Sometimes, you can't top a classic.
But as Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck rekindle their romance, their longtime director pal Kevin Smith wishes fans would come up with a different nickname for the duo and leave "Bennifer" behind.
"You know, I could have done without the name coming back," he exclusively told E! News during an interview with his actress daughter Harley Quinn Smith, who recently starred on Freeform's hit show Cruel Summer. And while some followers are sticking with "Bennifer 2.0," other ideas have been tossed around, as well. "J.Fleck or something like that," Kevin added. "I don't know."
Actually, the 51-year-old singer and the 48-year-old actor can thank the filmmaker for the moniker. Last month, Kevin revealed he's the one who actually came up with Bennifer.
"It's a name I first gave the kids during Jersey Girl pre-production, before the world found out they were dating," he tweeted on May 10. "I'd later drop the name in an interview with the @nytimes. Shortly thereafter, it appeared in the article and then entered the vernacular."
As Kevin noted, he directed Ben and Jennifer in the 2004 movie Jersey Girl. But the stars, who got engaged in 2002, confirmed their split the same year the film was released.
Fast-forward 17 years later, and Bennifer is back. And just like their fans, Kevin is excited about the reunion. In fact, he said his "heart leapt" when he saw pictures of Jennifer and Ben kissing.
"I was around when those kids were, like, first dating," he recalled. "They started dating, like, while we were making Jersey Girl, and, like, it made you up the ante of your relationship. It made you want to be a better husband because he was, like, stellar as a boyfriend and stuff. So, it's nice to see them, like, you know, life happens like that sometimes. You circle back to the people who made the difference, made the most difference in your life. I'm happy for 'em, man, you know? Like, more pictures! That's what I say."
Ben and Jennifer sparked reconciliation rumors in May and have been spotted traveling across the country to see each other, packing on the PDA and hanging out with her twins Max and Emme Muñiz, who she shares with her ex-husband singer Marc Anthony. In fact, a source told E! News Jennifer is moving to Los Angeles, where Ben also lives.
"They really care for each other," another insider said last month, "and they picked up right where they left off."