Ben Affleck Said if He Ever Wrote About His Love Story With Jennifer Lopez, He’d ‘Light It on Fire’

When Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got back together in 2021, he wanted to keep their relationship away from the public. Their first engagement ended in 2003 at least in part because of the onslaught of attention on them and he did not want to repeat the past. Affleck said that if he ever did write about their love story, he would do whatever it took to keep it away from prying eyes.

Ben Affleck wanted to keep details of his relationship with Jennifer Lopez private

When Affleck and Lopez reconnected, he said he wanted to exercise “restraint” in the way he talked about their relationship.

“I know that I feel more comfortable having those healthy boundaries in my life around which, in a friendly and straightforward way, I tell you, I just don’t want to be talking about my personal relationship in the newspaper,” he told The Wall Street Journal.

While he said their reunion was very meaningful to him, he did not go into detail about it.

“I can say that it’s definitely beautiful to me,” he said. “And, you know, one of the things I really value across all facets of my life now is that it was handled in a way that reflected that.” 

He said their story is romantic enough that he could write it compellingly one day. He still wouldn’t let people read it, though.

“I could just say that I feel great about being very healthy,” he said. “And it is a good story. It’s a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I’ll tell it. I’ll write it all out. And then I’ll light it on fire.”

He didn’t want to ask her to hide information about their lives together

While Affleck wanted to keep his life with Lopez private, he said he didn’t expect her to do the same. 

“Getting back together, I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media,’” he said, per the Daily Mail. “Then I sort of realized it’s not a fair thing to ask. It’s sort of like, you’re gonna marry a boat captain and you go, ‘Well, I don’t like the water.’”

He said they both approached fame differently. While she worked to cultivate it, he wanted to avoid it. As a result, they had to compromise.

“We’re just two people with different kinds of approaches trying to learn to compromise,” he said.

Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck

On the couple’s second wedding anniversary, Lopez filed for divorce. This comes after months of rumors about the state of their marriage. Lopez listed the official date of their separation as April 26, 2024. 

“She tried really hard to make things work, and is heartbroken,” a source told People. “The kids are a top priority, as they always have been.”

Neither Affleck nor Lopez has publicly commented on their divorce proceedings.