August 21, 2024 11:05 am IST
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, better known as Bennifer, were in a relationship twice, first in the early 2000s and then in the early 2020s.
After a relationship that spanned two decades, two engagements, two marriages and countless headlines, Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck. The filing, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles, ostensibly ends a celebrity couple — or at least its second installment — that shined from the heights of the pop culture firmament and graced countless tabloid covers. The pair were known as “Bennifer” even before such power-couple portmanteaus became ubiquitous. (Also read – When Ben Affleck revealed why he avoids talking about his relationship with J.Lo: ‘One of the hardest lessons…’)
Here are the details of their 20-year long saga:
first meet
Jennifer and Ben met at the 70th Academy Awards and the premiere of his science-fiction action film Armageddon in 1998. However, they began dating on the set of Gigli (2003). They went on to star in Jersey Girl (2004).
Engagement
They were engaged in 2002 and were supposed to marry in 2003, but called it off four days before the wedding.
First division
Jennifer and Ben separated in early 2004, just four months after they were married. Jennifer attributed the breakup to Ben’s discomfort with the intense media scrutiny of their relationship.
bennifer 2.0
The two got back together 17 years after their initial separation during the pandemic in 2021. Exactly one year later, they got engaged again, 20 years after he first proposed.
Eventually got married twice!
Jennifer and Ben got married again, this time in Las Vegas, the same year they got engaged. The couple drove to Las Vegas, lined up with four other couples with their license and got married just after midnight at A Little White Wedding Chapel, where Jennifer said a Bluetooth speaker played their brief march down the aisle. She called it the best night of the couple’s life. A month later, they had a very lavish wedding in front of friends and family at Ben’s home in Georgia.
Filing for Divorce
Court records showed that Jennifer filed the petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday. She listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024. It also said that she did not mention any prenuptial agreement.
Jennifer will next be seen in Unstoppable and Kiss of the Spider Woman (both produced by Ben), while he will star in The Accountant 2.
