Ben Affleck Once Said People Were ‘F***ing Mean’ and ‘Vicious’ About Jennifer Lopez in Early 2000s
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have a long romantic history. The couple fell in love after meeting on the set of Gigli in the early 2000s. Sadly, they ended their engagement just two years later. But they fell back in love in 2021 and tied the knot in 2022. In 2024, Affleck and Lopez allegedly want to divorce. But we’re looking back at the time when Affleck said the public was “f***ing mean” to Lopez.
Ben Affleck said people were ‘so f***ing mean’ about Jennifer Lopez before they broke up in 2004
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were the talk of the tabloids in the early 2000s. The young couple fell madly in love and planned for marriage. They didn’t walk down the aisle until 20 years later. But fans fell deeply in love with “Bennifer” when they initially went public with their romance.
Affleck and Lopez have different tolerances for media attention. Lopez loves her adoring fans and staying in the spotlight. However, Affleck wants to live a quiet life away from the paparazzi. In 2021, he spoke on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast about how the public perceived him and Lopez.
“You know, there’s always a story of the month, and me dating Jennifer Lopez happened to be that tabloid story at the time when that business grew exponentially,” Affleck said.
He explained how the public was “mean” to Lopez before growing to love her.
“People were so f***ing mean about her — sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious s*** was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now, you would literally be fired for saying those things you said,” Affleck explained. “Now, it’s like, she’s lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished — as well she f***ing should be!”
Jennifer Lopez said she had to be more ‘well-behaved’ than the men she worked with
Jennifer Lopez received harsh criticism in the early 2000s, and she still receives unfair critiques today. In an interview, she explained that she has to be more “well-behaved” than the men she works with.
“I’ve always been fascinated about how much more well-behaved we have to be than men are,” Lopez said in an interview posted to TikTok. “I’ve worked with a lot of different men, obviously, as we all have, but it was just always fascinating to me because I did get a moniker of being a diva, which I never felt I deserved, which I don’t deserve. And because I’ve always been a hard worker, always on time, always doing what I’m supposed to do, showing up, being a professional, and getting that label because you reach a certain amount of success.”
Lopez added that she felt “crippled to voice” her opinion because of the “boy’s club” that would form while filming.
“We are not allowed to have certain opinions or be a certain way or be passionate, be even passionate about something,” Lopez said.
J.Lo doesn’t pay ‘much attention to outside hate’ amid divorce rumors, a source says
Jennifer Lopez has dealt with criticism throughout her career. A source told Entertainment Tonight that she doesn’t pay “much attention” to hate about her marriage to Ben Affleck.
“Jen has not been paying much attention to any outside hate,” the source said. “She has always had to deal with criticism and knows that she is misunderstood by some. She realizes that will always be the case because she’s an artist, and there are people who don’t get her or know her.”
As for Affleck, he allegedly understands that criticism comes with fame. “They both know this is part of the business and remind each other that you can’t please everyone,” the source continued.
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