Ben Affleck Opens Up About Jennifer Lopez, Awards Season Snubs, and the Real Work of Being a Star
Ben Affleck has long been candid about his complicated relationship with fame, and his latest comments about his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez show that his admiration for her has not dimmed with time. In a new interview with Variety, published Wednesday, October 7, the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker was asked about the awards-season snubs Lopez has experienced throughout her career, particularly for her performances in Hustlers and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Rather than criticize voters or the system, Affleck offered a thoughtful reflection on the subjective nature of awards and his deep respect for Lopez’s talents.
“I’m biased. I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what she can do,” Affleck, 54, told Variety. “What I’ve found with awards is that sometimes the degree of commercial success for things doesn’t always correlate to my taste.” He expanded on that idea, saying, “It’s a part of this weird, subjective business that people bring a lot of their own stuff to. 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.”
The comments are notable because Affleck and Lopez have a long and public history. The two were engaged in the early 2000s, a relationship that produced the tabloid nickname “Bennifer.” They called off their wedding in 2003, and each went on to marry other people. Affleck married Jennifer Garner in 2005; they had three children and divorced in 2015. Lopez married Marc Anthony, with whom she shares twins, and later had relationships with others. In 2021, Affleck and Lopez rekindled their romance, and they married in 2022. By 2024, however, their marriage ended in separation, and their divorce was finalized in 2025.
Despite the end of their marriage, Affleck has consistently spoken positively about Lopez. In this latest interview, he also praised her abilities as an artist across multiple platforms. “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 said. “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.”
Affleck’s comments about Lopez and Garner highlight his appreciation for the often-unseen labor that goes into building and maintaining a public brand. For Lopez, that has meant not only a successful music and film career but also a massive social media presence, business ventures, and a role as a producer. She served as an executive producer on Kiss of the Spider Woman, a project that Affleck also was involved with as an executive producer. The film has been seen as a potential awards contender, and Lopez has received some of the strongest reviews of her career for her role. Yet, as has often been the case throughout her career, awards recognition has remained elusive.
Lopez’s snub for Hustlers in 2019 was widely discussed at the time. Many critics and fans felt she deserved an Oscar nomination for her performance as Ramona, a seasoned stripper who takes a newcomer under her wing. The film was a commercial and critical success, and Lopez’s performance was singled out as a highlight. When the Academy nominations were announced, however, she was absent, prompting a wave of outrage on social media and in entertainment circles. Affleck’s comments suggest he shares that frustration, even if he couches it in a broader critique of how awards function.
His remarks also reflect a recurring theme in his own career. Affleck has experienced both the highs and lows of awards season. He won an Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting with Matt Damon, and he has been nominated for other films, including Argo, which won Best Picture. But he has also faced criticism and snubs, and he has spoken in the past about how the industry’s judgment can be fickle. His latest comments echo that sense of perspective: awards are ultimately a subjective human exercise, not an objective measure of artistic merit.
Affleck also touched on the business realities facing artists today. His point about artists needing to make money is particularly relevant in an era when streaming has disrupted traditional revenue streams and social media has become a crucial part of celebrity branding. For Lopez, who has been a pop star, actress, producer, and entrepreneur, the ability to cultivate a social media identity has been central to her continued relevance. Affleck’s praise for both Lopez and Garner in this area is striking, given that Garner has also maintained a strong public profile through her acting work and advocacy, including her role as a co-founder of the organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm.
Affleck’s previous comments about Lopez have been similarly warm. In April 2025, he told Entertainment Tonight, “Jennifer Lopez is spectacular, great to my kids, great ongoing relationship with them. 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 came just a few years after their divorce was finalized, and they reinforce the sense that Affleck and Lopez have managed to maintain a friendly and respectful relationship despite the end of their marriage.
Neither Affleck nor Lopez has publicly detailed the specific reasons for their split. Lopez, however, has spoken about the emotional aftermath. In 2024, she told Interview magazine that the breakup felt like her “whole f***ing world exploded.” She described the experience as an opportunity for self-reflection. “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,” she 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.”
