces.
I had a feeling she was the one who was going to sabotage this. It must always be about HER and HER feelings and what SHE wants, it’s not how a relationship works, what about your partner’s feelings and personal boundaries too? Sharing his love letters without asking for his approval is a reflection of that. She lacks self awareness, how you gonna to do the same exact mistakes twice ? If she really wanted it to work she would keep this relationship private and sacred instead of overexposing it once more and let people in and by doing so give them the permission to criticize, analyze it ever more and put it under pressure.
I agree 100%…she is somehow addicted to overexposure in all aspects of her life and career. It has nothing to do with her being Latina. She is gorgeous and talented with a work ethic that is enviable. Overachiever to the max…why does she keep having to prove to us all that she is so happy & content? If you are happy & content you shouldn’t care who thinks what! 20 million dollar selfie??? JLO seems to be repeating what broke them up in the first place…you & Ben live in a big enough fishbowl as it is…do we really need to grab a snorkel and get into bed with y’all? Thirst on steroids.
But you could say the same thing about Taylor swift. She’s done nothing but overexpose herself and her relationships, just look at her behaviour at this Super Bowl. The only difference is that people always call Jennifer out or make out she’s ‘thirsty’. I guess she is, but then again so is Taylor, yet she never gets called out for being publicity seeking. So there is a double standard.
Jlo has worked hard, yet she never quite gets the same praise or respect as her contemporaries.
This isn’t actually true. Taylor is a media darling this year, but years past many gossip sites (including this one, though no longer) called her out for a decade about being extra, performative, perpetual victim, anti-feminist, etc.
Her romance with Kelce is “cute” so currently everyone is ignoring years of problematic behavior because of it.
That’s not really true @February people have complained about the same oversharing Taylor does as well. But the type of oversharing that jlo does rankle me – putting her daughter’s FaceTime call on instagram where she was sobbing tops the list. Taylor has the new shiny relationship and now peole are interested in that over the retread of bennifer 2.0 – especially now when her object of idolatry has been outed must I remind everyone, of sexual harassment/unwanted groping by 3 credible famous women (Anne Marie tendler, Hilarie Burton, and Christina applegate). That’s what I will be reminded of when I hear all the gushing lyrics about him.
Christina applegate never accused him of groping, and we get it you hate the man and worshipped Jennifer Garner you keep saying the same thing on every article about him
Okay, I’m really old, like older than a Boomer, but that eye makeup is just….bizarre.
Omg the header photo pinpoints the dynamics of this relationship perfectly.
Movie review that places it all in context:
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240214-this-is-me-now-a-love-story-why-j-lo-deserves-respect-for-her-bonkers-new-musical-movie
Also love that it reminds everyone that SHE is why Google images even exists. She’s an icon for many reasons that are instantly forgotten for some reason.
An “icon” to what end? Seriously, all this celebrity stuff is entertainment and sometimes art. JLo and her analogies falls into the former and possibly is in a class of her own at that extreme end of the spectrum. What does she really do? Parade around in some shallow show of “individualism”, a survivalist-and-ultra-competitive expression of ego / the individual, a winner-takes-all perspective of the world, and narcissism pretending to be confidence and feminism.
She’s a product and a mascot of short-attentioned hyperconsumerism but she thinks she’s some superheroine or divine entity who’s here to light the way, show us how to be strong, powerful, and “successful” individuals.
Your next door neighbour who marches for minority rights, who writes letters to ministers, who stays informed about political and social matters, who contributes to their community in some way, who volunteers to help seniors or immigrants and refugees, etc., is far more individualistic than JLo the “icon” for the simple reason they’re participating in their democracy. (Maybe JLo does too, but that’s not part of her public persona as far as I know.)
