Ben Affleck Opens Up About Jennifer Lopez: “I Have an Enormous Amount of Respect and Admiration”
In a revealing new interview, Ben Affleck has once again made it clear that his split from Jennifer Lopez has not diminished the deep respect he holds for his former wife. The Oscar-winning actor, director, and producer spoke warmly about Lopez in a Variety feature published Wednesday, October 7, addressing everything from awards-season controversies to her entrepreneurial talents, and even her social media presence. For Affleck, his admiration for Lopez is not just personal—it is professional, artistic, and grounded in a genuine appreciation for everything she has accomplished across multiple industries.
When asked about the persistent conversation surrounding Lopez’s awards-season snubs—particularly for her acclaimed performances in Hustlers and the much-anticipated Kiss of the Spider Woman—Affleck was candid and generous in his response. “I’m biased. I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what she can do,” he said. He acknowledged that the awards conversation is one that often frustrates him, noting that commercial success and critical recognition do not always align with his own personal taste. “What I’ve found with awards is that sometimes the degree of commercial success for things doesn’t always correlate to my taste,” he explained.
Affleck, 54, did not stop there. He reflected more broadly on the inherently subjective nature of the entertainment industry and the awards that celebrate it. “It’s a part of this weird, subjective business that people bring a lot of their own stuff to,” he said. “I don’t always think the right person won the right award. But guess what? I don’t think you die and go to heaven, and God says, ‘This was the actual best picture in 1986.’ At the end of the day, it’s just a bunch of people voting on movie prizes.” His comments come at a time when Lopez, 57, has been the subject of renewed awards buzz for her role in Kiss of the Spider Woman, a film on which Affleck himself served as an executive producer. The project has already generated significant conversation, and Affleck’s public endorsement adds another layer of attention to her performance.
But Affleck’s praise for Lopez extended far beyond her acting abilities. He also spoke at length about her achievements in music and her remarkable skill at building and maintaining a powerful social media presence. In an era when artists are increasingly expected to be entrepreneurs and content creators, Affleck made it clear that he believes Lopez excels in all of those arenas. “Artists should be making money. You see it massively in the music business. People—either tacitly or explicitly—are expected to make money elsewhere,” he told Variety. “Now you’ve got your social media identity. You work to develop that. I’ve seen both Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner do amazing jobs cultivating and accruing value in those spaces. Don’t think that’s not real work. I couldn’t do it.”
The mention of Garner, to whom Affleck was married from 2005 to 2015, was notable for its continued theme of mutual respect. Affleck and Garner share three children: Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. Despite their divorce, the two have remained on amicable terms, and Affleck has often spoken publicly about Garner with appreciation and gratitude. Including her in the same breath as Lopez in the context of social media and business acumen was a rare and striking moment, underscoring how Affleck continues to view both of his former wives with admiration.
Affleck’s relationship with Lopez has been one of Hollywood’s most closely followed sagas. The two first became a couple in the early 2000s, quickly earning the portmanteau “Bennifer” from the press. Their engagement in November 2002 was a media sensation, but the pair called off their wedding in early 2004 amid intense tabloid scrutiny. Decades later, the romance was rekindled, and Affleck and Lopez married in 2022. Their reunion was seen as a fairy-tale second act for the couple, who had both gone on to build remarkable careers and families in the intervening years. Yet the second chapter of their love story also came to an end. The couple separated in 2024 and finalized their divorce the following year.
Despite the way their marriage ended, Affleck has consistently spoken about Lopez with warmth and respect. In April 2025, he gave an emotional interview to Entertainment Tonight in which he described her in glowing terms. “Jennifer Lopez is spectacular, great to my kids, great ongoing relationship with them,” he said at the time. “I love her kids. They’re wonderful. She’s [an] enormously important, tremendous person of a lot of integrity who I adore and am grateful to.” Those words, already heartfelt, were echoed and expanded upon in his latest Variety interview, suggesting that his feelings of admiration have not faded with time or distance.
Lopez, for her part, has also opened up about the emotional aftermath of their divorce. In a 2024 interview with Interview magazine, she spoke candidly about the pain of their split and the lessons she has taken from it. At one point, she described the end of her marriage to Affleck as feeling like her “whole f***ing world exploded.” She elaborated on the personal work she has done since, focusing on self-reflection and growth rather than assigning blame. “The work is figuring yourself out. It’s looking back at the feelings underneath and the belief systems that we have about ourselves that make us make certain choices and create certain patterns in our life,” Lopez said. “And so, when you get to a point where you think that you’ve learned the lessons, and then it blows up in your face again, you realize, ‘OK, I haven’t, so what is it that I need to look at right now?’ I would say, never stop looking inward, because it’s so easy to blame everybody else.”
Lopez has also spoken publicly about the impact of the divorce on her life and how she has navigated the aftermath. In a September interview on CBS Sunday Morning, she discussed how the experience changed her, with reporter Lee Cowan noting that Affleck served as an executive producer on Kiss of the Spider Woman. The film, which has become a significant part of the conversation around Lopez’s career, appears to be a project that has kept the former couple professionally connected even as they have moved on personally.
Affleck’s latest comments are notable not only for their warmth but also for their broader observations about the entertainment industry. His remarks about awards and commercial success speak to a frustration that many artists feel, particularly when performances of genuine merit are overlooked in favor of more traditional or expected choices. His defense of Lopez’s work in Hustlers—a film that earned her widespread critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination—and Kiss of the Spider Woman suggests that he believes her contributions have not always received the recognition they deserve.
At the same time, his comments about social media and the business of being an artist reflect a modern reality that few public figures understand better than Lopez. With millions of followers across platforms, Lopez has turned her online presence into a significant part of her brand, partnering with major companies and engaging with fans in ways that were unimaginable for earlier generations of stars. Affleck’s acknowledgment of that work is telling, especially from someone who has often seemed uncomfortable with the more performative aspects of celebrity culture.
The Variety interview also touched on Affleck’s own projects, including the film Animals, which he has been promoting. But it was his comments about Lopez that quickly became the focus of media coverage, as fans and outlets alike responded to the continuing narrative of “Bennifer.” Their relationship has always occupied a unique place in the cultural imagination—a romance that played out in the tabloids, inspired music and movies, and ultimately became a story of second chances. That the story did not end in a happy-ever-after does not seem to have diminished the genuine affection and respect between the two.
As Affleck put it, his admiration for Lopez is rooted in what she can do, not just who she is to him personally. Whether as an actress, singer, businesswoman, or social media mogul, Lopez has proven time and again that she is capable of reinvention and excellence. Affleck’s willingness to say so publicly, even after their divorce, is a reminder that some relationships end not because of animosity but because of circumstance. The respect remains, and so does the gratitude.
For now, fans of both stars will likely continue to follow their separate journeys with interest. Affleck continues his work as a filmmaker and actor, while Lopez prepares for the release of Kiss of the Spider Woman and all the awards-season attention that may come with it. Whatever happens, one thing is clear: Ben Affleck will be watching, and he will be rooting for her. As he said, he is biased. But his bias is born of admiration, and he makes no apologies for it.
