Ben Affleck once sat down with infamous radio host Howard Stern to talk about his struggles with alcohol. He also talked about his failed marriage with Jennifer Garner, 49, that left him feeling “trapped” and that “didn’t work,” and of course, his brand-spanking-new relationship with our Boricua, triple-threat queen Jennifer Lopez.

While Affleck has been criticized for suggesting his alcohol use was linked to Garner and the state of their marriage, he also described being friendly co-parents with his ex-wife, sharing custody of their kids Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and son Samuel, 9. Surprisingly enough, Affleck actually went trick-or-treating with both Garner and Lopez, which is pretty much the most insane Halloween sighting we could ever think of.

But Ben Affleck’s comments about the start of his relationship with J.Lo are what truly got us listening

Stern asked Affleck about how the ex-flames decided to give their romance a second shot after calling off their engagement in 2004 (which included that ah-mazing $2.5 million 6.1 pink diamond ring that J.Lo never gave back). While the “Gone Girl” actor was audibly nervous to talk about his new-again relationship, Stern simply asked, “was there a hesitation on your part, because now you’re a dad?” while also alluding to Lopez’s worldwide fame that “brings even more attention” to his personal life. Affleck responded honestly, explaining, “it crossed my mind for sure.” 

The actor continued, “my responsibility to my children is the highest responsibility. I don’t want to do anything that is painful or destructive to them if I can help it.”

While Affleck has been criticized for his behavior by the media in the past years, ranging from a slew of girlfriends to his issues with alcohol, the actor seems to have turned a new leaf — and we can’t help but think if driven, ambitious, mujer ultra-poderosa Lopez has something to do with it.

Affleck wasn’t too quick to blame J.Lo for the media circus

The actor said his fame has always affected his family, and is simply a “cross to bear.” And the relationship seems to be going really well: an inside source told People that “Jennifer loves being with Ben. She feels it’s truly meant to be,” and that the fairytale pair might even spend Christmas together.

While we can’t help wondering if J.Lo already taught Affleck Puerto Rican Nochebuena traditions like drinking creamy coquito, eating pernil and maybe even leaving grass in a shoebox for El Día de los Reyes Magos, it’s safe to say the two seem rock-solid. That being said, it’s been a long journey to get to where they are now.

The famous couple actually met back in 2001 on the set of 2003’s gangster movie “Gigli,” a flop that has a mere 6% on Rotten Tomatoes (ouch), but that nonetheless sent both of them into a tailspin over each other.

While Lopez was actually still married to Cris Judd, the two couldn’t help but fall for each other

Still, Affleck told Vanity Fair in 2003 that they weren’t romantic until her divorce in 2003, and that they started off as “really good friends” (hm, okay). He said this is the reason their relationship began with zero “falseness” at trying to seduce each other, that it was always “comfortable,” and that it showed them he “could love somebody in a way where what I really wanted was for them to be happy.”

Still, Affleck said her separation made their romance “a possibility, doors were opened.” Meanwhile, J.Lo talked about the initial relationship in a 2016 interview, saying the tabloids created a lot of “pressure,” while also saying on The Graham Norton Show that their connection “did suffer” from being “on the cover of every magazine, every week.” Still, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer explained that upon seeing Affleck for the first time, she thought: “this is it.”

By 2002, Affleck appeared in J.Lo’s music video for “Jenny From the Block,” relaxing on a yacht and infamously going for tons of PDA. By November of that same year, the “All I Have” songstress and Affleck were happily engaged, enormous Harry Winston pink diamond ring in tow. She famously said, “it’s the most magnificent thing I’ve ever seen,” and the two seemed like they had finally found their soulmate.

The pair starred in another flop movie in 2003 called “Jersey Girl,” and by September 2003 had pushed their wedding to a later date because of “excessive media attention.” Of course, speculation drove up a storm, with fans and the media wondering if they were on the rocks.

By January 2004, the two called it quits — and J.Lo married Marc Anthony just five months later

The singer-actress explained the move in her 2014 memoir “True Love,” writing: “Ben and I split up at the moment when I thought we were committing to each other forever, it was my first real heartbreak, it felt like my heart had been torn out of my chest.”

Talking about Anthony, she described, “I sought out comfort in another person, tried to find someone who could make me feel loved and wanted in my loneliest hour.” Looking back, J.Lo wrote, “deep down I knew that this was a Band-Aid on the cut, that my wound hadn’t been stitched or healed.”

By 2014, Lopez and Anthony finalized their divorce, sharing custody of their two children Emme and Maximilian. While both Lopez and Affleck had their fair share of romances in between (hello, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Garner), by 2021, they were finally both free to give their firework sparks another chance.

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