With the reboot of Bennifer – the conscious recoupling of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez – it seems necessary to provide a look back at their history. After all, someone born in the same year Affleck and Lopez first hooked up is now legal drinking age.
Those who remember Bennifer version 1.0 know Canada played a significant role in their romantic timeline – but it’s unlikely Lopez will be eager to let Affleck back in Vancouver.
Here’s a look back at the history of J.Lo and Ben:
December 2001
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck begin a three-month shoot for the romantic comedy Gigli in the Los Angeles area. When production started, Lopez was only two months into her marriage to dancer-choreographer Cris Judd. She and Judd would split in June 2002, three months after Gigli wrapped.
September 2002
Lopez and Affleck start filming Jersey Girl, in which she plays his dead wife.
November 5, 2002
The video for “Jenny From the Block,” starring Affleck and depicting the paparazzi frenzy over their relationship, premieres on MTV.
November 13, 2002
Primetime Live aired an interview with Lopez, who confirmed she was engaged to Affleck. "He is brilliantly smart, loving, charming, affectionate,” she told Diane Sawyer. “And I just admire him in every way. I respect him. I feel like he teaches me things.” It is later reported that Affleck popped the question with a 6.1-carat pink diamond worth $2.5 million U.S.
April 2003
Affleck begins shooting Paycheck in Vancouver. He and Lopez, who are staying in a rented home in North Vancouver, are frequently spotted out and about.
June 2003
Lopez heads to Winnipeg to start work on the movie Shall We Dance. Affleck flies in on his days off and Lopez makes several visits to Vancouver, where Affleck is shooting Paycheck.
July 17, 2003
Affleck goes to Brandi’s Exotic Nightclub in Vancouver and reportedly goes into a private booth with four dancers. The encounter is captured on the club’s security cameras.
July 31, 2003
The front page of the National Enquirer declares: “Ben Cheats On J.Lo.” The report in the issue dated Aug. 12, 2003, is based on claims by Brandi’s dancer Tammy Morris, who claims she had a tryst with Affleck.
August 1, 2003
Gigli opens in theatres and is hit with bad reviews. Made on a budget of $75.6 million U.S., the romantic comedy grossed a paltry $7.2 million U.S. at the box office, making it one of the biggest box office flops of all time.
September 10, 2003
Lopez and Affleck release a joint statement announcing that their wedding, scheduled for Sept. 13 at the Four Seasons Biltmore, has been called off “due to the excessive media attention.” The couple claimed: “We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends.”
January 22, 2004
A rep for Lopez confirms the engagement is over. “At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy.”
March 26, 2004
Jersey Girl opens in theatres. Lopez is not highlighted in any promotions for the movie.
June 5, 2004
Lopez marries her longtime friend, singer Marc Anthony, at her home in Beverly Hills. “Ben and I split up at the moment when I thought we were committing to each other forever,” Lopez wrote in her 2014 book True Love. “It was my first real heartbreak, it felt like my heart had been torn out of my chest. I sought out comfort in another person, tried to find someone who could make me feel loved and wanted in my loneliest hour. … Marc came back into my life three days after I should have been at the altar saying ‘I do’ to another man.” The couple welcomed twins in 2008 but separated in 2014.
June 29, 2005
Affleck marries Jennifer Garner in Turks and Caicos in a small ceremony officiated by Canadian actor Victor Garber. They split a decade later, after welcoming three children, and were divorced in 2018.
February 2017
Lopez is publicly linked to former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. They would go on to announce their engagement on March 9, 2019 via Instagram.
March 12, 2021
Several media outlets report that Lopez and Rodriguez have split up – which the couple denies. “All the reports are inaccurate,” they said in a joint statement. “We are working through some things.”
April 15, 2021
Lopez and Rodriguez announce they are calling it quits. "We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," the couple said in a joint statement. “We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects.”
April 28 and 29, 2021
Affleck is spotted by paparazzi coming and going from Lopez’s home in Bel-Air.
May 8, 2021
Lopez and Affleck return to Los Angeles on a private jet after spending several days at the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana.
May 11, 2021
TMZ reports that Affleck was “flooding” Lopez with romantic emails as far back as February, while she was filming Marry Me in Dominican Republic. "We're told the tone of the emails wasn't just friendly ... but more loving and longing for Jen,” read the report.
April 2, 2022
Affleck popped the question to Lopez while she was having a bubble bath. “I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again," she shared. "I was quite literally speechless and he said, ‘is that a yes?’ I said YES of course that's a YES."
July 17, 2022
Lopez and Affleck tied the knot at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. “We did it,” Lopez wrote. “Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient.”
This article has been updated since it was first published.