This Time It's Official: JLo's Recent Breakup and Iconic Relationships
On March 12, it was reported that after 4 years and an engagement, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez had called it quits. It was then reported that the couple had decided to work things out, giving us some hope for the couple. Unfortunately on April 15, they decided to publicly announce their split, stating they are better as friends.
The couple began dating in February 2017, with Rodriguez proposing to Lopez while in the Bahamas in March of 2019. They first met at one of Rodriguez's games as a New York Yankee in 2005, when Lopez was married to then-husband Marc Anthony.
The break-up was definitely unexpected and came as a shock to most JLo fans, like myself. Lopez’s personal life has always been in the eyes of the media, so I was always up to speed on who she was dating if they broke up, or any recent engagement news (because who doesn’t love a good engagement?) With that, let’s take a look at some of JLo’s iconic relationships over the years.
OJANI NOA
JLo was married to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa from February 22, 1997, to January 1998. They first met while he was working at Gloria Estban’s restaurant. Their marriage was very short-lived, and Lopez faced many legal issues due to Noa trying to write a book about their marriage despite a confidentiality agreement.
SEAN “PUFFY” COMBS
While she was working on her debut album On the 6, Lopez began dating record producer and rapper Sean Combs. On December 27, 1999, Combs and Lopez were arrested in connection with a shooting outside a club in Times Square. Safe to say the relationship did not last, but they still remain close friends.
CRIS JUDD
Lopez started to develop a relationship with former backup dancer Cris Judd, whom she was married to from September 29, 2001, to June 2002. The two met in Spain in late 2000 when Judd was hired to direct the music video for "Love Don't Cost a Thing". He also composed the song, "Alive", which was selected as the theme song for her movie Enough.
BEN AFFLECK
One of the most iconic of her relationships, Lopez and Ben Affleck started dating in 2002 following an engagement in November of that year. People began to refer to the couple as "Bennifer", and they became a prominent super-couple in the media and popular culture. The two starred in Gigli and Jersey Girl, and Affleck even starred in the video to Lopez’s signature track “Jenny from The Block”. They postponed the wedding abruptly the day before the planned ceremony in September 2003. The relationship officially ended in January 2004.
marc anthony
After being longtime friends, Anthony and Lopez started dating and quickly wed in June 2004. Lopez gave birth to a son (Max) and a daughter (Emme) on Long Island, on February 22, 2008. Three years later in July of 2011, the couple announced their split, with Anthony ultimately filing for divorce in April 2012. Their divorce was finalized on June 16, 2014, with Lopez retaining primary physical custody.
Casper smart
JLo and Casper Smart’s relationship began as a completely professional one. He was her backup dancer, and occasional '‘chair”. Smart was Lopez’s first major relationship following her divorce from Anthony, and they were together for two and a half years before they decided to call it quits in 2014. They started dating again in 2015 but broke up in the summer of 2016.
Even though it did not work out, JLo remains close friends with most of her exes. Since the official split between her and Alex Rodriguez, Lopez has leaned on her ex-husband Marc Anthony and their twins Emme and Max. She also just finished filming her new movie Shotgun Wedding in the Dominican Republic, with a release date of June 29, 2022.