Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s Marriage Had Major Drama That 'No One Knew' About

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s whirlwind romance and seemingly picture-perfect marriage became a headline-grabbing story of love and, ultimately, heartbreak. While they initially looked like an iconic power couple, the cracks in their relationship began to show, revealing a marriage far more complicated and turbulent than the public realized. The couple married in 2004, just months after Lopez’s high-profile breakup with Ben Affleck and only four days after Anthony’s divorce from Dayanara Torres. At the time, their tying the knot also fueled speculation about whether their union was primarily just for publicity.

Those rumors, however, were put to rest when they welcomed twins Emme and Max in 2008. Unfortunately, though, while the birth of their children marked a high point for Lopez and Anthony, it also brought new strains to their relationship, with family dynamics quickly shifting. In 2008, Lopez’s mother moved in with the couple to help with the twins, creating a rift in the household. Compounding this stress, Lopez was upset to learn that Anthony owed millions in unpaid taxes to New York state. On top of that, their conflicting preference on where to settle down—with Lopez favoring Los Angeles and Anthony leaning toward New York—strained their attempts to find solace as a whole.

Lopez later reflected on her marriage, revealing that during that period, she struggled with self-love. She shared, "I was sitting there getting my makeup done and all of a sudden I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn't breathe, I started to feel anxious. I felt like I was going crazy and I uttered those words, 'I can't go on with Marc.' No one knew what I was going through. My single On the Floor was number one all over the world, but my relationship was fading and I was terrified."

As per The List, Lopez’s stylist, Phillip Bloch revealed back then, "Marc is very controlling. In the beginning, she liked that because he stood up to her, and in the early days he was very much in love with her and she was with him." Lopez subtly addressed this in her memoir True Love, where she discussed feeling ‘abused’ emotionally and mentally in relationships, though she didn’t directly name Anthony. Reportedly, she confessed that part of her motivation for marrying him was her fear of being alone after her breakup with Affleck.

As per People, the official split came in 2011, but whispers of trouble started when Lopez appeared solo at the BAFTA Brits to Watch event without her wedding ring. Despite their separation, Lopez and Anthony continued working together professionally, even collaborating on music and as co-judges on Q'Viva! The Chosen. Although Anthony filed for divorce in April 2012, it took Lopez until December 2013 to respond, with the divorce finalized in 2014. Lopez was granted primary custody of their children, and later that year, Anthony married model Shannon de Lima.