JLo and co in Hollywood and the showbiz world are selling the idea that individuality is in how you pose, look, dress, whatever, because that means you’ll likely buy something, whether that’s a streaming subscription, a perfume, or a darned vagina candle. It’s the whole raison d’etre of HW and showbiz: producing shallow-as-a-puddle “icons” (starting back in the silent era) who embody some ideal of physical perfection within a visual medium (bypass the thinking brain with propagandistic imagery) that they can package as an “individual” – all the better if they’re misanthropic or tragic (smouldering James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, etc.) – in a perverted twist of the original ideal of the individual that has its roots in Athenian democracy – which then can be used to sell all kinds of products and services, directly or through advertising.
I enjoy consumerism and I like some movies. I like celebrity gossip too, but JLo actually buys into this stuff instead of being a bit wry and wink-wink about it like a lot of celebrities who play the game so they can work.
But JLo is no “icon”; none of these celebrities are “icons”. We don’t need icons (if it’s part of your faith, then no judgment however) from the celebrity world. The best you can do in their industry is having extraordinary talent like Daniel Day Lewis or Meryl Streep (a bit subjective). Taylor Swift is said to have genuine songwriting talent and for sure she enjoys mass popularity. These people aren’t “icons”; they’re artists.
Theory: the fact that “all of Jennifer’s friends, associates and business partners have warned her about how extra and cringe all of this is” became the central story before the film came out was…actually a very smart marketing strategy? Because a) it kept expectations in the gutter, and b) Jennifer actually wanted that storyline out there to prove her vision was right, and despite everyone’s reservations, they trusted her and went along? Because…this strategy appears to have paid off. Reviews are great. Jennifer must have been extremely confident in her product to let the pre-release buzz center on how even those closest to her had doubts. If the movie turned out to be terrible, I highly doubt that would have been the sanctioned pre-release theme (and it WAS sanctioned, that Variety piece could have gone in many different directions).
All of which is to say: Jennifer is chronically underestimated. She may not be everyone’s cup of tea but she’s also not just some lucky mediocre lady who stumbled into incredible success. There is depth and vision and, yes, artistry.
Finally, yesterday there was a post about how miserable Ben looked at the premiere (featuring just one photo). Looking at the other photos and videos tells an entirely different story. Whether they will last till death do us part is anyone’s guess, but right now, they seem in sync and in love. Good for them!!
After posing for pics at the Dolby theater & going inside, TMZ claims that Ben’s mood drastically changed. He is seen again wildly gesturing with his hands & JL is standing there listening to him!
It is reported that she is going to be going on tour for 3 months starting in June thru August now. Also, since Katy Perry is leaving American Idol, it is rumored that Ryan Seacrest would like to have JL back.
Maybe this will be make the heart grow fonder?
I genuinely love what she’s wearing here, as well as the styling — I’m getting “Hollywood Regency,” the silver screen, “the last great movie star” kind of a vibe.
laineygossip pointed out the double standard of how when JLo helps out Ben in his DD commercials, it’s seen as funny/lighthearted/charming. He’s including her in his work and “doing her a favor” when it’s actually the other way around and he’s the one benefiting. But when she does it, it’s sad/pathetic/try-hard. I think it’s fair to say she’s judged with very severe assumptions upon her character.
@Superjosh
Casey Affleck started the whole DD thing.
They have been talking about why Mark Wahlberg was not in the commercial. The better question question is why wasn’t Casey Affleck in the commercial?
Yup Casey was way more hilarious in that long ago DD SNL skit than Ben could ever be. He’s the one with acting talent.
And Ben has been the one going viral for years with Dunkin and the ad is considered by many the best of the superbowl
Shallow as a puddle with a survivalist, I’m-a-hustler, I’m-winning mentality to life, with hyper-narcissism and the self-importance of a 21st century multichannel/multimedia celebrity mixed in. JLo, there’s a lot more to life than you think.
So, she’s making the same mistake as Madonna–letting celebrity/image-maintenance eat her alive instead of concentrating on turning out good work? Okay…
I don’t expect anything less from JLo. After seeing Ben’s DunKings commercial (made by his production company, Artists Equity) and hearing about his lucrative merchandising and savvy marketing…why would we speculate about two very intelligent people who are happy to be together! Finally. Bennifer 2.024 wasn’t on my dance card but I’m here for it.