Ben Affleck Spotted Canoodling With Denim-Clad Jennifer Lopez After Publicly Criticizing Republicans

Ben Affleck cozying up courtside with Jennifer Lopez has fans wondering what year it is. 

The pair caused a media firestorm earlier this year when they were spotted together around town, which sparked rumors of a romance rekindled. Affleck and Lopez began their courtship in 2002 and took on the name “Bennifer” in public. After postponing their nuptials, the duo publicly split in 2004 and both moved on to other relationships, marriages, and children. But then in July 2021, a photo of Affleck and Lopez kissing kicked off a whole new chapter of their relationship.

Most recently, Bennifer 2.0 was spotted enjoying a Lakers game and making no secret of their current relationship status. In the photos, Affleck looks happy for a change, and Lopez is decked out in head-to-toe denim reminiscent of Britney Spears in the early 2000s. It all has fans equal parts confused and delighted.

Affleck and Lopez first met on the set of “Gigli,” a film with one of the worst reputations in Hollywood. The “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer was married to Cris Judd at the time and both she and Affleck allege their relationship was platonic at first. 

They got together a few months after her marriage to Judd ended and quickly became engaged. But the negative publicity from the movie “Gigli” put pressure on the relationship, leading Lopez and Affleck to postpone and then ultimately cancel their much-hyped wedding. In later interviews, the actress blamed negative media attention as being a catalyst for their eventual split. 

“I remember being on the cover of those tabloids for two years straight and it was brutal,” she said during an MTV documentary. “I think it absolutely contributed to the demise of our relationship and the love that we had. There was so much judgment and pressure and scrutiny and opinions and it was just a really, really hard thing to deal with.”

Affleck married — then divorced — actress Jennifer Garner. Lopez married singer Marc Anthony, then had a very public relationship with Alex Rodriguez. But both parties found themselves single in 2021 and that led to a romantic reunion.

Over the years, Affleck has made no secret of his political leaning, even as they related to Lopez. In January 2021, he told The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast that Lopez is a victim of racism and sexism.

“People were so f***ing mean about her — sexist, racist,” Affleck said. “Ugly, vicious sh** was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you would literally be fired for saying those things you said.”

He continued, heaping praise on Lopez.

“I would say you have a better shot, coming from the Bronx, of ending up as [Justice Sonia] Sotomayor on the Supreme Court than you do of having Jennifer Lopez’s career and being who she is at 50 years old today,” he concluded. 

Most recently, he slammed the Republican party while complimenting former presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. The “Good Will Hunting” star gushed over Clinton, calling her an “extraordinary person” and a “wonderful role model.”

These comments were made during a virtual fundraiser Tuesday hosted by Clinton’s Onward Together and Attorney General Eric Holder’s redistricting reform group All on the Line. 

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