Jennifer Lopez Responds to Criticism Over Her Taking Ben Affleck’s Last Name

Jennifer Lopez is officially Mrs. Affleck — whether fans like it or not. Although she revealed the name change when she confirmed that she and Ben Affleck wed in Las Vegas earlier this year, she is now responding to criticism that she legally changed her name to match her husband’s.

During an interview with Vogue, Lopez was asked about a New York Times opinion piece that criticized her decision to take Affleck’s last name. In the article, the writer expressed their disappointment over the move, as it came during a time when feminist ideals have been under fire in the United States. Lopez was surprised by that take, saying “What? Really?” She continued, “People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs. Affleck because we’re joined together. We’re husband and wife. I’m proud of that. I don’t think that’s a problem.”

While on the topic, Vogue floated the idea of Affleck taking his wife’s last name. The suggestion prompted a laugh from Lopez, who compared it to a “power move” of sorts. The singer explained that she simply wanted to go the “traditional” route when it came to her marriage. 

“No! It’s not traditional. It doesn’t have any romance to it,” Lopez explained. “It feels like it’s a power move, you know what I mean? I’m very much in control of my own life and destiny and feel empowered as a woman and as a person. I can understand that people have their feelings about it, and that’s okay, too. But if you want to know how I feel about it, I just feel like it’s romantic. It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I’m just that kind of girl.”

This past summer, Affleck and Lopez surprised everyone when they exchanged vows in a low-key ceremony in Las Vegas. Shortly after the news broke about their nuptials, Lopez confirmed their wedding in her On the JLo newsletter. She issued a lengthy message about their wedding day and signed off by noting that she is now “Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck.”

“So with the best witnesses you could ever imagine, a dress from an old movie and a jacket from Ben’s closet, we read our own vows in the little chapel and gave one another the rings we’ll wear for the rest of our lives,” Lopez wrote. “They even had Bluetooth for a (short) march down the aisle. But in the end, it was the best possible wedding we could have imagined. One we dreamed of long ago and one made real (in the eyes of the state, Las Vegas, a pink convertible, and one another) at very, very long last.”