The quote reveals a woman who has done considerable introspection in the wake of her second high-profile split from Affleck. It also aligns with the narrative Lopez has crafted in recent years: that she is focused on personal growth, family, and the next chapter of her career. She has continued to work on high-profile projects, including Kiss of the Spider Woman, which has been positioned as a return to serious dramatic acting. The film, based on the stage musical of the same name, tells the story of a political prisoner and a transgender woman in an Argentine prison. Lopez plays a version of the title character, and her performance has drawn praise for its emotional depth and range.
Affleck, meanwhile, has also moved forward professionally. He has been promoting Animals, a film that reunites him with his longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon. In the interview, he spoke at length about his career, his approach to acting, and his evolving views on the entertainment industry. But it was his comments about Lopez that captured the most attention, largely because they offer a rare glimpse into how two of the most famous celebrities of their generation have navigated a very public divorce with grace.
The relationship between Affleck and Lopez has always been something more than a typical Hollywood romance. Their initial engagement in 2002 was a cultural phenomenon, marked by relentless media coverage and even a music video for Lopez’s song “Jenny from the Block” that featured Affleck. When they reunited nearly two decades later, it seemed like a fairy-tale second chance. Their wedding in Las Vegas in 2022 was followed by a more elaborate ceremony in Georgia. They seemed to be writing a new chapter in their love story, one that would overcome the obstacles that had derailed them the first time. But by 2024, reports of trouble emerged, and the couple eventually confirmed their separation. The divorce was finalized in 2025.
Through it all, Affleck has maintained a public stance of admiration for Lopez. His latest comments are consistent with that stance, and they go beyond mere courtesy. He speaks about her abilities with genuine enthusiasm, and he is unafraid to acknowledge that she excels in areas where he does not. His acknowledgment of her social media savvy, for example, is a form of praise that many people in Hollywood might be reluctant to offer, given the tendency to view social media as less legitimate than traditional artistic work. Affleck, however, recognizes it as real work, and he says he could not do it.
In the end, Affleck’s remarks about Jennifer Lopez are a reminder that divorce does not always have to be bitter. For two people who spent years in the public eye, and whose personal lives have been dissected in endless headlines, the ability to speak about each other with respect is no small thing. Affleck has made it clear that he remains a fan of Lopez’s work, and that he wishes her well. His latest interview suggests that, at least from his perspective, the bond they share is rooted in mutual admiration and a recognition of each other’s talents. That may not be the stuff of fairy tales, but it is perhaps more valuable: a mature, hard-won respect between two people who have known each other for decades, loved each other, and ultimately moved on.
As for Lopez, she has not publicly responded to Affleck’s latest comments. But if history is any guide, she likely appreciates his words. In the past, she has spoken about the importance of maintaining a positive relationship with Affleck, especially for the sake of their blended family. They are both parents, and they have both learned that the end of a marriage does not mean the end of a family. Affleck’s children with Garner are part of Lopez’s life, just as Lopez’s children with Marc Anthony have been part of Affleck’s life. The two have created a modern, blended family that, while no longer centered on their marriage, continues to function with care and consideration.
In a world where celebrity breakups often devolve into public feuds and petty recriminations, the way Affleck and Lopez have handled their separation stands out. They have not aired their grievances in public. They have not traded insults. Instead, they have spoken about each other with kindness and respect. Affleck’s latest interview is another example of that. He did not have to praise Lopez. He could have simply said that he wishes her well and moved on. Instead, he chose to speak about her with the kind of admiration that suggests he still holds her in high regard. That says something about his character, and it also says something about the relationship they built over the years.
The entertainment industry is full of stories of love gone wrong, but it is also capable of producing stories of resilience and mutual respect. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are not the first celebrities to divorce, and they will not be the last. But their story is a reminder that it is possible to move on without losing sight of what made a relationship meaningful in the first place. Affleck’s words about Lopez are not just a compliment to his ex-wife; they are a testament to his own maturity and emotional intelligence. And they offer a refreshing counter-narrative to the cynicism that so often surrounds discussions of celebrity romance.
