Jennifer Lopez Speaks Out on Taking Ben Affleck’s Last Name & Co-parenting with Jennifer Garner

Music superstar Jennifer Lopez has been criticized for taking her newly-wedded husband, Ben Affleck’s last name. However, she says their love had always been genuine.

Singer Jennifer Lopez got candid about her relationship with her now-husband, Ben Affleck, whom she reconnected with two decades after going their separate ways.

The pair were first engaged in the early 2000s before calling it quits. Despite the long period apart, the Hollywood power couple rekindled their romance in 2021 and spontaneously wed in Las Vegas in July 2022.

Affleck and Lopez later celebrated their love for each other in an intimate wedding ceremony in front of family and friends in Georgia. When speaking on their connection, the actress said their chemistry had always been genuine and that even after reconciling several years later, the “feelings” were still there:

“I always felt like there was a real love there, a true love there. People in my life know that he was a very, very special person in my life. When we reconnected, those feelings for me were still very real.”

Lopez added that she and the actor “lost each other and found each other.” She explained that she does not overlook what happened between them that caused their breakup “because all those things were real too.”

Moreover, the lovebirds wanted “to come to a place of peace” in their lives. They wished to see if the love they once shared still existed.

Lopez and Affleck first dated for two years back in the day but broke up in 2004. After splitting, they got involved with other people and eventually married them.

She wed musician Marc Anthony in 2004, and they welcomed twins Max and Emme. However, the former couple divorced in 2014. Meanwhile, Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005, and they had three kids together; Samuel, Violet, and Seraphina.

Following both their divorces, Lopez and Affleck pursued other relationships. She got engaged to retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez, and the two ended their relationship in 2021. Affleck dated actress Ana de Armas, and they also decided to split that same period.

During that time, with both of them being single, Affleck contacted Lopez via email, and they could not stop communicating back and forth, giving room for old feelings to resurface.

Since their reunion, the “Marry Me” star told Vogue magazine that she and the director were now “joined together” as man and wife.

Why Did Lopez Choose to Take Affleck’s Last Name?

A few days after exchanging their wedding vows, Lopez learned that The New York Times published an opinion piece discussing her decision to take her spouse’s last name. The report alluded to disappointment at a time when feminist ideals were spread throughout the US.

The Bronx native expressed shock at that the criticism she received. She stated that regardless, people would still refer to her by her well-known name.

The “I’m Into You” singer also explained that she would still be legally known as “Mrs. Affleck” because she and Affleck were now “joined” as one:

“We’re husband and wife. I’m proud of that. I don’t think that’s a problem. I just feel like it’s romantic. It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I’m just that kind of girl.”

Lopez laughed when asked whether she would have liked to see Affleck take her last name and said it was not “traditional” and made it less romantic.

“The Wedding Planner” star noted that it was understandable that people had opinions about her name choice, which is acceptable. Still, Lopez showed that she was not fazed by any criticism over her involvement with the filmmaker.

What Did Lopez Say about Co-parenting with Garner

Lopez also discussed her co-parenting experience with Affleck’s former wife, Garner. She praised the “Elektra” star, saying she was “an amazing co-parent, and they work well together.”

However, things are different with Lopez’s former spouse, Anthony, who resides on the East Coast. She mentioned the “transition” for the children was a “process that needs to be handled with so much care.”

“What I hope to cultivate with our family is that his kids have a new ally in me and my kids have a new ally in him, someone who really loves and cares about them but can have a different perspective and help me see things that I can’t see with my kids because I’m emotionally tied up,” said the mother of two.

Lopez added that her kids and stepkids “have feelings” because of their new norm as they are still teenagers. She explained that irrespective of that, “it’s going well so far.”