Jennifer Lopez’s Mother Says She ‘Prayed For 20 Years’ For Daughter To Rekindle Romance With Ben Affleck

May 05, 2023 by apost team

Ever since getting back together in 2021, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck — collectively known as “Bennifer” — haven’t been able to keep their love out of the headlines. Any A-list celebrity couple is fun to keep up with but Bennifer is one of the quintessential pairs of the last few decades. Part of the reason why is that both artists are individually known for their illustrious careers — Affleck is an actor and filmmaker, while Lopez is a singer and actress.  

The two met in 2001 on the set of the film “Gigli.” They first began dating in 2002 and were engaged to be married in 2003. But sadly, their wedding was postponed, and then the pair decided to split up in 2004. 

During their time together, the couple became an iconic celebrity romance. There were tons of paparazzi photos of the two of them being affectionate that frequently made headlines. This coverage continued when Affleck showed up in Lopez’s music video for her song “Jenny from the Block.”

After their breakup in 2004, they each went on to marry other people. Lopez married Marc Anthony the same year she and Affleck split, however, they divorced in 2014, while Affleck married Jennifer Garner in 2005, and they were together until 2018.

In 2021, after Lopez and Affleck were both finally single again, they decided to get back together. In July of that year, Lopez confirmed they were dating in a social media post. And just one year later, in July 2022, Bennifer finally tied the knot and officially became husband and wife.

While the pair’s reunion might have come as a surprise to many, the same can’t be said about Lopez’s mother, who revealed she held hopes for the couple even years after their initial split.

When Lopez and Affleck first rekindled their romance in 2021, they were seen showing affection to one another at the gym. An insider shared with PEOPLE at the time: “They were holding hands, hugging, kissing. They weren’t trying to hide the fact that they were together. They are very much into each other and being together.”

While still in a long-distance relationship, the couple made a great effort to see each other. Another source said: “They will travel back and forth as much as they can to make things work. They don’t want to hide anymore. They are both excited about their relationship. They want to make sure they do everything they can to make this work. Jennifer is incredibly happy. She feels like she can just be herself around Ben.”

Lopez opened up about their relationship in an interview in July 2021 and said:

“I’ve never been better. I’ve really gotten to a place in my life where I’m great on my own. And I think once you get to that place, then amazing things happen to you that you never imagine in your life happening again … I just want everybody to know that it’s the best time. It’s the best time of my life.”

Lopez also spoke to PEOPLE about what makes their relationship different nowadays as compared to 18 years ago: 

“We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things.”

Following a short dating period, 2022 saw the couple get engaged and married — twice! — and go on a highly-photographed honeymoon in Paris. Between their public adoration and prominent outings together, it’s clear that Bennifer is deeply in love and unafraid to show it off. 

apost.com

Lopez appeared on the Today Show on May 3, 2023, and was accompanied by her mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez. Lopez spoke to host Hoda Kotb about her and Affleck’s journey together and said it was the inspiration for her album, “This Is Me... Now,” set for release in the later half of 2023.

“I went on an incredible journey through my life for past 20 years, and I think I’ve grown a lot. The album is really about capturing those moments in time. Falling in love and having that moment, then 20 years later trying to capture what this moment was, which was a very different thing,” Lopez explained. 

The superstar added growing older had allowed her to define the priorities in her life and said:

“I think when you have life experience behind you, you realize what’s really important. I love what I do. I have always said that, but since I had kids, that changed for me.”

Lopez also gushed about the way her kids have taken to Affleck, whom she said “loved him.”

“He’s a wonderful, wonderful father and father figure to them. He has his own three beautiful children and then there’s us and he’s fantastic. He really steps up to the challenge of what that is and what that means and they love him. They love him. They appreciate him and so do I,” she remarked.

Another person who got in on the Affleck appreciation session was Lopez’s mom, Rodriguez, who piped in and revealed, “I knew that you would always get back together because I prayed for 20 years.”

Looking as if she’d heard the line one too many times, Lopez responded with a look upwards to the heavens, a playful smile and a simple “OK,” before rushing Kotb to “keep going.”

How adorable is Lopez’s mom? Do you think she played a key part in manifesting her daughter’s reunion with Affleck? Let us know and be sure to pass this on to all the Bennifer fans you know!