Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt – or, better known as Ben Affleck – recently took the time to revisit the past with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast for their 368th episode. During the hourlong episode, host Scott Feinberg delves into Affleck’s career history and highlights how, two particular movies that flopped and the actors ensuing romance with his costar from those movies, ended up “demolishing” his career. The movies and costar in question? 2004’s ‘Jersey Girl’ and 2005’s ‘Gigli’, both starring Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. The pair’s relationship at the time became tabloid fodder, as outlets such as Us Weekly, In Touch and OK rose in notoriety and gained even more traction due to their relentless coverage of the two.
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Affleck and Lopez dated from 2002 up until 2004, and in that time, the tabloids spared no expense when it came to attacking their relationship. Now, almost 17 years later, Affleck opened up about his thoughts on how the tabloids portrayed both ‘Bennifer’ (the pair) and Lopez herself.
“People were so f****** mean about her — sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious s*** was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you would literally be fired for saying those things you said.”
He went on to praise the multitalented actress (and singer, dancer, fashion designer, producer, businesswoman) by saying that her career is one that not many could ever hope to accomplish.
“I would say you have a better shot, coming from the Bronx, of ending up as like [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.”
And although it’s taken a while for the media to recognise her worth, the 48-year-old ‘Armageddon’ star concluded:
‘Now it’s like, she’s lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished — as well she f****** should be!’
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While Bennifer did go on to get engaged, the pair called it quits just days before their wedding. Affleck went on to wed actress Jennifer Garner, with whom he has three children. Affleck and Garner, however, later got divorced in 2018. He is now dating Ana de Armas while Lopez is engaged to Alex Rodriguez. Comparing the two engagements, Lopez revealed to InStyle that the attention from her relationship with Affleck was “actually worse then”.
“It was just crazy. Now at least I can show you who I am a little bit. Back then you just believed anything you read on the cover of a tabloid. Many times it wasn’t true, or it was like a third of the truth.”
*Cover image credits: Instagram / @benaffleck
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