Affleck also said his “temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than” his ex’s as he opened up about their divorce for the first time
Affleck also said his “temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than” his ex’s as he opened up about their divorce for the first time
Ben Affleck is keeping the details behind his split from Jennifer Lopez close to the chest.
The pair — who were famously engaged in the early 2000s, before breaking it off and later rekindling their romance almost two decades later — divorced earlier this year after two years of marriage.
In a recent cover interview for GQ‘s April 2025 issue, Affleck, 52, admitted that “there’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue” behind his breakup from the actress-singer.
“The truth is, when you talk to somebody, ‘Hey, what happened?’ Well, there is no, ‘This is what happened,’ ” said the Accountant 2 star. “It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.”
Affleck went on to say that he has noticed, as he “gets older,” that “there is no ‘So-and-so did this’ or ‘This was the big event’ ” — rather, “It sounds more like a couple’s therapy session, which — you would tune out of someone else’s couple’s therapy after a while.”
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“For one thing, you start going, ‘Okay, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly they have these issues.’ And the reason I don’t want to share that is just sort of embarrassing. It feels vulnerable,” explained the Good Will Hunting writer-actor.
Affleck also touched on why he chose to be involved in the 2024 documentary about their marriage, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
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“Part of it was, ‘Okay, if I’m going to participate in this, I want to try to do it in an honest way and in a way that’s interesting.’ Because I thought it was an interesting examination,” he said.
Affleck praised Lopez, 55, as someone who has “handled celebrity more adeptly and more adroitly than I have,” explaining, “My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers.”
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Affleck told GQ that he believes “it’s important to say” that the documentary “wasn’t the cause of some major fracture” in his relationship with Lopez.
“It’s not like you can watch that documentary and go, ‘Oh, now I understand the issues that these two had,’ ” the Air actor-director added.
And while he understands “wanting to divine or explore the kind of differences in perspective that we have in terms of how a person feels comfortable approaching the line between public and private life,” Affleck has “nothing but respect” for his ex.
“There’s a tendency to look at breakups and want to identify root causes or something,” he continued. “But honestly … the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting.”
Ben Affleck Breaks Silence on Jennifer Lopez Divorce, Clears Up Speculation About ‘Root Causes’ and ‘Issues’
“It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do,” Affleck said of him and Lopez
Ben Affleck has broken his silence on his divorce from Jennifer Lopez.
In a wide-ranging cover interview for the April issue of GQ, the Accountant 2 star opens up about his relationship with the actress-singer and the reality of their breakup versus what gossip might have some people believe — including why he chose to be involved in the 2024 documentary about their marriage, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
“Part of it was, ‘Okay, if I’m going to participate in this, I want to try to do it in an honest way and in a way that’s interesting.’ Because I thought it was an interesting examination,” said Affleck, 52.
He also praised Lopez, 55, as someone who has “handled celebrity more adeptly and more adroitly than I have,” explaining, “My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers.”
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“As happens in relationships, you don’t always have the same attitude towards these things,” the two-time Academy Award winner continued. “And so I thought, Oh, this is interesting because how do you reconcile that? Because … I love and support this person. I believe in them. They’re great. I want people to see that.”
In the context of the documentary, Affleck recalled how he said something along the lines of, ” ‘You don’t marry a ship captain and then say, “Well, I don’t like going out in the water.” ‘ You’ve got to own what you knew going into any relationship.’ “
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“And I think it’s important to say that wasn’t the cause of some major fracture. It’s not like you can watch that documentary and go, ‘Oh, now I understand the issues that these two had,’ ” he added.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Affleck said he “[doesn’t mind]” talking about his “personal life a little … as long as my actual feelings and intentions and beliefs are communicated, which I hope I was clear that really [Lopez] is somebody I have a lot of respect for.”
And while he understands “wanting to divine or explore the kind of differences in perspective that we have in terms of how a person feels comfortable approaching the line between public and private life,” the actor-director said he has “nothing but respect” for his ex.
“There’s a tendency to look at breakups and want to identify root causes or something. But honestly … the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting,” Affleck continued.
He went on to say of their breakup, “There’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue. The truth is, when you talk to somebody, ‘Hey, what happened?’ Well, there is no, ‘This is what happened.’ ”
“It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do,” Affleck added.
Affleck and Lopez rekindled their romance in 2021 after previously getting engaged in 2002 and ending their relationship in 2003. They married in 2022 in two separate ceremonies — one in Las Vegas and one in Georgia. Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck in August 2024 and the divorce was finalized in January.
For Lopez’s part, she seemingly opened up about the end of her romance in the October issue of Interview magazine.
“Not one second,” she said of whether she regrets her and Affleck’s love story. “That doesn’t mean it didn’t almost take me out for good. It almost did. But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, ‘F—, that is exactly what I needed.’”
Ben Affleck admits Jennifer Lopez divorce was ’embarrassing’ as he reflects on their VERY different attitudes to fame – and heaps praise on ‘wonderful’ first wife Jennifer Garner
Ben Affleck shed some light on the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez and his relationship with first wife Jennifer Garner in a candid chat with British GQ.
