‘Jennifer Lopez Is F*cking Baller’: How Ben Affleck Became The Dream Ex

Ben Affleck’s interview with The New York Times was illuminating for a lot of reasons, namely how grateful he is for his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner. And it seems she’s not the only ex he has a lot of love for, as the actor also spoke up about his current relationship with ex-fiancé Jennifer Lopez.

Brook Barnes, the journalist who wrote the original profile, shared some extra titbits from her conversation with Affleck, revealing that he and J.Lo still ‘keep in touch’. More than that, he seems pretty unhappy that she was snubbed by the Academy Awards this year for her role in Hustlers.

‘She should have been nominated,’ he told Barnes. ‘She's the real thing. I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her. How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That's fucking baller.’

Affleck and Lopez dated for 18-months way back in 2002 after filming Gigli together. One of Hollywood’s hot power couples of the noughties, they were nicknamed ‘Bennifer’ and got engaged after just four months together. Calling off their engagement in 2004, Lopez described the break-up as her ‘first big heartbreak’ on the Today show in 2014. However, she insisted in 2015 she has ‘no regrets’ to the HuffPost Live.

‘I would do it all over again, I think,’ she said at the time. ‘I really would. Even the relationship part. I just feel like everything is part of your story and your journey and is meant to be and helps you grow if you're willing to look at it, and I'm willing to look.’

Affleck also added to his comments about ex-wife Garner in the New York Times interview, publicly thanking her – although, not so public since it didn’t make it into the final edit. ‘The first and main thing that I have to say to Jennifer Garner in public or in private is thank you,’ he said. ‘I want to be really clear about how much I respect her and how much I value the fact that she works with me in co-parenting.’

Garner has supported Affleck through two rehab stints since their relationship began in 2004 – and was reportedly behind his most recent intervention in 2018 that saw her drive him back to rehab after his relapse following one year of sobriety.

Read More:

Ben Affleck Says Divorce From Jennifer Garner Is ‘The Biggest Regret Of My Life’

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