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How Jennifer Lopez's Life Changed After Rekindling Romance With Ben Affleck

Jennifer Lopez gushed over finding love again with Ben Affleck two decades after their breakup during the 2024 Gold Globe Awards. Find out how he inspired her latest project.

By Brett Malec Jan 08, 2024 2:20 AMTags

It's safe to say Jennifer Lopez is Ben Affleck's biggest fan.

"I'm so excited for him and so happy for him," the singer exclusively told E! News Chief Correspondent Keltie Knight at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards Jan. 7 of her husband, whose film Air is nominated in the Best Picture - Musical/Comedy category. "He worked so hard. Air was a great film." (See every star on the red carpet here.)

In fact, the 54-year-old revealed how rekindling her romance with Affleck, whom she was first engaged to in the early aughts before their 2004 breakup, influenced her upcoming album and film This Is Me...Now.

"When we got back together, I felt very inspired," Lopez, who wed the Oscar winner in 2022, continued. "I was like, 'Oh, this is me now.'"

Being a self-professed "hopeless romantic," the Marry Me actress admitted getting back together with Affleck after decades apart was a "bigger destiny" than she ever could have imagined.

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Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck: Romance Rewind

"This is a project that I say has been 22 years in the making," she explained, "because I did the This Is Me...Then album 20 years ago in 2002 and then in 2022 I announced that I was gonna make This Is Me...Now and I've been working on it the past couple years. I did a whole album and a whole film that goes along with it and on Wednesday we drop the brand-new single. So, I'm excited to set off this whole era."

MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

Lopez promised her latest project will reflect both the ups and downs of her much-talked about personal life.

"I think that life can be heart-breaking and it can also be elating," she told E!, "and can also be very funny sometimes when you look back at it. I think you have to not take yourself too seriously. The lessons and the things that you learn, you have to share with people. I think this project for me is really about letting you know what I learned along the way."

Lopez recently reflected on the scrutiny around her and Affleck's first relationship in the early aughts and even revealed that, to this day, they still "both have PTSD" from all the attention.

"But we're older now," she told Variety in an article published Dec. 20. "We're wiser. We also know what's important, what's really important in life, and it's not so much what other people think. It's about being true to who you are."

And if you're wondering about the possibility of her and Ben being together again onscreen outside of her new film, J.Lo—who costarred alongside Affleck in 2003's Gigli—is into it.

"We love being together and working together," she explained, "so, yeah, you never know."

For more exclusive Golden Globes interviews, don't miss E! News Monday, Jan. 8, at 11 p.m. on E!.

Keep reading to see every star on the 2024 Golden Globes red carpet.

Florence Pugh

In custom Valentino dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Taylor Swift

In custom Gucci dress and De Beers jewelry.

Margot Robbie

In custom Giorgio Armani Privé dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Oprah Winfrey

In Louis Vuitton dress and Chopard jewelry.

Emma Stone

In custom Louis Vuitton.

Timothée Chalamet

In Celine suit and Cartier jewelry.

Jennifer Lopez

In custom Nicole + Felicia Couture.

Selena Gomez

In custom Giorgio Armani Privé.

Hailee Steinfeld

In custom Prada.

Ryan Gosling

In custom Gucci.

Reese Witherspoon

In Monique Lhuillier dress, Jimmy Choo shoes and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Emily Blunt

In custom Alexander McQueen dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Angela Bassett

In Dolce & Gabbana dress and Lagos jewelry.

Brie Larson

In Prada dress and Kwiat jewelry.

Jennifer Lawrence

In Dior dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

Dua Lipa

In Schiaparelli dress and and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

America Ferrera

In custom Dolce & Gabbana dress and Harry Winston jewelry.

Jennifer Aniston

In Dolce & Gabbana.

Natalie Portman

In Dior dress and De Beers jewelry.

Jeremy Allen White

In Calvin Klein suit, Ferragamo shoes and Briony Raymond jewelry.

Ayo Edebiri

In custom Prada dress and Boucheron jewelry.

Naomi Watts

In Fendi dress and Harry Winston jewelry.

Amanda Seyfried

In custom Giorgio Armani Privé gown and Pomellato jewelry.

Billie Eillish

In Willy Chavarria outfit and Anita Ko jewelry.

Julia Garner

In Gucci.

Julianne Moore

In custom Bottega Veneta.

Quinta Bunson

In custom Balmain dress, Jimmy Choo shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Meryl Streep

In custom Valentino dress, Bella Rosa Collection bag and Fred Leighton jewelry.

Rachel Brosnahan

In custom Sergio Hudson dress and Swarovski jewelry.

Matt Bomer

In custom Brioni.

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View More Photos From Golden Globes 2024: Celebrity Red Carpet Fashion

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