Jennifer Lopez Calls Ben Affleck Divorce ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened’ to Her

September 29, 2025, 9:32am

Jennifer Lopez believes her split from Ben Affleck was the “best thing” that ever happened to her.

The singer and actress spoke candidly about her breakup and how it affected her time on the set of Kiss of the Spider Woman while speaking to CBS News Sunday Morning‘s Lee Cowa.

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“It was a really tough time,” Lopez admitted. “Every moment on set, every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy. And then, it was like, back home, it was not great. And it was just like, ‘How do I reconcile this?’”

2023 Eastern Congo Initiative Poker & Blackjack Tournament — Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck attend the 2023 Eastern Congo Initiative Poker and Blackjack Tournament hosted by TAO Group Hospitality at LAVO Restaurant & Nightclub at The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on November 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mindy Small / Getty Images)

Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024, just two months after Kiss of the Spider Woman wrapped production.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Lopez told the outlet of her divorce from the Argo star. “Because it changed me.” She clarified, “It didn’t change me — it helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow.”

Now, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer said she was in a “good place” and that last summer was “probably the best” she’s ever had. “I had so much fun. I’m able to enjoy things more … I don’t have as much pressure,” she gushed, adding, “I realized that the joy is in living and these moments and really embracing life and everything it brings to you.”

Comparing the highs and lows of Kiss of the Spider Woman to her own experience around the production of the film, Lopez said, “The hard times are the lessons, and you have to understand that. You have to understand that. And once you do, everything just becomes a little bit lighter. And you can really, really fly.”

Asked if she felt like she was “flying” now, Lopez confirmed, “Yes. It does. And I still feel like I want to fly higher. I want to see more. I want to do more things.”

Lopez and Affleck first sparked a romance in 2002, getting engaged in November of that year before calling off their wedding in 2004. Then, in 2021, the pair rekindled their relationship, tying the knot in July 2022. In August 2024, Lopez filed for divorce, and the two finalized their split in January 2025.