Let’s take a trip down memory lane – through Jennifer Lopez’s love history, to be more specific. The badass singer, actress, and producer has been linked to celebrities and civilians alike since she first hit the spotlight. Most recently, she’s rekindled a hot romance with ex-boyfriend Ben Affleck, and we can’t say we saw this one coming. Their romance started almost 20 years ago, but the love they had for each other clearly never went away. The couple initially got together back in 2002 but broke things off in 2004. But the two kept things amicable for years. According to their astrology charts, Ben and Jennifer might actually be soulmates. Lopez is clearly a romantic by nature and we can’t blame her. From her high school boyfriend to her marriage to Marc Anthony to her rekindled romance with Affleck, here’s a deep look at J Lo’s romantic evolution.
– Additional reporting by Alessandra Foresto, Celia Fernandez, and Johanna Ferreira
Getty / Ron Galella, Ltd.
David Cruz
When: 1984-1994
Lopez took her high-school-sweetheart relationship well into her early 20s. For a good chunk of her early adulthood, she learned to love and live alongside David Cruz.
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Ojani Noa
When: 1997-1998
Jennifer Lopez’s first husband was Ojani Noa, who was a waiter when they started dating. Since their split in 1998, Lopez’s ex-husband has popped up in her life from time to time. In 2004, Lopez was able to put in place a confidentiality agreement between both parties that she later claimed he was violating when he shopped around both a tell-all book and a honeymoon tape.
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Tommy Mottola
When: 1998
While this romance was never confirmed, the roots for it go back to a Mariah Carey/Jennifer Lopez/Tommy Mottola triangle of sorts. Mariah was married to Tommy until 1998, the same year that J Lo divorced Noa. In the midst of the divorce, she left Sony Music as Mottola started investing more into Lopez’s career. The relationship between Carey and Lopez has been tense ever since.
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Cris Judd
When: 2001-2002
Almost immediately following her split from Combs, Lopez married Cris Judd, one of her former backup dancers. Of their relationship, she said, “I loved Cris, still love him, he’s one of the best people. This wasn’t an easy thing to walk away from, but we didn’t have what it takes to make a marriage work. . . . Cris knows the last thing I ever wanted in this f*cking world was to hurt him.”
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Marc Anthony
When: 2004-2011
After tumultuous relationship histories on both ends, Lopez and Marc Anthony made it work for over seven years. They had their twins, Max and Emme, and even after their split are known to be coparenting. The former couple even shared an onstage kiss during the Latin Grammys in 2016.
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Casper Smart
When: 2011-2016
Lopez met Casper Smart when he was working as a backup dancer on her tour. They dated on and off for almost five years but officially called it quits in 2016. While much of their relationship was low-key, the pictures do show that the two happily enjoyed each other’s company.
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Alex Rodriguez
When: 2017-2021
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer made their red carpet debut at the 2017 Met Gala after they started dating in February of the same year. The two seemed to have a strong bond – they blended their families together, got engaged, and even bought a home together. But after four years together, the couple officially called it quits and released a joint statement in April 2021.
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Ben Affleck
When: 2002-2004; 2021-Present
After Judd, Lopez had a long engagement with Ben Affleck that lasted a little over a year and a half. The two broke things off in 2004 but remained in touch. Jennifer told People, “I think different time different thing, who knows what could’ve happened, but there was a genuine love there.” That should have been a sign that the love was still there, because after almost two decades, the two rekindled things earlier this spring. What seemed like a publicity stunt now appears to be a solid relationship.
