Jennifer Lopez has broken her silence about her recent breakup with Ben Affleck, revealing the emotional toll it took on her.
In an interview with Interview magazine published Wednesday, Lopez shared that the separation nearly broke her but ultimately made her stronger.
Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Affleck two months ago and clarified that she has “no regrets” about her decision. “I do not regret it for one second,” she told interviewer Nikki Glaser.
The singer explained that the breakup was “exactly what [she] needed,” reflecting on the lessons she’s learned from the experience.
“I think to myself … ‘Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it,’” she said.
The star, who has been married three times before to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, and Marc Anthony, compared the emotional pain of the split to being hit over the head with a “f–king sledgehammer” or having a house dropped on her.
She described how her previous mindset was overly “romantic,” as she used to believe that being in a relationship was essential to happiness and feeling whole.
In a self-deprecating moment, Lopez joked about her former outlook on love, referring to the “old Jennifer” as a “dumb bitch” and a “mother–ker” for holding onto those beliefs. While the singer now feels she has learned her lesson, she acknowledged that it took her “30 years” to understand that relationships are finally not the key to fulfilment.
Lopez also opened up about the emotional struggles of being single, admitting that she sometimes feels “lonely,” “sad,” and “desperate” without a partner.
However, she’s found strength in confronting those emotions. “When you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like, ‘Actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself,’” she shared.
Although Lopez did not mention Affleck by name in the interview, she expressed excitement about her future as an independent woman.
“Everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f–king do when it’s just me flying on my own?” she asked. “What if I’m just free?”
This is the first time Lopez has addressed her split from Affleck since rumours of their breakup surfaced in May. Affleck, 52, has yet to comment publicly on the separation.
The couple, who first dated in the early 2000s and got engaged in 2002, called off their engagement in 2004 before rekindling their relationship in 2021. They married the following year but have now parted ways once again.
