Jennifer Lopez is unarguably the most influential Latin entertainer in Hollywood, but her personal life still turns as many eyes as her professional career.
Whether we spot a new couple in town or a beloved pair parts ways after years, celebrity relationships in Hollywood have always been a hot topic. Though dating and break-ups among young celebrities have become common news, failed marriages and divorces particularly invite widespread media attention, drama, and speculation. But again, what’s it to an audience that hates women for dating too many people before settling but also chastizes them when they marry an incompatible partner and part ways later?
Female celebrities have always faced harsher scrutiny during divorces, especially if initiated by them. Scarlett Johansson faced it, Angelina Jolie faced it, Britney Spears faced it, and now Jennifer Lopez is facing it. The 55-year-old actress, singer, and businesswoman recently filed for divorce from her husband Ben Affleck in Aug. 2024. More than 17 years after their initial engagement in Jan. 2004., the two rekindled their passion in 2021, and married in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022, two years ago.
The news has especially caught the public attention given Jennifer Lopez’s long relationship history. Unlike Ben Affleck, who was previously married to Jennifer Garner for almost 13 years from 2005 to 2008, Lopez has had a history of failed marriages. Here’s how many times La Guitarra of Hollywood has been married and divorced.
Jennifer Lopez’s ex-husbands
Ojani Noa (Feb. 1997–Jan. 1998)
Although Jennifer Lopez was in a nearly decade-long relationship with her high-school boyfriend David Cruz until the mid-1990s, the relationship never progressed to an engagement or a marriage. Lopez’s first marriage was to a Cuban waiter Ojani Noa in Feb. 1997, which lasted less than a year till Jan. 1998.
Cris Judd (Sept. 2001–Jan. 2003)
After her first divorce, Lopez was in an on-and-off relationship with record producer and rapper Sean Combs from 1999 to early 2001. However, Lopez said that she always knew it would end. The actress then married Cris Judd, her former backup dancer, in Sept. 2001. But even before the divorce was finalized, she began dating Ben Affleck. Lopez and Cris Judd’s marriage then officially ended in Jan. 2003.
Marc Anthony (June 2004–July 2011)
Five months after her short-lived relationship with Affleck, Lopez married the singer Marc Anthony in June 2004 after initially dating for a few months back in the late 1990s. Lopez and Anthony welcomed a pair of fraternal twins during their marriage in Feb. 2008. Though this marriage lasted 10 years on paper, the duo announced their separation after seven years in July 2011.
Ben Affleck (July 2022–Aug. 2024)
Following her third divorce, Lopez had another on-and-off relationship with her former backup dancer Casper Smart from Oct. 2011 to Aug. 2016. She then began dating New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez in Feb. 2017 and the two became engaged in March 2019. However, they announced the end of their relationship in April 2021, the same time when Lopez was reported to be dating Ben Affleck again.
Lopez publicly confirmed their rekindled relationship in July 2021, and the two subsequently married in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022. Sadly, the marriage ended on Aug. 20, 2024, after Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck, citing April 26, 2024, as the date of their separation.