Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are officially single following divorce settlement
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are officially divorced and legally single.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck attend Amazon Studios' world premiere of 'AIR' at Regency Village Theatre on March 27, 2023 in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court formalized their divorce on Friday, February 21, confirming their legal single status, according to the Associated Press. On January 6, the couple finalized their divorce settlement.
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
According to court filings, Lopez, 55, and Affleck, 52, reached an agreement through mediation in September, avoiding the long legal fights that have plagued previous high-profile celebrity divorces.
Lopez and Affleck started dating in 2002, after meeting on the set of Gigli. They got engaged but cancelled their wedding in 2004. Nearly two decades later, they renewed their love in 2021 and married in a Georgia ceremony the following year.
"I never thought that he and I would get back together," Lopez told Billboard in February 2024, before of the release of her film This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which chronicles their restored romance. "I simply couldn't let go of the concept that there was something beautiful waiting for me, even when things went extremely horrible — as they did at times. I've always thought deep down that I shouldn't give up."
The singer and actress filed for divorce from Affleck approximately two years after their Georgia wedding, citing their separation date of April 26, 2024. She listed "irreconcilable differences" as the grounds for their breakup in her original application.
According to settlement paperwork acquired, the couple agreed on conditions for dividing their property and assets. Both renounced spousal support and agreed to share their legal bills equally during their agreement, which Laura Wasser mediated. Lopez will also alter her legal name from Jennifer Affleck to Jennifer Lopez.
Lopez formerly married Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, and Marc Anthony, with whom she had two children. Affleck previously married Jennifer Garner, with whom he had three children.
Lopez expressed her sentiments about being alone again in October 2024, following her breakup with Affleck.
"I think to myself, 'F—, that is exactly what I needed,'" she told Interview. "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 … I'm not looking for anybody, because everything that I've done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f—ing do when it's just me flying on my own … What if I'm just free?"
