Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Share Reason Behind 2003 Canceled Wedding In New Documentary
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck recounted their first breakup in a new documentary.
The "On the Floor" singer and "Batman" star first met in 2002 on the set of their film "Gigli." They immediately hit it off and planned to exchange vows on Sept. 14, 2003. However, they called off their wedding just days before the big day and months later announced their separation.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck attend the Los Angeles premiere of Warner Bros. "The Flash" at Ovation Hollywood on June 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.
The two reconciled nearly 20 years later and are now happily married. In the documentary "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," they shared what ended their romance back then and why they decided not to push through with their 2003 wedding.
"Ben and I, we broke up three days before our wedding," Lopez told a group of people, Entertainment Tonight reported. "We had a big wedding planned -- 14 ushers and bridesmaids, and three days before, we just crumbled under the pressure."
"When Jen and I broke up before, the catalyst for that was the massive amount of scrutiny around our private life," Affleck added.
US actress/singer Jennifer Lopez and US actor Ben Affleck arrive for the premiere of "The Mother" at the Westwood Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California, on May 10, 2023.
The documentary follows the making of Lopez's musical experience and new album "This Is Me...Now," a sequel to her album from 2002, "This Is Me...Then." Both albums are dedicated to Affleck. Dave Meyers, who directed JLo's "I'm Real" music video in 2001, appeared in the documentary and shared how difficult the split was for the "Marry Me" actress.
"When [she] and Ben first broke up, it was catastrophic to her constitution, everything that she wanted from what she understood love to be. For that to not work, for the pressures to break it apart, it just spun her out," Meyers said.
(L-R) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend ELLE's Women In Hollywood Celebration at Nya Studios on December 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Lopez doubled down on Meyers' statement. She admitted that when she lost the "Justice League" actor during their breakup, she didn't only lose the man she loved but her best friend too.
"For all those years it was really hard because I didn't just feel like I lost the love of my life, I felt like I lost the best friend that I ever had," Lopez shared. "And I couldn't talk for so many years, and that was the hardest part."
Jennifer Lopez (L) and Ben Affleck attend the 2023 Eastern Congo Initiative Poker and Blackjack Tournament hosted by TAO Group Hospitality at LAVO Restaurant & Nightclub at The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on November 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the same documentary, Lopez shared the love letters she received from Affleck with some of the musicians she invited over to their house. Affleck was reportedly "taken aback." He admitted that there were things he wanted to be kept private, but he "grudgingly follows along" as Lopez turned the tables by speaking about their love story from her perspective after the unwanted media attention tore them apart.
"Things that are private I always felt are sacred and special because, in part, they're private," Affleck reportedly said in the documentary, adding, "So this was something of an adjustment for me."
Jennifer Lopez (L) and Ben Affleck arrive for the world premiere of "The Flash" at Ovation Hollywood in Hollywood, California, on June 12, 2023.
Affleck and Lopez secretly tied the knot in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022. They married again in front of their family and friends a month later at his home in Riceboro, Georgia.
"The Greatest Love Story Never Told" premieres Tuesday and streams exclusively on Prime Video.
