Ben Affleck Says He Has ‘a Lot of Respect’ for Ex-Fiancee Jennifer Lopez After Their Split

Friendly exes! Ben Affleck and his ex-fiancée, Jennifer Lopez, still keep in touch after all these years.

The Good Will Hunting actor was extremely open and honest during his tell-all interview with The New York Times, which was published on February 18, and he revealed some details about their relationship in excerpts that didn’t make it into the final version.

“She should have been nominated,” Ben, 47, told reporter Brooks Barnes about J. Lo’s Oscars snub for her role in Hustlers. “She’s the real thing. I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her. How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That’s f–king baller.”

Ben and Jennifer, 50, started dating in 2003, shortly after they met on set for their movie, Gigli. They got engaged, but called it quits in early 2004 — right before they were set to marry. She went on marry singer Marc Anthony in June 2004, and they welcomed twins Max and Emme in 2008. They split in 2012 and legally divorced in June 2014. The “On the Floor” singer is currently engaged to former MLB star Alex Rodriguez.

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Meanwhile, Ben moved on with actress Jennifer Garner. They first met on the set of their film Pearl Harbor in 2000, but they started dating in October 2004 after his split from J. Lo. They went on to marry in June 2005. During their marriage, they welcomed three kids — Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11 and Samuel, 7. But they split in October 2015 after more than a decade together. Their divorce was finalized in October 2018.

Ben also opened up about his failed marriage and told the NYT that their divorce is his “biggest regret.” In an outtake from the interview, the Justice League star revealed the one thing he would want to tell ex-wife Jen. “The first and main thing that I have to say to Jennifer Garner in public or in private is, ‘Thank you.’ I want to be really clear about how much I respect her and how much I value the fact that she works with me in co-parenting,” he told Barnes.

After Ben got candid about their marriage, insiders exclusively revealed to In Touch that Jen, 47, “was surprised,” but also “is touched by his honesty.” The insider continued, “She’s impressed he’s taken ownership of his mistakes and sees it as a sign that he’s made huge progress.”