Jennifer Lopez Makes Rare Comments About Ex Ben Affleck After Divorce
Jennifer Lopez has her ex-husband Ben Affleck to thank for helping her take on the role of a lifetime.
Lopez opened up about her new film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, on the Monday, October 6, episode of Today. During the interview, host Craig Melvin mentioned that Affleck served as an executive producer on the movie, which was filmed amid the pair’s divorce.
“If it wasn’t for Ben, the movie wouldn’t have got made, and I will always give him that credit,” Lopez said of her ex. “You know, things happen. You have to keep going.”
The actress and singer said that the film’s theme of “escapism” helped her work through the split. “It’s about how movies and art save us in the hardest times of our lives. And doing this project was such a dream come true for me that it really got me through to, kind of, survive a moment that was difficult in my personal life, as well,” she explained. “So, after that, I took some time off, and now, we’re back, and I’m really excited for everybody to see this film. It’s a beautiful film about love.”
Melvin went on to state, “It sounds like it may have helped save you,” to which Lopez replied, “It did.”
Lopez and Affleck dated from 2002 to 2004 before reuniting in 2021. Two years after tying the knot in July 2022, Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024. Her divorce docs revealed the pair had separated in April 2024. Their split was finalized this past January.
Lopez plays Ingrid Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman, an actress beloved by an Argentinian prisoner named Molina (Tonatiuh). While forming a connection with his cellmate, Valentín (Diego Luna), Molina escapes the harshness of his reality by daydreaming of Ingrid.
Kiss of the Spider Woman, based on the Broadway musical of the same name, was produced by Affleck and his longtime pal Matt Damon‘s production company, Artists Equity. Lopez, for her part, also serves as an executive producer.
“I told him, ‘This was a role that I was born to play,’ and I wanted to do it, and he said ‘Okay,’ and he helped make it happen,” Lopez said of Affleck in an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning last month.
When asked if the movie acted as “refuge” for her, Lopez said, “It was hard not to think about stuff, but it was like the best and the worst of times, in a way. Because every moment on set and every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy. And then, back home, it was like, not great. And it was just, like, ‘Oh. How do I reconcile this?’ But you get through it.”
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She continued, “Honestly, I have to say, it was the best thing that ever happened to me because it changed me. It didn’t change me — it helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow, become more self-aware. I’m a different person now than I was last year, I think, a year and a half ago.”
Kiss of the Spider Woman, in Theaters, Friday, October 10
Today, Weekdays, 7 a.m. ET, NBC
