Ben Affleck Said a Tina Fey Joke ‘Epitomized’ the Cynical Public Reaction to His Relationship With Jennifer Lopez
When Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez announced their engagement in 2002, many people doubted their marriage would last. Their romance was under constant scrutiny and Lopez had just ended her second marriage. Affleck said that a joke Tina Fey made about them on Saturday Night Live was the perfect demonstration of how people felt about his relationship.
Ben Affleck shared the joke that represented the way the public felt about him and Jennifer Lopez
When Affleck proposed to Lopez, she was still not officially divorced from her second husband, Cris Judd. Because of this, Affleck knew their romance would be the subject of much criticism.
“There were a million reasons not to,” Affleck told Vanity Fair in 2003. “Neither of us is so obtuse that we didn’t understand the degree of skepticism, the amount of sniggering in how the joke would be received.”
He said that a joke Fey made on SNL perfectly captured the way the public felt about them. Both he and Lopez were highly aware of how people perceived them, but Affleck didn’t want this to get in the way of their romance.
“Saturday Night Live epitomized it; Tina Fey said, ‘Jennifer Lopez announced her engagement — it’s the first marriage for Affleck, the third for Lopez, and the last for neither,’” he said. “But that’s not something I want to allow to dictate how I make choices. This is something I would do if Jen was a teacher and I was working construction in Boston. Jen and I want to get married for the reason everyone else does: we fell in love. I’m in love; I want to have a family; and she’s the only person I’ve ever met who made me entertain the thought of doing that.”
Ben Affleck said Jennifer Lopez received worse treatment from the media and public
While the constant attention on the relationship wore on Affleck, he believed Lopez was treated much worse by the media.
“People were so f***ing mean about her — sexist, racist,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “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.”
The constant scrutiny and criticism eventually wore the couple down. In 2003, they announced that they were postponing their wedding and, in 2004, they officially broke up.
He shared why he entered into a very public relationship
Before the breakup, Affleck, who said he liked to keep a low profile, shared why he entered into a relationship with someone like Lopez. Alone, they were both major stars who attracted attention every time they stepped out in public. Together, they created a media circus everywhere they went.
“Why did I fall in love with this person? What does that say about me?” he asked. “Maybe I am conflicted, but I also have a contrary streak. I said, Just because I’m in this situation, I’m not going to behave any way differently than I ever did. Jennifer is a really wonderful, fabulous woman, smart and interesting. Spending time with her makes me a better person and a happier person.”
He knew their relationship required sacrifices, but he was happy to make them in order to be with her.
“It feels better to me to be with her than without her,” he said. “That’s why I made this decision, even if some other things have to be sacrificed.”
