All the cutest things Ben and Jen have said about each other since they got back together
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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck getting back together was one of the biggest surprises of 2021. And that is saying something. Still, there’s a comforting vibe about seeing the couple, who previously dated in the early 2000s, reunite for a second chance at love. And this time, it feels like they’re doing it right.
Jen on Ben - "A beautiful love story"
In her February People Magazine cover story, Jen talked her fictional love story (with Owen Wilson) in Marry Me and her REAL love story with Ben Affleck.
"I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him," she said in the interview. "It's a beautiful love story that we got a second chance."
She also explained how things are different this time around, acknowledging that their relationship "got a little trampled" went they went public the first time.
"It's beautiful the way it feels very different than it was years ago," she said. "There's more of an appreciation and a celebration for it, which is nice. When you find somebody and you really, really love them and you get a second chance at that? That is a really rare, precious, beautiful thing and we don't take it for granted."
"We both were like, 'Wow, we're so happy and we don't want any of that to come into play again,'" she said, referring to the first media circus. "We're older now, we're smarter, we have more experience, we're at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. We're so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us."
"I just feel very happy and lucky to be in a relationship that's happy and loving, and I want to do everything I can to protect that and keep it safe. It deserves that, it really does," she said. "We hold it sacred."
"When you're in a good, healthy relationship, everybody benefits from that. Everybody."
Ben on Jen - Jen was the best thing to come out of Gigli
Affleck has also gone on record saying that the media pressure put on the couple back when they first dated contributed to the demise of their romance. And there was the bomb of a film they co-headlined, director Martin Brest’s Gigli.
In his interview with Entertainment Weekly in January, however, Affleck tells interviewer Matt Damon that he doesn’t regret signing on for the doomed project… because it’s where he met Lopez.
“If the reaction to Gigli hadn't happened,” said the actor, “I probably wouldn't have ultimately decided, ‘I don't really have any other avenue but to direct movies,’ which has turned out to be the real love of my professional life. So in those ways, it's a gift. And I did get to meet Jennifer, the relationship with whom has been really meaningful to me in my life.”
Jen on Ben - IRL support for his projects
Meanwhile, Lopez has been a one-woman hype team for Affleck’s two most recent films, The Tender Bar and The Last Duel. She came out to support Affleck at the New York and Venice red carpet premieres of the latter film, sharing not one, but a whole series of photos and videos of herself at her man’s events.
“I had such a beautiful time!!” she wrote in an Instagram post accompanying an artfully shot video montage of her time in Venice.
“And I’m so excited for you guys to see this movie!! It’s the first script Matt [Damon] and Ben have written together along with Nicole Holofcener since Good Will Hunting!! And it’s amazing!! The acting by the whole cast is fantastic,” she gushed, adding, “Jodie Comer plays the lead and she is awesome!!! It was a magical trip and I hope you enjoy the pics!!”
She also recommended the George Clooney-directed Tender Bar on Insta, saying in a recent story, “There’s a great scene in a bowling alley with Ben and the little boy [Daniel Ranieri]. Ben plays his uncle [and] they’re both amazing in the movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should.”
Perhaps even more meaningfully, Jen backed Ben up when he came under fire for statements about his marriage to Jennifer Garner and struggles with alcoholism that he says were misunderstood.
"I couldn't have more respect for Ben as a father, a co-parent, and a person,” Lopez said when asked for comment.
Jen on Ben - She wants to be "the best partner I can be"
Jen even included Ben in her New Year's resolutions, telling her social media followers that her goal was to be “the best mother I can be, the best partner I can be, the best friend I can be, the best daughter, sister, boss, person that I can be.”
If the cute comments appear to be coming more frequently from Jen’s side, it could be because Affleck isn’t on social media (and therefore can’t post one of those relationship-defining Insta-official snaps like the one below, which Lopez shared back in July). Our humble suggestion? An ode to J.Lo in tattoo form. We know Ben isn’t afraid to go under the needle…
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[video_embed id='2355950']BEFORE YOU GO: Zendaya talks her Emmy win, the long hiatus and the messy friendships in 'Euphoria' season 2 [/video_embed]
