When Jennifer Lopez Reacted to Her Mom’s Wish for Her and Ben Affleck to Reunite

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck got married in 2022, almost two decades after their initial engagement in 2002. After they split in 2004, both went on to start families with other partners before rekindling their romance in 2021. Interestingly, it seems Lopez's mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez, played a major role in reuniting the couple. Rodríguez joined her daughter on a May 2023 episode of Today to support her Netflix film, The Mother. As reported by HuffPost, she revealed, “I knew that you would always get back together because I prayed for 20 years.”

Lopez was surprised by her mother's statement. She later addressed her mother's comments during a red-carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight. Lopez said, “It’s so funny, she never said that to me. We never spoke about it. She really loved him when we were together before, so maybe deep down, I don’t know.” During the previous interview, Lopez also discussed her album This Is Me... Now, which delves into her relationship with Affleck after reconnecting in 2021. She said, "I went on an incredible journey through my life for the past 20 years and I think I've grown a lot."

As reported by Business Insider, she said, "I think the album's really are about capturing those moments in time. I captured that moment in time in 'This is Me... Then' album of falling in love with the love of your life. And having that moment 20 years later, us trying to capture what this moment was." She was later questioned whether love is more fulfilling when given a second chance. To this, she said, “I think when you have life experience behind you, you realize what’s really important. I love what I do. I have always said that, but since I had kids, that changed for me."

As reported by TODAY, she added, "Now, having a family in this way and being married, you start rejiggering everything. What is really important? How much do I want to work? You start realizing what I want to do with my life.” Affleck and Lopez have been on a journey of co-parenting five children from their prior marriages. Affleck has three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, while Lopez shares twins with Marc Anthony. Talking about how good Affleck is as a dad, she said, “He’s fantastic. He really steps up to the challenge of what (being a stepfather) is and what that means and they love him."

Despite their deep connection and love for each other, rumors began early this year that their marriage was in trouble. This came up when they were not spotted together for over a month. A source discussed their relationship in an interview in May of the same year. As reported by ELLE, the source said, “Jen and Ben’s relationship is not over yet, but they have been staying in separate homes and the tension has been high. They are taking a second to figure out what each of them is going through and wants.” While none of them have spoken about the rumors, Lopez did share an Instagram story for Affleck as a Father's Day tribute.