Jennifer Lopez is further pulling back the curtain on the end of her marriage to Ben Affleck, and how she told their teenage twins they were divorcing.
The Bronx-born pop star, 55, recently spoke about her family got through the “really tough year” of 2024 in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País, ahead of her Up All Night tour.
A longtime fan of therapy, Lopez added prayer into the “self-introspection” mix, as well as trying to “really solidify the family unit that is me and my two children, my twins,” she said of 17-year-old Max and Emme, who Lopez shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
“I said, ‘I promise you, this is a difficult time, but you’re going to see that I’ll come out the other side stronger and better.’ I promised them that and I did it,” recalled the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer. “And they feel it now. That gives me a great sense of peace in my life.”
Throughout the interview, Lopez made clear how happy and “free” she feels — dubbing this “the best” period of her life.
“I’m happier that I’m a step further along than I was a year ago, two years ago, three years ago… I’m proud of myself for that and I’m proud that I was able to navigate my children through difficult times, that they’re stronger and better because of it.”
Lopez and the Oscar winner, 52, wed twice in the summer of 2022. They had been previously engaged in the early 2000s before splitting. Each quickly married and had families of their own, Lopez with Anthony, and Affleck with Jennifer Garner.
In early 2024, Lopez released “This Is Me…Now,” an album inspired by the rekindled romantic saga previously known as Bennifer, as well as a companion musical film and documentary about the making of that film.
The split speculation started in the spring and, along with weak ticket sales, led to the cancellation of Lopez’s “THIS IS ME…LIVE” summer tour.
She filed for divorce in August, on the second anniversary of their second nuptials. The divorce was finalized in January.
“Unexpected things happened. … I did a lot of self-introspection. … I’m always kind of searching,” said Lopez. “I think it’s all about learning about yourself. It’s all about knowing yourself. You have to be ready for that.”
