Jennifer Lopez gained some invaluable perspective following her split from Ben Affleck.
The actress and singer was first engaged to Affleck in the early 2000s before their initial split, rekindling their relationship in 2021 and marrying in 2022. Lopez, 55, later filed for divorce on Aug. 20, which also marked the two-year anniversary of their Georgia wedding celebration.
In a newly published chat with comedian Nikki Glaser for Interview magazine, which took place on Sept. 10, Lopez said she doesn’t regret the pain she went through following her recent breakup with Affleck, 52, “for one second.”
“That doesn’t mean it didn’t almost take me out for good. It almost did,” she continued. “But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, ‘F—, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times.’ ”
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” ‘I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it,’ ” added the Unstoppable actress. ” ‘You had to hit me really hard over the head with a f—ing sledgehammer. You dropped the house on me. Don’t have to do it again.’ “
After telling Glaser, 40, that she “finally got it,” Lopez immediately clarified, “And by the way, that doesn’t mean I have everything figured out.”
Lopez’s marriage to Affleck marked her fourth time tying the knot. She previously had a 1997–1998 union with model-waiter Ojani Noa, before marrying Cris Judd on Sept. 29, 2001. Lopez filed for divorce from Judd, 55, by July 2002, and the divorce was finalized by the following January.
Before reconnecting with Affleck, Lopez wed singer-songwriter Marc Anthony in a private June 2004 ceremony. The two share 16-year-old twins Emme and Max, whom they welcomed in February 2008.
Lopez and Anthony, 56, announced their split in a joint statement in July 2011. The divorce was finalized in June 2014.
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Lopez also opened up to Glaser during their Interview chat about what she has learned while navigating a difficult, but ultimately illuminating, year.
“It’s a lifelong process,” she said. “I think that’s what I love about life: that there’s no arrival point. There’s only getting better and growing if you want to. It’s either growing or dying, and I don’t want to do the dying part.”
As for her dating life, Lopez told Glaser, “Now I’m excited, when you say you’re just going to be on your own.”
“Yes, I’m not looking for anybody, because everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f—ing do when it’s just me flying on my own,” she said. “What if I’m just free?”
Unstoppable will be in theaters beginning Dec. 6.
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