The actor, 52, rekindled his romance with the singer, 55, in 2021, but the reunion was short-lived, with J Lo filing for divorce in August last year after their two-year marriage crumbled.
Affleck has remained tight-lipped about the breakdown of their union, yet has now insisted there was ‘no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue’ that caused their breakup.
Admitting why he doesn’t like to dwell too much on the split in interviews, he confessed that it wasn’t a blame game but ‘the reason I don’t want to share that is just sort of embarrassing. It feels vulnerable.’
Affleck also addressed his participation in the documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told – part three of his wife’s $20 million media homage to their romance.
Fans were quick to point out how disinterested he looked in the doc – where he openly confessed he felt ‘uncomfortable’ on camera and revealed he ‘found their privacy sacred’.
Ben Affleck shed some light on the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez and his relationship with first wife Jennifer Garner in a candid chat with British GQ
Ben admitted discussing his divorce from J Lo (left) was ’embarrassing’ as he reflected on their very different attitudes to fame – while heaping praise on ‘wonderful’ first wife Garner
Doubling down on his remarks, Affleck explained: ‘Part of it was, “OK, if I’m going to participate in this, I want to try to do it in an honest way and in a way that’s interesting.” Because I thought it was an interesting examination.’
Addressing the difference in their approach to fame, he continued: ‘My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers. As happens in relationships, you don’t always have the same attitude towards these things.
‘And so I thought, “Oh, this is interesting because how do you reconcile that?” Because exactly what you said is true. I love and support this person. I believe in them. They’re great. I want people to see that… You’ve got to own what you knew going into any relationship.’
Clarifying that he ‘has a lot of respect’ for Lopez, the Oscar-winning actor added that fans would do well not to read too much into their documentary.
He mused: ‘I think it’s important to say that wasn’t the cause of some major fracture. It’s not like you can watch that documentary and go, “Oh, now I understand the issues that these two had.”’
Elsewhere in his chat with GQ, talk turned to his first wife Garner, with whom he shares Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12. The couple have remained close since they split in 2015.
Addressing their relationship, Affleck mused: ‘I’m really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids’ mom, who’s wonderful and great and we work together well.’
Last month, the pair were seen embracing during an outing, sending the internet into a frenzy.
Affleck has remained tight-lipped about the breakdown of his marriage to J Lo, yet has now insisted there was ‘no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue’ that caused their breaku
See the full feature in the April/ May issue of British GQ, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 8th April
Daily Mail later learned Garner is ‘deathly afraid of falling back in love’ with the actor, with a source saying she still has ‘trust issues’ with Affleck after he slept with their children’s nanny, Christine Ouzounian, now 37, a decade ago.
‘She loves Ben but is worried that he will crush her all over again,’ the source said.
‘She doesn’t want to heal another broken heart because it is just too much drama, plus she does not want their kids to see round two of their mom in a bad place with their dad.
‘So much could go wrong if they reunite.’
The photos of Affleck tenderly embracing his ex-wife also resulted in Garner’s boyfriend John Miller feeling a bit bothered about their ‘touchy-feely’ behaviour, sources claimed.
‘It would get to anyone, but this is nothing new,’ the insider said. ‘Ben and Jen have a unique relationship, especially for exes.’
In March 2016, Garner detailed to Vanity Fair how her heart was ‘tender’ after her 10-year marriage to Affleck crumbled.
Affleck has not spoken much about his divorce from Lopez but was photographed spending more time with first wife Garner in the months that followed.
The 13 Going On 30 star was said to have played a key role in helping her ex-husband through his split from Lopez, adopting the role of ‘marriage counsellor’ to the struggling couple, with some friends feared she had been forced to ‘play mediator.’
They detailed the highs and lows of their rekindled romance in J Lo’s documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told yet Affleck was ‘uncomfortable’ being her muse
Addressing his relationship with Garner, Affleck mused: ‘I’m really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner i who’s wonderful and great’ (pictured in 2014)
Affleck and Lopez’s love story first started in 2002 when they dated while filming the movie Jersey Girl. They became engaged the following year but broke up in 2004.
Yet it was meant to be for Bennifer, who found their way back to one another in July 2021, marrying just one year later.
They detailed the highs and lows of their rekindled romance in J Lo’s documentary last February, yet while she appeared hellbent on publicly declaring her love, she openly admitted Affleck was ‘uncomfortable’ being her muse.
Just three months later, split rumours began to swirl and by August that year, the pair’s breakup was confirmed.
J Lo has since said she wants to find romance again after spending months with her family and friends to ‘heal her broken heart.’
‘Jennifer wants to be in love again,’ a source told DailyMail.com.
Though she has been linked to Yellowstone actor Kevin Costner after they spent time at the iconic western apparel store Kemo Sabe in Aspen Colorado over Christmas, she is interested in another Yellowstone type.
‘She had a crush on Rip Wheeler from Yellowstone and wants a guy like that, someone who can have her back and make sure she is OK. She wants to be put first and made to feel special,’ the pal noted.
‘Her life is a lot, she needs a man who can handle all that and still love her unconditionally like the way Rip loves Beth Dutton.’
In an odd twist, Affleck is friends with the actor who plays Rip: Cole Hauser. They starred together in Good Will Hunting.
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